This Grilled Chili Lime Chicken is such a simple recipe and only requires a few ingredients to make a super flavorful grilled chicken. I use this recipe for an easy dinner for busy weeknights. Grill indoors on a grill pan, on the bbq, broil in the oven, or air fry before serving on burrito bowls, chopped up in salads or tacos, or on top of a pasta.

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Why You’ll Love this Recipe

The chili lime chicken marinade forms a delicious crust on the grilled chicken making it extra delish in tacos. Because this recipe is so simple to make you can make it ahead to meal prep for a week’s worth of meals.

Love this easy chicken recipe? Try my other easy weeknight dinner ideas like Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese, or Gochujang Sloppy Joes, or my Classic Meatballs & Spaghetti recipe.

easy chili & lime marinated chicken thighs

Ingredients You’ll Need

Simple ingredients make the best recipes. This simple chili lime marinade comes together super fast and make a flavorful chicken every time.

Chicken – for this recipe, I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, but this marinade works great on boneless skinless chicken breasts or bone-in chicken thighs
Spices – new mexico chili powder, garlic powder, red chili flakes, or use a homemade taco seasoning to make it extra fast.
Olive Oil – or canola oil
Lime – lime zest, fresh lime juice, and lime wedges for serving.
Fresh Cilantro - for serving, optional

Find the printable recipe card with exact measurements and step-by-step instructions below.

Substitutes & Variations

Substitute Homemade Taco Seasoning for single spices
Substitute lemons for limes or other citrus juices for a different take

Special Equipment Needed

Grill Pan
BBQ, Charcoal Grill, or Gas Grill
Air Fryer

How to Make Chili Lime Chicken

Make the simple marinade for this chili lime chicken recipe a few hours before you grill for the best results.

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken

In a large ziplock bag add the raw chicken, spices, olive oil, and lime zest. Close the top and massage the bag to coat the chicken with marinade ingredients. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours

Step 2: Grill the Chicken

Preheat the grill or grill pan and remove chicken from marinade, discard remaining marinade. Place chicken on grill grate or grill pan and cook, turning occasionally, until there are grill marks and the chicken is no longer pink, about 15-20 minutes. Note: cooking time will vary depending on if you used boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breast. Remove and allow the chicken to rest for 5-7 minutes.
Either serve the chicken thighs with freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro or chop into bite-sized pieces and squeeze fresh lime juice over before making tacos or other dishes.

What to Serve with Grilled Chili Lime Chicken

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Zesty Peach Salsa

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Tips for Storing Leftovers

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave with short 1 minute bursts until desired internal temperature
Freeze in an airtight container up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before reheating.

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More chicken recipes and other deliciousness.

image of grilled chili lime chicken chopped

Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Here's my tried and true recipe for Grilled Chili Lime Chicken. Marinate chicken thighs in a chile seasoning and grill. Squeeze lots of lime and serve in tacos, bowls, or over rice. It's simple and delicious and the chicken can be grilled on the BBQ, on a grill pan indoors, or in the air fryer with excellent results.

Cook: 20

Total: 2 30

6 Servings

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Recommended Tools

1 Indoor Grill Pan
1 Air Fryer

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
1 ½ tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chipotle powder
½ cup olive oil, or canola oil
1 large lime, zested & juiced
1 tbsp cilantro , chopped, optional

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Instructions

Chili Lime Marinade

In a large ziplock bag add the raw chicken, spices, olive oil, and lime zest. Close the top and massage the bag to coat the chicken with marinade ingredients. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

To Grill

Preheat the grill or grill pan and remove chicken from marinade, discard remaining marinade. Place chicken on grill grate or grill pan and cook, turning occasionally, until there are grill marks and the chicken is no longer pink, about 15-20 minutes. Note: cooking time will vary depending on if you used boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breast. Remove and allow the chicken to rest for 5-7 minutes.
Either serve the chicken thighs with freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro or chop into bite-sized pieces and squeeze fresh lime juice over before making tacos or other dishes.

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Notes

Substitute 3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning for spices listed.

Note: cooking time will vary depending on if you used boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breast. Remove and allow the chicken to rest for 5-7 minutes.

Nutrition

*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Dinner, Main Course

All Cuisines, American, Mexican

air fryer recipes, bbq recipes, chicken recipes, grilled

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Hi! I’m Heather

I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.

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