Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
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Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa — AKA one of the ultimate ways to prepare chicken breasts! You get lightly charred, tender grilled chicken breasts topped with the most refreshing and bright, lime infused avocado salsa. It’s an explosion of fresh flavor!
Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
During the summer I’m all about grilled chicken recipes! They are easy, flavorful and they’re always an entree my family can agree on. This cilantro lime chicken is no exception. It is packed with vibrant flavor and I can’t get over how amazing the avocado salsa is with it.
You get tender juicy chicken thanks to a delicious marinade and a perfect sear over a hot grill (and of course checking that chicken temp as to not overdue it) and with all the fresh ingredients here you just can’t go wrong.
If you like Mexican and Southwestern flavors, you’ll love this cilantro lime grilled chicken! Really, what’s not to love about it?
If avocado is listed in the ingredients, it’s almost guaranteed to be good right? And you can never go wrong with the cilantro-lime combination.
Combine those with a few other fresh ingredients and you turn a bland and boring piece of chicken into something worth remembering. So good you may find yourself returning to it on a regular basis!
Cilantro Lime Chicken and Salsa Ingredients
This cilantro lime grilled chicken has two main components: the cilantro lime chicken marinade and the avocado salsa. Here’s what you’ll need to make both:
- Chicken breasts
- Lime zest and juice
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Fresh cilantro
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Avocados
- Roma tomatoes
- Red onion
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Here are the steps to the easy method of making tasty cilantro lime chicken with avocado salsa:
- Pound chicken to even the thickness, place in a resealable bag.
- Whisk marinade ingredients.
- Pour marinade over chicken, seal bag and let marinate in fridge 2 – 4 hours.
- Preheat grill.
- Grilled chicken to 165 degrees, about 4 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile prepare avocado salsa.
- Let chicken rest 5 minutes then serve topped with plenty of the avocado salsa.
Do I Have to Grill the Chicken?
No, if it’s too cold out or if you simply don’t own a grill, you can also pan sear the chicken over medium heat with a little olive oil, until it registers 165 degrees F in center (don’t forget to turn halfway).
Another option would be to bake the chicken at 400 degrees F in a greased 13 by 9-inch pan. About 20 minutes, or again to 165 degrees F.
Can I Meal Prep Cilantro Lime Chicken?
You can certainly make this cilantro lime grilled chicken and enjoy the leftovers throughout the week in sandwiches, burrito bowls, salads, and more.
A few readers have also asked whether they can place the chicken in the marinade and freeze it for later. I don’t recommend doing this since the cilantro lime chicken marinade is quite acidic (from the lime juice). Freezing the raw chicken in an acidic marinade would make the meat tough.
Tips for Making Cilantro Lime Chicken
- I recommend pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness so that they cook at the same rate on the grill.
- You could use chicken thighs instead of breasts if that’s what you have on hand. The cook time may need to be altered though.
- I recommend serving this cilantro lime grilled chicken with coconut rice, black bean and corn salad, grilled corn, or another favorite summer side.
More Delicious Mexican Chicken Recipes to Try
- Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Chicken Chimichangas
- Chicken Tostadas
- Grilled Chicken Street Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Follow Cooking Classy
Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Chicken
- 4 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 Tbsp lime zest
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing grill
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Avocado Salsa
- 1 1/2 medium avocados (ripe but semi-firm), diced
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion, rinsed under cool water to remove harsh bite
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Place chicken on a cutting board, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and pound thicker parts of chicken to an even thickness. Transfer chicken to a gallon size resealable plastic bag.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, honey, cilantro, 3 cloves minced garlic and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Pour marinade mixture over chicken in bag.
- Seal bag while pressing air out, then rub marinade over chicken. Allow to rest in refrigerator 2 - 4 hours (rotating bag to opposite side and moving chicken around halfway through if possible to ensure it's evenly marinating).
- Preheat a grill over medium-high heat (to about 425 - 450 degrees F). Brush grill grates lightly with oil then grill chicken until center registers 160 - 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and let rest 5 minutes.
For the salsa:
- In a medium mixing bowl, toss together avocado, tomato, onion, garlic and lime and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon a generous amount over chicken and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve warm.
Notes
- To cook in a skillet:Â Pan sear the chicken over medium heat with a little olive oil, until it registers 165 degrees F in center (don't forget to turn halfway).
- To cook in the oven:Â Bake the chicken at 400 degrees F in a greased 13 by 9-inch pan. About 20 minutes, or again to 165 degrees F.