Sticky Cilantro-Lime Chicken Thighs
These sticky cilantro-lime chicken thighs are a recurring weeknight dinner for us. It's quick (only 20 minutes), easy, and everyone always loves it. Best of all, clean up is easy since you only need a bowl for the marinade and a pan!
It's the perfect recipe for spring and summer since it tastes even better on the grill (hello grilled cilantro-lime chicken thighs), but you can make it easily on the stove any time of year!
For more spring and summer-inspired dishes, be sure to check out the best Jamaican jerk chicken recipe and my elote potato salad!
Recipe Overview: Sticky Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs (Stovetop & Grill)
✅ Recipe Name: Sticky Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs (Stovetop & Grill)
🕒 Ready In: 20 minutes
👪 Yield: 8 servings
🍽 Calories: 333 calories (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: chicken thighs, cilantro, lime, soy sauce, honey
👌 Difficulty: Easy and simple!
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Why You'll Love This Chicken Thigh Recipe
- It's easy and gets dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes! No overnight marinating needed.
- It's versatile! Swap chicken thighs out to make cilantro-lime chicken wings, or use the marinade for grilled steak! You can even make the marinade on its own and use it as a dipping sauce
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Key Ingredients
Chicken thighs. Thighs are more flavorful and forgiving to overcooking than chicken breasts due to the fat. I prefer to use boneless and skinless for these cilantro-lime chicken thighs since it keeps things easy and quick, but you can use whatever you like.
Soy sauce. This is the base of the sauce, and it provides richness. You won't need to add any salt, even if you use the low-sodium version as I do.
Honey. Contrasts the soy sauce, adding sweetness, and cuts the tart flavor of the lime juice.
Limes. Use fresh lime juice; it has a more nuanced flavor than bottled lime juice, which can be overly tart.
Cilantro. Use fresh cilantro for maximum flavor.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs
- Step 1: Trim the chicken and marinate it in the honey cilantro marinade.
- Step 2: Cook the chicken. You can do this on either the stove or the grill!
- Step 3: Reduce the cilantro-lime chicken marinade until it is syrupy.
- Step 4: Pour the sauce on the chicken thighs. Top the cilantro-lime chicken thighs with more cilantro & enjoy!
FAQs
The most reliable way to tell when your chicken is done is to use a meat thermometer. I use one when I cook whole birds like my orange maple roast chicken.
Insert the probe into the thickest part of the chicken, making sure it doesn't sit along the bone. To avoid overcooking and drying out the chicken, remove the chicken once it reaches 160°F. The chicken will continue cooking a little after and reach the safe temperature of 165°F.
To keep things simple though, I use boneless and skinless cuts when I make these cilantro-lime chicken thighs. The chicken should feel firm but not tough when cooked, and you can always poke through it with a knife to make sure!
No. Although you can prep ahead of time, I mostly make this recipe right away. The flavor is just as deep thanks to the rich soy sauce, and the cilantro is better freshly chopped anyway.
My favorite way to serve cilantro-lime chicken thighs is with plain, steamed white rice, but you can also serve it with mashed potatoes or your favorite salad!
Ainseanlea's Top Tips
- If cooking on a grill, preheat your grill with two zones - one for charring over direct heat and the other to rest and continue cooking without further charring. For a charcoal grill, this just means piling the briquettes in half of the barrel. For gas grills, simply turn one set of the burners to high and the other to low.
- Use a meat thermometer with bone-in chicken, or if you're making cilantro-lime chicken breast. Bone-in chicken and breasts are thicker pieces, and it can be difficult to tell when they are fully cooked, especially on a grill.
Cook until the internal temperature reads 160°F. They will continue to cook a little once removed from the heat and will get to the safe temperature of 165°F. - Don't just use the cilantro lime marinade for chicken. This marinade makes a delicious grilled steak or even shrimp kebabs!
- Skip the extra dishes and just rip the cilantro with your hands. Thank me later.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes You'll Love!
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Sticky Cilantro-Lime Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and season with garlic, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, liquid smoke (if cooking on the stove) and ½ a cup of the cilantro.2 lbs chicken thighs, 8 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoon paprika, 2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup cilantro, 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- Add soy sauce and honey to chicken thighs and mix until evenly covered.⅓ cup soy sauce, ½ cup honey
- Preheat grill to 450°F
- Place the chicken thighs on the grill and allow to cook completely - about 4-7 minutes on each side. Bone-in chicken thighs will need more time to cook fully.Do NOT discard the marinade!
- Once the chicken thighs have cooked completely, transfer to tray and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- While the chicken rests, prepare the sauce by reducing the marinade in a small saucepan along with the minced ginger (and red pepper flakes if using) over medium heat until it reaches a syrupy consistency (like hot maple syrup). This should only take about 5 minutes.2 teaspoon ginger, red pepper flakes
- Remove the sauce from the heat then stir in the lime juice.2 medium limes
- Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs and toss with the remaining ½ cup of cilantro. Serve hot over white rice or your favorite side.1 cup cilantro
- Bring a large pan up to medium heat and add the oil to the pan.2-3 TABLEspoons oil
- Add the chicken thighs to the pan, laying each thigh flat to make sure it cooks evenly. Cook completely on each side for 5-7 minutes. Bone-in chicken will take longer to cook.Do NOT discard the marinade!
- Once all the chicken is cooked, remove the thighs from the pan and set aside.
- With the stove still on medium heat, add the ginger (and red pepper flakes if using) along with the marinade to the pan and allow it to reduce for 5 minutes until it has a syrupy consistency, like hot maple syrup. Turn off the heat, then stir in the lime juice.2 teaspoon ginger, 2 medium limes, red pepper flakes
- Return all the chicken thighs to the pan, flipping as needed to coat all sides of the chicken and add the remaining ½ cup of cilantro. Serve hot over rice or your desired side!1 cup cilantro
- Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Notes
- You can also use this marinade for wings, drumsticks, steak or shrimp!
- If cooking on a grill, preheat the grill with two zones - one for charring over direct heat and the other to rest and continue cooking without further charring. For a charcoal grill, pile the briquettes in half of the barrel. For gas grills, simply turn one set of the burners to high and the other to low.
- Don't like cilantro? That's fine. You can omit it or swap with your favorite herb. I like parsley.
Just made this for my wife today! She loved it!
This recipe was super easy to follow and extremely delicious.
The marinade is sent from heaven! Reducing it down to use as a glaze on the chicken takes the flavor to another level! It would also be great over white rice. An amazingly flavorful dish!