Chili Lime Chicken ~ juicy chicken full of delicious flavor. Serve with fresh pineapple salsa or your favorite sides. Grill and skillet cooking options. Easy family approved meal you’ll want in your summer rotation!
There are many things to love about this recipe starting with flavor. It’s also easy to make and can be grilled or made on the stove.
Keep it in mind for a simple, quick weeknight meal or if you happen to be entertaining this summer. It’s a crowd pleaser.
Skillet or grill, the key to moist delicious bold flavor is basting the chicken while it cooks. I’m sharing both grill and skillet cooking methods below.
How long do I marinate the chicken?
I recommend marinating the chicken 30 minutes up to 3 hours but no more than 6 hours or the chicken can get mushy. Because of the basting sauce however, you can actually cook the chicken without marinating at all if you don’t have the time. It’ll still be delicious.
What’s in Chili Lime Chicken?
The Chicken:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts (or boneless thighs)
- pineapple juice
- soy sauce
- olive oil
- garlic cloves
- lime juice and zest
- chili powder
- cayenne pepper
- honey
The Salsa:
- fresh pineapple
- red onion
- bell pepper ( any color)
- fresh jalapeno
- cilantro
- grape tomatoes
- lime juice
- Salt and pepper
How to make chili lime chicken:
Make the salsa while the chicken is marinating.
The Salsa:
Dice the pineapple, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, grape tomatoes and lime juice then add to a bowl and gently stir to combine.
Season with salt and pepper to taste then cover and refrigerate.
The Chicken:
Slice or pound the chicken to an even thickness then set aside.
Add the pineapple juice, soy sauce,olive oil, garlic cloves, lime juice and zest, chili powder, cayenne pepper and honey to a bowl then whisk to combine.
Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for the basting sauce then add the chicken and marinade to a zip top bag and refrigerate.
Cooking the Chicken:
(SKILLET method)
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
Remove the chicken from the marinade shaking off any excess. Season with salt and pepper then add to the skillet and sear on both sides.
Lower the heat to medium/medium-low then pour the reserved marinade (now your basting sauce) into the skillet around the chicken.
Baste the chicken with the marinade using a brush or spoon and continue cooking the chicken 8-12 minutes or until it’s cooked through (165°).
As the chicken cooks the sauce will turn into a thickened glaze.
(GRILL method):
Add the reserved marinade to a saucepan on the stove. Simmer 5-7 minutes or until the sauce thickens and becomes a glaze.
Remove the chicken from the marinade shaking off any excess. Season with salt and pepper then grill over medium heat about 6 minutes per side or until cooked through, brushing on the glaze as the chicken cooks.
What to serve with Chili Lime chicken:
Of course – the pineapple salsa! Rice also goes really well with this chicken as well as baked potatoes.
You can even add the Chili Lime Chicken to tortillas, top with pineapple salsa and eat as tacos!
Enjoy!
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Enjoy!
Chili Lime Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 lime cut in 4 wedges
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons honey
Salsa
- 2 cups fresh pineapple diced
- 2 tablespoons red onion
- ½ cup bell pepper red, yellow or orange
- 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeno or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- juice from 1/4 of the lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup grape tomatoes finely chopped
Instructions
- Dice the pineapple, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro and grape tomatoes then add to a bowl, squeeze in the juice from one of the lime wedges and gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste then cover and refrigerate while you make the chicken.
- Slice or pound the chicken to an even thickness.
- Whisk the pineapple juice, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, remaining lime juice, chili powder, cayenne pepper and honey together, then RESERVE ¼ cup of this marinade.
- Add the marinade and chicken to a zip top bag then refrigerate until ready to cook (30 minutes up to 3-4 hours).
- SKILLET METHOD: Add 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat (enough to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet).
- Shake off any excess marinade from the chicken, season it with salt and pepper and add to the skillet searing on both side.
- Lower the heat to medium/medium-low then pour the reserved marinade (now your basting sauce) into the skillet around the chicken.
- Baste the chicken with the marinade using a brush or spoon and continue cooking the chicken until it’s cooked through (165° – about 8-10 minutes). As the chicken cooks the sauce will turn into a thickened glaze.
- GRILL METHOD:
- Add the reserved marinade to a saucepan on the stove then simmer 5-7 minutes or until the sauce thickens and becomes a glaze.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade shaking off any excess then grill over medium-high heat about 6 minutes per side or until cooked through (165 degrees) brushing on the glaze as the chicken cooks.
- Serve with the pineapple salsa, a side of rice or baked potato OR slice and add to tortillas topped with pineapple salsa for TACOS!
Ray says
Excellent flavor! Just add a Margarita or Sangria for good measure.
Bernie says
Thank you! Can’t go wrong with either cocktail 🙂