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Grilled Chicken with Herby Lime Marinade

This grilled chicken is marinated in a fresh herb & lime marinade. Use any fresh herbs you have on hand for this! If you want to go all-cilantro for some cilantro lime chicken, go right ahead.

Finished grilled chicken thighs with herby lime marinade on a platter with lime wedges and springs of fresh herbs.

This is one of those recipes that is born out of a need to use up extra stuff in my fridge.

I had severely overestimated the amount of limes I’d need for a recipe and I had a bunch of fresh herbs leftover from another recipe. I also had some thawed chicken that needed to be used.

Et voila. A new chicken marinade was born!

Ingredients for the lime herb marinade ready to put in the food processor. A glass measuring cup full of freshly squeezed lime juice, a bowl of squeezed out limes, a salt cellar, and a measuring cup packed with fresh herbs.

Oh, friends. This chicken is all kinds of good.

It reminds me a little of the Best Grilled Lemon Chicken that’s been on my site forever, but with a lime-y twist and a heavy dose of fresh herbs.

I buzzed this up in my food processor, but you could use a blender, too. The marinade is pretty loose and runny, so either would work fine.

Lime herb marinade blended in a food processor -- view from the top.

What kind of herbs to use in the grilled chicken marinade?

Honestly, any kind you like!

I love the mix of fresh basil, cilantro, dill, and mint that I used for this because more types of herbs makes the flavor more interesting, but you could use just 2 different kinds.

Or even turn this into a cilantro-lime chicken situation and ONLY use cilantro!

Can I use dried herbs?

Erm… I’m going to have to say no on this. Not this time. A whole cup of packed herbs makes up the bulk of the marinade plus the flavors of fresh herbs really make this recipe shine.

Save the dried herbs for something else!

Sliced grilled chicken thighs on a platter with lime wedges and a sprig of mint.

Use any kind of chicken for this marinated grilled chicken recipe

I highly recommend chicken thighs because they’re more flavorful and don’t dry out as quickly as chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are good, here, though, and so are chicken legs or drumsticks.

You can also use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces if you prefer those. Just allow for longer cooking time.

Tip for marinating chicken breasts

If you use chicken breasts and they’re on the large side, I recommend butterflying them or slicing them horizontally to create thinner breasts.

Why?

First, it allows more surface area for the marinade to add flavor and you don’t have to marinate it quite as long.

AND thinner cuts of chicken cook faster than thicker cuts! Dinner finished faster is always a good thing.

A taco with sliced grilled chicken thighs, avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, and red onion.

How to serve this marinade grilled chicken?

If there’s a chance that grilled meat can be made into a taco, then I always go that route. Even though the herby flavors in this chicken aren’t necessarily Latin-inspired, they were delicious in a taco with some avocado, cotija, and some red onion.

It would also be delicious in a wrap with some hummus and shredded lettuce!

If you like this recipe, try one of my other grilled chicken recipes!

More Grilled Chicken Recipes on Perry’s Plate

Grilled Malibu Chicken is an old favorite that we love to make for guests!

Easy Grilled BBQ Chicken is our go-to BBQ chicken recipe. Leftovers make delicious pizza and rice skillets.

Paleo Thai Grilled Chicken with “Peanut” Sauce makes the most delicious salad.

Click over to this post for all of my favorite grilled chicken recipes: 13+ Best Grilled Chicken Recipes


If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Grilled Chicken with Herby Lime Marinade

Grilled Chicken with Herby Lime Marinade

Yield: Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

This grilled chicken is marinated in a fresh herb & lime marinade. Use any fresh herbs you have on hand for this! If you want to go all-cilantro for some cilantro lime chicken, go right ahead.

Ingredients

  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or 3-4 chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 3 Tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 cup packed fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, dill, mint, etc)
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken in a shallow dish or whatever you plan to use for marinating. Sprinkle the salt on the chicken.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients to a blender or a food processor and process until smooth.
  3. Pour the mixture over the chicken, making sure everything is coated evenly. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature for an hour or chilled for 2-24 hours.
  4. When you're ready to grill the chicken, preheat your grill to high heat. Add the chicken and cook until the juices run clear (internal temp of 160F) and there are dark grill marks on both sides. Flip 2-3 times while grilling.
  5. Remove the chicken from the grill and set aside for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

  1. If you wanted to turn this into cilantro-lime chicken, use an entire bunch of cilantro and no other fresh herbs.
  2. If you're using chicken breasts and they're on the thick side, I highly recommend butterflying them or slicing them horizontally creating two thinner chicken pieces out of each breast.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 443Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 250mgSodium 534mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 61g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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