30-Minute Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Flavorful cilantro lime chicken with delicious avocado salsa will have you in and out of the kitchen in about 30 minutes! It’s the perfect chicken recipe to throw on the grill.
It pairs so well with our Mexican corn salad or berry spinach salad for a delicious summer meal.
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Cilantro lime chicken just has to be one of the most delicious combos of the summer. This is my go to effortless dinner that only takes 30 minutes to prep. Just like our honey lime chicken thighs, it’s perfect for a typical mid-week dinner.
It’s healthy, quick, and versatile. Plus kiddos love it! It starts with chicken thighs marinated in cilantro, lime garlic, then grilled under juicy tender, and topped with the yummiest avocado salsa.
Ingredients
Not only does this lime chicken comes together in about 30 minutes but it’s also made with less than 10 ingredients.
- Chicken – I love using chicken thighs instead of breast as they are smaller, juicier, and take less time to grill.
- Cilantro – fresh cilantro adds so much flavor.
- Limes – you’ll need fresh lime juice and zest.
- Garlic – garlic adds ton of flavor and pairs amazing with lime and cilantro.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
What I love best about this cilantro chicken is that the ingredients are super basic and you can easily double or even triple the recipe.
- Step 1: First prepare the marinade by combining cilantro, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, salt, cumin, and olive oil.
Add chicken to the marinade and let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the salsa.
- Step 2: In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, avocado, onions, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gentry toss together and set aside.
- Step 3: Pre-heat gas grill on high heat. Clean and oil the grates. When hot, add chicken thighs and cook for 10-12 minutes (about 4-5 minutes per each side) or until cooked through.
You will notice the thighs start to shrink and plump up when they are done. Remove to a serving platter and serve alongside avocado salsa.
What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Chicken
No-fuss, simple sides is the way to go when it comes to serving this cilantro chicken. Here are some of our favorites.
- Coconut Lime Rice – so good with this chicken!
- Watermelon Balsamic Salad – you’ll be surprised how good this is.
- Mexican White Rice – incredibly easy to make.
- Roasted Tomato Salsa – perfect to throw together with chips.
Video: How to Make Cilantro-Lime Chicken
More Grilled Chicken Recipes
30 Minute Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Description
Flavorful cilantro-lime chicken with delicious avocado salsa will have you in and out of the chicken in about 30 minutes! It’s the perfect chicken recipe to throw on the grill.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Zest from 2 limes
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salsa
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes, seeded
- 2 avocados, diced
- 2–3 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Chicken
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cilantro, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, salt, cumin, and olive oil. Season with black pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the marinade and let stand at room temperature while you prepare the salsa, no more than 15-20 minutes.
- Pre-heat the grill on high heat. Clean and oil the grates. Add the chicken thighs to the grill and cook for 10-12 minutes (about 4-5 minutes per each side) or until cooked through. You will notice the thighs start to shrink and plump up when they are done.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a platter and serve with salsa.
Salsa
- Combine the salsa ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with chicken.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 427
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 851.2 mg
- Fat: 28.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5 g
- Protein: 32.6 g
- Cholesterol: 143.7 mg
Recipe originally published in August 2014.
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
Delicious and quick. The whole family loved it! Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. Msde it for lunch today. I. used chicken breasts and served it with corn salad. They turned out so juicy and tenfer with a refreshing flavor. A sure repeat!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you.
Can u make the marinade 2 days in advance and not put the chicken in the marinade until u r ready
Can you leave the chicken in the marinade longer?
If you leave the chicken in marinade for too long it can actually make the chicken rubbery from the lime juice.
Can u make the marinade 2 days in advance and not put the chicken in the marinade until u r ready to cook?
Hi Janet: I think it should be okay. I would keep the marinade refrigerated until ready to use.
So delicious with interesting flavors and textures!
I will make this again!
can i use my stove instead of grill?
Yes. Simply cook the chicken in a heavy-duty skillet over medium heat. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Just tried this tonight! Easy recipe! Layout though needs to be easier to read but overall loved the ingredients! Delicious!
This was an instant hit in our house. It was quick and easy to make and is a perfect summer dish – light, fresh and delicious. I used chicken breasts, butterflied, rather than thighs. They were still nice and juicy. The avocado salsa was delicious. This will become a staple in our rotation.
Thank you Ann! So happy to hear you enjoyed it.
I made this the other night and it was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you so much!
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! can not wait to make this again for my wife and I! We also made the rice suggestion in this article to pair with it and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Can I substitute thighs for chicken breast?
I think it’ll be okay if you do. You’ll just have to adjust the cook time and can leave the breast in the marinade a little longer but that would depend on the thickness.
I made the chicken using tenders last night, and I wanted to let you know that it was DELICIOUS and EASY! My kids thought it was the best chicken ever. Definitely will be making it again.
That’s great! Thank you so much Natasha.
Always looking for new summer grilling recipes…YUM! 🙂
This is dinner tonight! The recipe looks fantastic!
That’s awesome Mich! Hopefully you enjoyed it. It’s our favorite go to dinner during the summer 🙂
They were delicious! This recipe is now in our regular rotation.
Is the recipe for this somewhere? I dont see it.
Hey Ashley! Thanks for letting me know. There was a small glitch but the recipe should be visible now: https://www.littlebroken.com/2014/08/03/30-minute-cilantro-lime-chicken-with-avocado-salsa/ Hope you like it! Have a great evening.
I could definitely see this being a crowd pleaser! Plus love that it’s full of so much nutrition and is so easy to throw together!
Thanks Joanne! This one is definitely an easy one.
Thanks Valya 🙂
Looks delicious!