A Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade For Many Tasty Meals
Garlicky, herby, lime chicken thighs are good on just about anything you can think of—their versatility is one of the many things we love about them. Serve these cilantro-lime chicken thighs with an Asian Chopped Salad and Cilantro Lime Rice, or plain White Rice, or use them in any meal you want to add extra flavor to (more on that below).
Ingredients You’ll Need For Cilantro Lime Marinade For Chicken
Garlic – It always starts with garlic! Mince six cloves for this marinade.
Honey – A little touch of sweetness, just one tablespoon, to balance out the tartness of the lime.
Lime Zest + Lime Juice – You’ll need two fresh limes, or squeeze more and make yourself a Spicy Margarita while you’re cooking!
Fresh Cilantro – Mince a handful of cilantro leaves. We recommend pulling the leaves from the stems first as a textural preference.
Chili Powder – We call for two tablespoons of chili powder, and if you’re not a fan of spice you can halve this amount.
How To Cook Chicken Thighs In A Pan
We love the little bit of crisp crust that chicken thighs get when they’re simply and quickly cooked in a pan on top of the stove, and in the summer they’re great grilled over charcoal. Break out that cast iron skillet and get cooking! Here’s how:
Use a large skillet. Ideally, you’ll be using a skillet that can comfortably fit all of your chicken thighs, so you’ll want to use the largest one you have, whether that’s a non-stick or a cast iron.
Let your skillet heat up before you add the chicken. Give the pan time to warm up a bit, so that when the cilantro-lime marinated chicken hits the pan you hear a nice sizzle.
Add the chicken! No oil needed—the chicken will be coated in a nice slick of oil from its time in the marinade, so you can just add it directly to a dry pan. Don’t crowd the chicken thighs—try not to have them touch each other in the pan. If they don’t all fit comfortably, no biggie! Just work in batches.
Done! When the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, you’re done! Using tongs, pull that chicken out of the pan, and get ready to tuck in.
How to Serve Our Cilantro-Lime Chicken
Try rubbing the marinade on a whole chicken for a savory-citrusy roasted bird, or slather it on a meaty white fish like halibut before throwing it on the grill.
Take this Chicken Fajita Bowl to the next level by swapping these chicken thighs for the chicken breast.
In these cheery, rainbow-colored Chicken Street Tacos with Mango Slaw.
Make a big, cilantro-lime chicken-topped salad with lots of creamy avocado and this Thai Salad Dressing.
Our Simple Mole Chicken Enchiladas call for a store-bought rotisserie chicken, but would be so delicious if you used cilantro-lime chicken thighs instead.
Make Salsa Verde Chicken Nachos! Shred the chicken up and spread it on top of a sheet pan covered with tortilla chips. Sprinkle with loads of cheese and pop it into the oven just until the cheese has melted.
More Bright + Flavorful Chicken Recipes From The Modern Proper
All The Tasty Marinades And More!
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