Easy Lime Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

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Easy Lime Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (1)

The school year has officially begun!

Granted, I’m not in school, nor do I have kiddos in school. But for the past 8 years, I have taught music lessonsto a handful of kids on Monday evenings. And boy oh boy, they were overflowing with stories to share this week! I heard about everything from getting the “cool” 5th grade teacher, to strategies on learning new locker combinations, to singing auditions in front of the entire choir class, to starry-eyed news about a first boyfriend, and on and on.

Somewhere in these lessons, I promise we find time for the music. But I always get so excited hearing them getso excited about a new school year! It almost makes me want to relive high school myself. Almost. Ok, actually, nope. Not at all. :)

But still, now that their school year is off and running, I know from their parents and friends and my art-teacher sister that schedules kick into high gear with homework and after-school activities galore. So today I’m sharing one of my favorite quick, easy, healthy, and oh-so-tasty dinner recipes — Easy Lime Chicken!

Easy Lime Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2)

Easy Lime Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (3)

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Easy Lime Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (4)

Easy Lime Chicken

★★★★★4.8 from 9 reviews

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
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Description

This easy lime chicken takes a small amount of time to prepare, but is BIG on great flavor!

Ingredients

Scale

  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. worchestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. melted butter
  • zest of two limes
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • additional lime wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Add chicken thighs, lime juice, garlic, worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper to a large ziplock bag. Seal and toss to combine ingredients until the chicken is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and grease a baking dish with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag with a slotted spoon, reserving the marinade, and arrange in a single layer in the baking dish. Brush chicken with melted butter, and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Bake for about 20 minutes, the remove and brush chicken with the reserved marinade. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. (Baking times may shift for different types of chicken.) Remove and sprinkle chicken with lime zest and fresh cilantro.
  3. Serve over rice or quinoa garnished with lime wedges.

posted on August 27, 2013 by Ali

Main Dishes

54 Comments »

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54 comments on “Easy Lime Chicken”

  1. Tieghan August 27, 2013 @ 6:53 am Reply

    Mmm! Lime chicken? Yes, please!! I love these flavors and I love how easy it is. It really is the perfect meal for school nights!

    • Hayley September 13, 2013 @ 12:01 pm

      Think this would work without the Worcestershire? I’m doing a whole30 challenge and can’t use it.

  2. Madison August 27, 2013 @ 9:32 am Reply

    This looks like a great, easy, healthy weeknight meal. Cannot wait to give it a try!

  3. marcie@flavorthemoments August 27, 2013 @ 10:31 am Reply

    This sounds fresh and delicious with all of that lime flavor!

  4. Laura (Tutti Dolci) August 27, 2013 @ 10:48 am Reply

    This looks so good, love the lime + cilantro!

  5. Emily @ Life on Food August 27, 2013 @ 11:26 am Reply

    Looks delicious! I just made something similar but it had honey in it so I am sure a bit sweeter than your version. Will have to try this one soon. You can never have enough chicken recipes for dinner.

  6. Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig August 27, 2013 @ 11:41 am Reply

    So…I have a freezer full of thighs and a fridge full of limes, just made a Costco run and I am stocked. Chicken and lime are like the perfect combo and I think you just rock at Food Styling, so pretty as always!

  7. Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen August 27, 2013 @ 12:29 pm Reply

    YES pinning! :)

  8. Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch August 27, 2013 @ 12:43 pm Reply

    This lime chicken looks amazing!!! Must try it!!!

  9. Ruthy @ Omeletta August 27, 2013 @ 2:17 pm Reply

    This looks great! I pretty much only cook with chicken thighs anymore- and I haven’t heard of Just Bare Chicken; must check out if they sell within the NYC area, because I’m super down with all natural chicken. I love cooking with limes over lemons, as well- I read in Bon Appetit recently that “lime is the new salt” and I def agree!

  10. Rachel August 27, 2013 @ 2:34 pm Reply

    This looks fantastic. And so simple! Definitely adding to my recipe roster.

  11. Marie @ Little Kitchie August 27, 2013 @ 5:14 pm Reply

    As a 5th grade teacher myself, I appreciate recipes like this for the new school year! Sounds delicious!

  12. Sues August 27, 2013 @ 8:04 pm Reply

    I took piano lessons my whole childhood through high school and I always remember my high school teacher basically acting as my therapist and listening to me talk. Then in the last 10 minutes we’d say “oops, guess we should play some piano!” :)

    This chicken is beautiful and sounds super delicious!

  13. Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective August 28, 2013 @ 9:20 am Reply

    Ali, this looks wonderful! Love the lime flavor instead of the traditional lemon. It’s going on my menu planner right away!! :)

  14. Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet August 28, 2013 @ 9:43 am Reply

    I always looks for ways to jazz up a chicken dish. And if it has “easy” in the name – I am in!

  15. Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain August 28, 2013 @ 3:27 pm Reply

    I love the simplicity! Chicken and lime are my absolute favs!

  16. Marie @ Not Enough Cinnamon.com August 28, 2013 @ 8:09 pm Reply

    I’m all about quick and easy meals that you can bring to the table in no time and this recipe looks like the perfect deal for that! I love the addition of worchestershire sauce to the mix, I bet it’s super tasty! Definitely pinning this recipe ;)

  17. Des August 29, 2013 @ 3:12 pm Reply

    I keep hearing about this Just Bare Chicken. I need to get my hands on some. This looks gorgeous Ali!

  18. Nutmeg Nanny September 5, 2013 @ 4:40 pm Reply

    Oh this looks fantastic, I can already taste it :) so perfect!

  19. Tina Manning November 6, 2013 @ 7:25 pm Reply

    Made this for dinner tonight. It was amazing!

  20. Kay November 25, 2013 @ 12:30 pm Reply

    Making this for dinner tonight. It sounds delicious!

  21. Viviana June 24, 2014 @ 6:08 pm Reply

    I made this on the stovetop today with chicken breast and the flavors we’re amazing.

  22. Tanya March 15, 2015 @ 10:20 am Reply

    I don’t have cooking spray, and you don’t get any where I live! Can you suggest a substitute?

    • Ali March 17, 2015 @ 9:28 pm

      Hey Tanya, I would just do a light brushing of oil (olive or vegetable). Hope that helps!

  23. Sarah March 17, 2015 @ 10:37 am Reply

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I cut the finished chicken up & use it to make burrito bowls & tacos with cilantro rice, black beans, sriracha, avocado, etc… It satisfies my Chipotle cravings perfectly & has become a staple for us. Absolutely Delicious!

    • Ali March 17, 2015 @ 9:15 pm

      You’re so welcome Sarah, and I love your approach, it sounds amazing! Cheers!

  24. Stacy August 17, 2015 @ 10:02 pm Reply

    Great Reciepe ! This is the third dish I have made from your site ! I’m slowly working my way through all the recipes !!

    • Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven August 17, 2015 @ 10:14 pm

      Thanks Stacy, we’re so happy you enjoyed this, and that you’re a fan of the blog! :)

  25. Daniella March 5, 2016 @ 3:29 pm Reply

    Any idea how this would be in a slow cooker? Can I dump all that yummy marinade right in? Looks great!

    • Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven March 6, 2016 @ 8:14 am

      Hi Daniella! That’s a good question. We haven’t tried this recipe in a slow cooker, so we honestly can’t say for sure how it would turn out. There are other recipes online that are similar, that are done in a slow cooker —they use breasts instead of thighs though.

  26. jules March 14, 2016 @ 10:17 pm Reply

    This was a great recipe. Made it tonight with Whole Foods organic chicken. Paired it with green beans and cherry tomatoes. Thanks for sharing!

    • Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven March 15, 2016 @ 2:16 pm

      We’re so glad you enjoyed it Jules! :)

  27. Andrea September 15, 2016 @ 5:22 am Reply

    I wanted to LOVE this chicken recipe; especially because I love lime & cilantro. However, it was too Citric…way too much lime.

    I think I’ll give it a try again but will add some fresh orange juice to the lime mixture to add more sweetness.

    Thanks for sharing the recipe. Just wanted to give my personal opinion. :)

    • Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven September 16, 2016 @ 12:57 pm

      Hey Andrea! Thanks for sharing your feedback with us —we hope you can adjust the balance of sweet and tart to your liking next time. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!

  28. Bonnie-Lee October 5, 2016 @ 2:18 am Reply

    Looking up a recipes for dinner. This looks like a great dish to try. I love the flavor of lime.

    • Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven October 7, 2016 @ 6:37 pm

      Thanks, Bonnie! We hope you enjoy! :)

  29. Cathy Love May 15, 2017 @ 1:06 pm Reply

    I’m making this tonight!

  30. Robin May 9, 2018 @ 6:00 pm Reply

    I had chicken laid out for dinner, so I searched for recipes and came across this one. To say it was easy was an understatement. The recipe was simple to follow and it smelled wonderful in the oven. The best part was that it was a huge hit with my other half! The flavor was spectacular!! I will definitely share this with my friends and family, as well as tune into the site for other fantastic recipes!!

    • Kim September 2, 2021 @ 5:50 pm

      I have no cilantro. Will it tase the same?

  31. Mary Ellen August 13, 2018 @ 4:22 pm Reply

    Love this recipe !!! Thank you so much!!!

  32. Caroline October 23, 2018 @ 9:40 pm Reply

    This was so good and everyone in the family wanted seconds. Great flavours, simple.

  33. Anna January 1, 2019 @ 5:30 am Reply

    Good but never should you reuse marinade. Once chicken is out of bag, throw the rest away!

  34. Jeff April 4, 2019 @ 6:36 pm Reply

    Easy and tasty. Will be making it again.

  35. remi May 7, 2020 @ 8:39 pm Reply

    i am ten years old and i love cooking this is one of the things that was easy to make high five to how ever made this

  36. Bhavesh May 13, 2020 @ 10:17 pm Reply

    I have recently tried this recipe at my home and it is really great. I love this recipe. Also sharing here another best lime chicken salad recipe. Check it out here:

    • Linda Adamson October 25, 2020 @ 11:43 am

      how do you make the lime chicken salad pleas??? Sounds wonderful. TY

  37. Jennifer Rivera June 7, 2020 @ 1:52 pm Reply

    You cannot save the marinade with raw chicken and put it on already cooked chicken.

    • Keith Isaman March 16, 2021 @ 10:11 am

      The reserved marinade is still being cooked, so there is no issue with brushing it on the chicken after 20 minutes. It will just cook out as the initial marinade did at the beginning.

  38. Chana June 23, 2020 @ 11:11 am Reply

    Hi can I skip the butter step? Maybe brush with olive oil instead or just skip altogether?

  39. Rachel Z September 21, 2020 @ 2:59 pm Reply

    This recipe is a regular in my dinner rotations. My kids love it too!

  40. Laura B November 27, 2020 @ 1:50 pm Reply

    This was so easy and far exceeded my expectations! I added some chillies and bell peppers when cooking and served over arugula. Yum! My husband raved and raved about it as well. Thanks!! Will make again soon.

  41. Jenny August 31, 2021 @ 8:05 am Reply

    This was really good. Even the kids liked it and they hate chicken. After cooking, I used all that extra marinade (which was fully cooked and safe after 30 mins at 425 with the chicken) in a side of quinoa/brown rice/bell peppers/ onions/corn that was a little dry. It made the whole dish amazing. Yum.

  42. Lisa March 2, 2022 @ 11:41 am Reply

    Trying recipe today..let you know how it turned out and how we liked it. Looks and sounds totally yummy !!

Easy Lime Chicken Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

Do you put lime on chicken before or after cooking? ›

Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, or until it's browned and cooked through. Add the remaining chopped cilantro to the cooked chicken. Squeeze fresh lime over the finished chicken or serve with lime wedges so each person can squeeze their own. That fresh pop of lime is 👌.

Can I use lime instead of lemon for chicken? ›

When cooking savory dishes, lime juice and orange juice make a good substitute for lemon juice. Replace the lemon juice with lime juice in equal amounts (e.g. 1 teaspoon for 1 teaspoon). Or, you could substitute the lemon juice with half as much white wine or white vinegar.

How long to leave chicken in lime water? ›

The salt helps to "exfoliate" as you scrub the limes on the chicken like a "sponge". You can add water and let it sit in the solution for up to 30 minutes or you can rinse it off right away. You can rinse off each individual piece under running water or collectively in the bowl until the water is fairly clear.

What can I do with lots of limes? ›

Here are 15 lime recipes to use up your fresh limes before they go bad.
  1. 01 of 15. Cilantro-Lime Dressing. ...
  2. 02 of 15. Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs. ...
  3. 03 of 15. Crab Ceviche. ...
  4. 04 of 15. Summer Veggie Salad. ...
  5. 05 of 15. Honey Lime Fruit Salad. ...
  6. 06 of 15. Coconut Lime Rice. ...
  7. 07 of 15. Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw. ...
  8. 08 of 15. Spicy Lime Avocado Soup.
Sep 2, 2020

Can you put lime on raw chicken? ›

Rinse the chicken.

If I will be removing the skin before cooking it, I remove the skin first, then clean it. If you are using just the juice, put the salt in your hand, pour the lime juice on top of it, and scrub. It is important that the lime/lime juice is cold so that the salt does not dissolve.

What does lime do to chicken? ›

The Lime Marinade makes the chicken juicy on the inside and injects with flavour so you won't need a sauce with it. And after resting the chicken for a few minutes before serving it, some of those juices will sweat to the surface, like you see below.

Can lime juice go bad? ›

Yes, lime juice can go bad. Fresh lime juice lasts about 2 to 3 days in the fridge. As with all fruit juices, it has a limited shelf life and will spoil eventually.

Can I use any lime for chickens? ›

For the purposes of this article, lime does NOT include agricultural lime, which is crushed limestone (calcium carbonate). Agricultural lime should not be used in poultry houses. The use of lime in poultry production can have several effects. Lime application to litter increases the pH of the litter.

Can you marinate chicken too long in lime juice? ›

We like a little bit of tenderizing with meat, but when your chicken thighs are exposed to lemon juice, lime juice, yogurt, or vinegars for too long, the texture of the meat turns from tender to mushy and stringy, two words that have never been used in tandem to describe something pleasant.

Should you wash chicken before cooking? ›

While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn't require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary.

What does vinegar do to chicken? ›

Acids also tenderize meat a little bit, but that's not much of a concern with chicken, it's already tender as can be. Add a splash of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon for flavor. As long as you don't overcook the meat, moisture and tenderness will be there.

Does lime burn fat in the tummy? ›

There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that drinking lime water at night specifically reduces belly fat. While lime water has some potential health benefits, spot reduction or targeting specific areas for fat loss through diet alone is a myth.

What do Mexicans use limes for? ›

Limes are used in many different dishes, including fish tacos, chicken curry, and Key lime pie. They are also used to make margaritas, mojitos, agua fresca, (including limonada), and other co*cktails.

What flavor cancels out lime? ›

Lime is an acid, so a base will balance it. Sugar will even it out nicely.

What happens if you use lime instead of lemon? ›

Lime juice is the winner for the best overall substitute for lemon juice because of its similar taste and acidity level (which makes a big difference in recipes). It can be used at a 1:1 ratio level. Lime juice will work for both savory and sweet dishes and in co*cktails.

What is a substitute for lemon juice in chicken? ›

Lime or orange juice: use equal amounts to replace lemon juice in almost any recipe with no changes needed. Vinegar: use half the amount of vinegar to replace lemon juice and replace the remaining liquid with water if needed. White wine: only for cooking, use an equal amount of dry white wine to replace lemon juice.

What can you put in a chicken if you don't have lemon? ›

If you're cooking up a classic roast chicken and don't have any lemons on hand, or you just want to shake things up a little bit, consider the tangerine. It's an easy-as-pie switch to make. Slice them in half and put them in the chicken cavity, just as you would with lemons.

What if I don't have a lemon for my chicken? ›

- Substitute lemon or lime juice with other types of vinegars, such as red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar. These impart acidity and depth of flavor to the marinade.

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