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Home Recipe Index Chicken & Turkey

Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

★★★★★ 5 /5
Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
Rachel Tiemeyer
By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 2/4/22Updated: 1/31/23

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

“This Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade is our favorite!! It is so full of flavor and so delicious!” – Shannon

We agree with Shannon. This is one of our favorite chicken marinades. The cilantro, lime, and garlic marry together to create this fresh, citrusy Chicken Marinade.

marinade in a mason jar and marinade and chicken in freezer bag

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Ingredients in Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

Marinating chicken is THE key to infusing flavor into typically lean, bland poultry cuts. This fresh and citrusy marinade only requires a few ingredients and yet turns that lackluster cut into something that makes your tastebuds sing.

  • Avocado oil or olive oil – The base for almost any chicken marinade.
  • Juice and zest of 2 limes – We highly recommend using fresh limes for marinades. The store-bought kind just doesn’t have the same flavor in our opinion.
  • Chopped fresh Cilantro – One of our favorite fresh herbs! Chop up the leaves AND stems for this marinade. Here are some great tips on how to chop cilantro.
  • Garlic cloves – I almost always have a jar of minced garlic in my fridge. It’s such a time saver for recipes like these.
  • Ground cumin – A seasoning common to most Mexican recipes.
  • Salt & red pepper flakes – Don’t worry, it doesn’t make it too spicy.
ingredients for cilantro lime chicken marinade on a table

How to Make and Store the Marinade

If you find that you are using this chicken marinade frequently, you could make a large batch of it (scale it up 2-3x) and store it for future use. There are two main ways to store the marinade: The refrigerator or the freezer.

cilantro like chicken marinade in a mason jar

Store it in the Refrigerator

The marinade will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a jar to use when ready.

Store it in the Freezer

Here is an out of the box idea: make a big batch of Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade and freeze it in small portions! If you freeze it in a mason jar, be sure to allow at least 1 inch of headspace at the top because the contents will expand.

Scaling up the recipe is a great use of time and resources too. Just one of the many reasons we love freezer meals!

cilantro lime marinade over chicken breasts in an open freezer bag

When ready to use the marinade, let it thaw (if necessary) and pour it over chicken in a zip-top bag or container with a lid. Let it marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours to infuse flavor.

cilantro lime marinade and chicken breasts in a sealed freezer bag

Use Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade as a Freezer Meal

Another great use of your time is prep a few freezer meals out of this marinade. Like most of our chicken freezer meals, simply combine the ingredients (the marinade & the chicken) and freeze for later. No need to let the chicken marinate before freezing either. When you want to use it, let the chicken thaw one of these safe ways.

Then, grill, slow cook, pressure cook, or bake your marinated Chicken. You choose your method! We’ve included instructions for how to cook boneless chicken breasts any of these ways in the recipe below.

WAYS TO COOK CHICKEN BREAST

There are so many ways to cook your marinated chicken. Here are some basic guidelines.

Bake Chicken Breast in the Oven

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, until done.

Cook Chicken Breast in the Slow Cooker

Place chicken and marinade in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Really! That’s all it takes to get it done, otherwise you’ll overcook and dry it out. Here is a whole post about how long to cook chicken in the Crockpot if you’re interested!

Cook Chicken Breast in the Instant Pot

Place chicken, marinade, and 1/3 cup chicken broth in a 6 quart Instant Pot. (Note: If using an 8 quart, add an additional 1/2 cup of broth.) Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release of the pressure when the cook time is up. (Note: It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time starts.)

How to Grill Chicken Breast

Pound out the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even cooking. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and clean the grates well. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side, maybe longer depending on the thickness, until done.

shredded chicken on a wooden cutting board

Ways to Use Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

There are all sorts of ways to use this recipe. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Serve in our Mexican Chopped Salad – Fully cook it in one of the ways mentioned above, chop or shred the chicken and serve on top of this delicious salad with our Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

Make Shredded Chicken Nachos – After marinating and cooking the chicken, cook it using one of the methods above. Then make nachos using the instructions in our Shredded Chicken Nachos recipe!

Serve it over our Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice – A super healthy and simple meal!

Make Chicken Tacos – Use our Shredded Beef Taco Recipe but use chicken instead.

Mexican chicken bowl with fresh toppings

MORE CHICKEN MARINADES YOU MUST TRY

Try some of our other favorite healthy chicken marinades to mix things up:

  • Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade
  • Honey Dijon Chicken Marinade
  • Balsamic Herb Chicken Marinade
  • Asian Sesame Chicken Marinade
  • Southwest Chicken Marinade
  • The BEST Savory Chicken Marinade

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cilantro lime marinade and chicken breasts in a sealed freezer bag
★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade

Cilantro, lime, garlic and more marry together to create this fresh, citrusy Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade.

Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
Prep: 5Total: 5
Print Recipe Rate Pin for Later
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup oil (recommended: avocado or olive oil)
  • Juice and zest of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. Add the oil, lime juice and zest, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes to a gallon-sized freezer bag, seal, and shake. Either seal and refrigerate until ready to use, OR add 1.5-2 pounds chicken to the bag, seal, and squish around to make sure the chicken is covered in marinade. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
  2. Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  3. Cook the chicken however you’d like (grill, slow cook, pressure cook, or bake). See tips below in the Notes.

Freeze For Later: Follow step 1. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Prepare From Frozen: Thaw, using one of these safe thawing methods, and follow Step 3. No additional marinating time needed once it is thawed!

 

COOKING NOTES:

How to Know If Chicken Is Done: Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internal temperature. (A digital meat thermometer is a must to help cook chicken perfectly.)

How to Cook Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts:

  • Bake in Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, until done.
  • Slow Cooker: Place chicken and marinade in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Really! That’s all it takes to get it done, otherwise you’ll overcook and dry it out.
  • Instant Pot: Place chicken, marinade, and 1/3 cup chicken broth in a 6 quart Instant Pot. (Note: If using an 8 quart, add an additional 1/2 cup of broth.) Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release of the pressure when the cook time is up. (Note: It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time starts.)
  • Grill: Pound out the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even cooking. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and clean the grates well. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side, maybe longer depending on the thickness, until done.

Equipment

Freezer Bag Stand

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Chefs Knife

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Notes/Tips

Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves. 

© Author: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine: American Method: Any cooking method

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Rachel Tiemeyer

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!

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  1. AvatarLaura Cook says

    Posted on 1/31/23 at 1:08 am

    Can you do this with boneless skinless chicken thighs?

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 1/31/23 at 11:25 am

      Hi Laura! You can for sure do this with boneless skinless chicken thighs. It will just alter the cooking time for whatever method you choose. We have posts on cooking thighs in the Instant Pot if that is your preferred method. If you are baking or grilling, you would cut back the cook time and make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

      Reply
  2. AvatarRosemary M. says

    Posted on 1/28/23 at 6:03 pm

    Absolutely delicious! Perfect balance of lime cilantro and garlic. I served it over white rice. I will definitely make this again. I am looking forward to trying your other marinades too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 1/29/23 at 1:28 pm

      Glad to hear Rosemary. Once you’ve had a chance to try the others, be sure to let us know which one is your favorite! 🙂

      Reply
  3. AvatarNicki H says

    Posted on 1/27/23 at 9:17 am

    This marinade the BEST! Before your marinade recipes I purchased the marinades at the store but it’s so easy and has so much more flavorful when its made at home. This marinade is delicious! We make it often for our weekly meal prep. The chicken is great on salads or paired with rice and roasted veggies. Delish!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 1/27/23 at 10:41 am

      What a great review Nicki. Thanks! I know I was surprised by how easy marinade and salad dressings at home are and they are so much healthier and flavorful!

      Reply
  4. AvatarAimée says

    Posted on 1/10/23 at 8:32 am

    One of new favorites! So fresh and delish.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 1/10/23 at 9:33 am

      Yay! Love to hear it Aimee, thanks for leaving a review.

      Reply
  5. AvatarBianca says

    Posted on 12/28/22 at 3:22 pm

    Outstanding!! We love it both as regular grilled chicken or as chicken Fajitas

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 12/28/22 at 7:52 pm

      Thanks for the review. Really happy to hear you enjoy this one. 🙂

      Reply
  6. AvatarPamela says

    Posted on 12/4/22 at 12:33 pm

    One of the very best recipe people online:) Super organized, simple, great ideas, easy access. I am grateful! Now I am motivated to do this Holiday Family Party.
    All the best.

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 12/4/22 at 2:16 pm

      Thank you for the kind words Pamela!

      Reply
  7. AvatarDebbie Fogler says

    Posted on 11/27/22 at 4:08 pm

    Made it and froze 2 weeks with the chicken breasts. Thawed and put in crock pot 3 hours and pulled for Thanksgiving taco bar. It was a huge hit!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 11/27/22 at 6:29 pm

      Such a great idea!! I’m totally doing this for my family. Thanks for the review!

      Reply
  8. AvatarShannon says

    Posted on 6/30/21 at 7:16 am

    This is our favorite!! It is so full of flavor and so delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Polly ConnerPolly Conner says

      Posted on 6/30/21 at 4:42 pm

      Wahoo! Glad to hear that. It can be used in so many different ways too.

      Reply

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