Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

A cilantro lime marinade for chicken is one of my favorites. It has the right balance of flavors – a bit of heat, fresh flavors and all together they pack a big punch. This recipe is so versatile. You can use it for chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings and chicken breast.

A Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade is a staple in my kitchen. Living in the sunshine state has many benefits and one of them is having beautiful grilling weather most of the year. We love our backyard grill and put it to good use. This Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade is one we use over and over again.

The marinade is really easy to make and very easy to adjust. You can make it more or less spicy, add different flavors by using different combinations of spices. I used both the lime zest and the juice to really amp up the lime flavor. The fresh cilantro adds so much freshness and the roasted poblano adds the great taste of peppers to the chicken. You can use jalapeno peppers instead of the poblano pepper if you want more heat.

You can grill the chicken right away if you want a really simple, quick dinner, or let it marinate overnight for maximum flavor. That’s why it’s perfect for meal prepping. I even freeze the chicken in the marinade when I do Freezer Meal Prepping. We use this marinade on chicken drumsticks and chicken breast too and use the meat for burritos, tacos, or alongside rice or Roasted Potatoes. It’s a perfect meal any time of the year. 

Ingredients For Cilantro Lime Marinade:

• chicken
  • My favorite chicken to use in this recipe are bone in, skin on chicken thighs, however, you can use any chicken parts, chicken drumsticks, thighs, wings, breast, even use boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts.
• poblano pepper (or jalapeno pepper)
  • Most of the time, I use poblano pepper, since it isn’t too spicy, and we most often serve this for children. If you want the marinade to be spicier, use jalapeno pepper instead.

• olive oil (you can use most any oil for this recipe, sometimes I use avocado oil instead of olive oil)
• cilantro
  • I use tons of cilantro for this recipe, but if you don’t like cilantro, you can use parsley instead, or even a combination of fresh herbs, such as green onions, chives, rosemary, thyme, etc.
• limes, juice and zest (lemons can be used instead too)
• garlic
• salt, ground black pepper
• herbs and spices
  • So many different combinations of herbs and spices can be used for this recipe. Here is my favorite to use: cumin, paprika, coriander, chili lime seasoning, poultry seasoning, dry Italian herbs, chili powder.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe:

1. Prepare the chicken.
   • Trim the chicken thighs of extra skin and fat, so they look nice and neat.
2. Make the marinade.
   • Cut the poblano pepper in half, place it on a baking sheet and broil it on the highest heat setting of your oven until the skin gets charred about 5 minutes. It can burn really quickly, so keep an eye on it. Remove the skin.
   • Place all the marinade ingredients into a food processor or blender. (You can also chop the cilantro and poblano pepper finely and not use a food processor at all.)
   • Process all the ingredients together until smooth.
3. Combine the chicken with the marinade in a large bowl.
   • You can grill it immediately, but if you can let it marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour, it will taste even better. For the best results, let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
4. Grill the chicken.
   • Preheat the grill on high heat for about 15 minutes. Clean the grill grates. Take a wad of paper towels and holding them with a pair of tongs, dip them into a small bowl of oil and brush the grill grates 3-5 times. This will help to create a barrier on the grates, making them somewhat nonstick and also clean the grates even more.
   • Place the chicken skin side down on the grill grates and lower the temperature to medium. Grill the chicken for 5-8 minutes, until the skin has some nice grill marks and is golden brown.
   • Flip the chicken over and continue grilling until the internal temperature of the chicken is 170-175 degrees Fahrenheit. The time will vary greatly, depending on your grill and the size of the chicken, anywhere from 15-25 more minutes.

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

This marinade is absolutely amazing! I works really well for boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks and chicken breast too.

What To Serve With Cilantro Lime Chicken

1. Long Grain White Rice
2. Roasted Potatoes
3. Roasted Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad
4. Zucchini, Corn and Black Bean Rice
5. Simple and creamy mashed potatoes OR Bacon and Chive Mashed Potatoes

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This is an updated recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken that was originally published on March 13, 2018. I updated the photos, clarified the instructions and added a video. The recipe is still the same.