Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken

Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken

Cilantro Lime Chicken rushes to prepare and with such an exemplary flavor mix it's extremely difficult to beat! The chicken marinade is anything but difficult to make and you can either flame broil, prepare the chicken, or cook it in a skillet. When cooked it saves for a few days in the ice chest, or you can freeze it.

Ingredients

• 8 Boneless skinless chicken thighs , about 2lb

MARINADE

• 1 cup cilantro leaves, packed , measure un-chopped leaves, about 1/2 bunch
• 1/4 cup lime juice , about 3 limes
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 3 cloves garlic , chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Garnish
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• lime wedges
• cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Add all the marinade ingredients to a blender, and pulse until smooth.
2. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl or ziplock bag and add in the marinade and ensure that the chicken is evenly coated.
3. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Stove Top Method

1. Heat a cast iron grill pan on a medium high heat and brush with olive oil
2. Grill each piece of chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, check using a digital meat thermometer. (I do not recommend this method for cooking bone in thighs, use the oven or the grill.)

Oven Baked Method

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F
2. Bake the marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs for 25-30 minutes, Bone in thighs usually take about 45 minutes to cook.
3. Check that they are fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F by using a digital meat thermometer.

Grilling Method

1. Sear the chicken pieces for about two to three minutes per side over the hottest part of the grill first.
2. You may need to move the chicken to the less hot part off the grill to finish cooking it, especially if you are using bone in thighs as they will take longer to cook than boneless skinless or pounded thin chicken breast and may burn before they are fully cooked if left over the hottest part of the grill.
3. Boneless skinless thighs may take about 4-5 mins per side to cook, bone in thighs can take up to 15 minutes per side.
4. Check that it is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F using a digital meat thermometer.

This article is adapted from this site.