Cilantro Lime Chicken
on Jul 06, 2020, Updated Jun 12, 2025
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Five ingredients, stupidly easy, amazingly flavorful. A terrific year-round weeknight chicken recipe.
This is one of the easiest ways to shake up that boneless, skinless chicken breast dinner routine. Lots of flavor, but no marinating required. Less than half an hour start to finish (you can make rice or pasta while the chicken cooks!).
What is interesting about this dish is that the flavors can feel both Asian and Mexican, depending on what you serve it with. Cilantro (or fresh coriander) is used in both Asian (Southeast Asian, in particular) and Mexican cuisines, as are garlic and lime. And chicken is common in these cuisines (and every other) as well. There is no marinating time required; the chicken gets all of its flavor from the simple cilantro lime butter sauce.
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So this gives you choices about how you want to serve it. Whichever direction you pick, rice is always a good move: brown, white, or Herby Brown Rice. If I were going Asian, I might pair this with Thai Green Beans, Thai Cucumber Salad, or Kale, Cabbage, and Mint Salad with Peanut Dressing. Or dip it into some Southeast Asian dipping sauce, like Vietnamese Nuoc Mam Chanh.
If I were going Mexican: Grilled Corn, Three Bean Salad, Black Beans, or maybe Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo and Toasted Breadcrumbs (more Spanish than Mexican, but it would work…I know it).
If you want to double a double header, you can serve this with Cilantro Lime Rice.
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How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Sear the chicken: Remove from the pan when it is almost cooked through, but not quite.
- Make the sauce: Return the skillet to medium heat, melt the butter, and then add the garlic. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest and stir.
- Finish cooking the chicken: Return the chicken to the skillet, along with any juices that might have accumulated, and turn the chicken to coat it in the sauce. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Plate and enjoy: Pour over any sauce left in the pan, scraping to make sure you get all of the herbs and garlic.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can use lemon instead of lime.
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts; just give them another few minutes of cooking time on each side.
- Try grilling the chicken breasts instead of sautéing them. You’ll still want to finish the chicken in the pan.
What to Serve With Cilantro Lime Chicken
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Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Juice and finely grated zest of 2 large limes
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Lower the heat if the outside of the chicken is getting too brown. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Return the skillet to medium heat, add the butter, and when the butter is melted, add the garlic. Stir the garlic for 1 minute until it’s golden brown. Add the cilantro and lime juice and zest and stir, scraping the bottom so that any browned bits are released and become part of the sauce. Return the chicken to the skillet, along with any juices that might have accumulated, and turn the chicken so that it is coated with the sauce and cilantro.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, and pour over any sauce left in the pan, scraping to make sure you get all of the herbs and garlic.
