Cilantro Lime Chicken – The Country Cook

Technically yes but I don’t recommend it. Trust me, the fresh lime is needed. You need that lime not just for the fresh squeezed juice, but the lime zest. The bottled lime juice won’t give you the same taste. To me, it just tastes like straight up acid and not like true lime juice .That little ingredient goes a long way and is really necessary in this recipe. We want a really good, natural lime flavor here.

I suppose you could swap the thighs out for chicken breasts, but keep in mind that this recipe was tested using bone-in chicken thighs with the skin on. If you swap them out for chicken breasts, especially boneless, this will change the cooking time required for it to be done. I haven’t personally tested the recipe this way, but, if I were going to, I’d keep an eye on the chicken using my meat thermometer out and test the internal chicken temperature to make sure it hits 165F before removing them from the oven. Chicken breasts (because they are white meat) cook a little faster than dark meat so bear that in mind. Always go by internal temperature for doneness, not necessarily cooking time.

The marinating bit is the important part to give that chicken time to really soak up the flavors. I wouldn’t do it any longer than 2-3 hours because the juice from the limes basically starts “cooking” the exterior of the chicken by breaking down the chicken’s muscle fibers and you end up with mushy chicken. So, if you plan on marinating overnight for more than 3 hours, I’d say that’s a no unless you just don’t add the lime juice.

Actually, the sugars from the honey caramelize to give these great color. It doesn’t make it really sweet. I suppose you could skip using the honey but it really helps to balance out the other flavors nicely in my opinion.

I haven’t personally tested this on the grill. But if I were to try it out, this is what I’d do. Marinate the chicken as written. Preheat the grill to about 400F degrees and then grill chicken for 10-14 minutes with the skin side down over direct heat. Use tongs and flip the chicken over and grill for an additional 4-10 minutes depending on how thick the chicken thighs are. Always use a meat thermometer to ensure meat reaches a safe temperature (165F degrees) before serving. Go by temperature and not necessarily by time. Keep in mind that chicken thighs continue to cook a little after you remove them from the grill. So, if you pull these off when the internal temp reaches 160F, they may continue to cook to reach 165F while cooling. Sometimes I pull the thighs out a little early so I don’t over cook them and dry them out. Letting the chicken thighs rest also gives the thighs a chance to redistribute the juices to keep it moist.

You really have to keep an eye on the temperature of grills though. That heat can get away from you pretty quickly if you aren’t careful and you can end up burning the outside while the inside is still raw. I like to have a “cool zone” on my grill. Basically it is one side where there is no or very low heat underneath. That way if the temperature gets too hot on the active side of the grill, I can move the meat to that cooler side while I get it under control. It continues to cook but at a much lower temperature until I get the heat corrected.

So this chicken can be served as a main dish with your favorite sides like Garlic Butter Rice, your favorite steamed or grilled vegetables, a big fresh green salad, a Baked Potato or Sweet Potato, some Mexican Street Corn, or some red beans or black beans. Or you can use it as an addition to other meals, like as a topper on a Taco Salad, sandwich, or used in Chicken Tacos, Burrito Bowls, inside burritos, Chimichangas, Enchiladas, etc.

Store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. You can freeze them in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave.