The most delicious and crispy baked cilantro lime chicken! You’ll only need a handful of ingredients to make this very tasty and flavorful meal.

A close up of cilantro chicken in a cast iron pan.

Chicken dinners to the rescue! If you are in need a very simple chicken recipe that has tons of flavor with minimal effort, you’ve come to the right place. These tender and juicy chicken thighs are dressed to impress for any and ALL occasions! We’re huge fans.

They have a slightly sweet taste, balanced with a splash of citrus, and a touch of cilantro to bring the whole dish together. Serve along with rice, some roasted vegetables, and you have yourself quite an impressive meal.

All you’ll need is 7 simple ingredients and less then 1 hour to make. Easy, right?!

Let’s get cookin’.

Everything You’ll Need – Ingredients

Chicken thighs: we prefer using thighs because of how tender and flavorful they are when roasted. You can swap for chicken breasts but your cooking time may have to be adjusted.
Oil: you can use any cooking oil, though I recommend avocado or olive oil.
Lime: You’ll need 1-2 limes for this dish.
Cilantro: We love using fresh cilantro but you can also swap for dried if that’s all you have.
Coconut sugar: we love using this as a natural sweetener. But you can replace with brown sugar as well.
Garlic: we love the taste from using fresh garlic but you can swap for 1-2 teaspoon of garlic powder if you don’t have.
Cumin: this is to add a bit of flavor but can be an optional ingredient if you don’t have it on hand.

Let’s Make Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs

Mix cilantro lime sauce ingredients together in separate bowl.

Brown chicken on stove top (skin down first) on each side for 3 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken thighs and bake uncovered 425F for 35 minutes.

Our favorite cast iron pan

A kitchen staple

I use my lodge cast iron skillet almost every day. It's fantastic for baking/roasting because of how well the pan holds heat. We highly recommend this pan – especially for chicken and meat recipes. It has been a beloved staple in our kitchen for years!

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Best Ways to Serve

Our favorite way to serve this chicken is with rice (brown or white) or quinoa. The sauce is PERFECTION with a grain and the tender chicken combined.

We also love serving greens along with it. Like a simple veggie salad or assorted roasted vegetables on the side!

Tips for Freezing & Storing Leftovers

Freezing: Prepare sauce and store in ziplock bag. Then freeze uncooked chicken separately. Remove and let both thaw before preparing and cooking as instructed.

Storing leftovers: let chicken cool before storing in a glass container or ziplock bag and refrigerate for 2-3 days.

See what I mean? It’s a no-fuss situation here, guys. Whether you’re experienced in the kitchen or just beginning to cook, it’s a recipe for success! This dish also consists of simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry (which is always helpful!).

We hope you love this meal as much as we do! Enjoy, friends. xoxo

More Tasty Chicken Recipes

If you are into making tasty and easy chicken recipes, you may also love our lemon rosemary roasted chicken thighs, and my family’s famous Italian chicken parmigiana – both are favorites of mine.