I rely heavily on marinades that can be made in a blender because, quite frankly, I hate chopping garlic and herbs by hand on a busy Tuesday. This recipe is essentially a “dump and blitz” situation: you throw cilantro, lime, and spices into a food processor, and you’re done.
I specifically use boneless, skinless chicken thighs here. I tried this recipe with skin-on thighs once, thinking the skin would get nice and crispy. Instead, the dripping fat caused a massive grease fire on my grill that charred the outside of the chicken before the inside was cooked. I learned my lesson—skinless thighs are much easier to manage over an open flame, and they stay juicy enough that you don’t miss the skin.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds skinless chicken thighs
- 4 limes (you will need both the zest and the juice)
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems are fine)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Trim any large pieces of hanging fat from the chicken thighs. Place the meat in a large zip-top bag or a glass dish.
- Make the marinade: In a food processor or blender, add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, olive oil, honey, cumin, salt, and pepper. Blitz it for about 30 seconds. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, just well combined.
- Reserve sauce: Pour about 1/3 cup of the mixture into a separate container and put it in the fridge. You will use this to drizzle over the cooked chicken later. Do not skip this step, as you cannot eat the marinade that touched the raw chicken.
- Marinate: Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can leave it overnight, but the lime juice might start to break down the meat texture if you leave it longer than 24 hours.
- Grill: Preheat your grill to medium-high (approx. 450°F). Set up a two-zone fire (one side hot, one side cooler). Grill the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side. If you see them getting too dark, move them to the cooler side to finish cooking.
- Rest and Serve: Pull the chicken when it hits 160°F internally. Let it rest on a plate for 5 minutes; the temperature will rise to the safe 165°F. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and serve.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pantry Friendly: Aside from the fresh cilantro and chicken, most of these ingredients (honey, cumin, oil) are likely already in your cupboard.
- Freezer Ready: You can put the raw chicken and the marinade in a freezer bag and freeze it immediately. It will marinate as it thaws later.
- Forgiving Meat: Chicken thighs are much harder to overcook than breasts, staying tender even if you leave them on the grill a minute too long.
Chef’s Tips for Perfection
- Use the Zest: Don’t just juice the limes. The zest contains the essential oils that give the chicken that strong citrus punch that doesn’t cook away.
- Don’t Waste Stems: When chopping the cilantro for the blender, you don’t need to pick the leaves off perfectly. The stems have tons of flavor and blend up just fine.
- Basting: If you want extra flavor, you can brush the chicken with the marinade from the bag while it cooks, but stop basting during the last few minutes of cooking to ensure any raw juices are cooked off.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Cold slices are actually great on a salad the next day. To reheat, I suggest using a skillet with a splash of water and a lid, or the oven at a low temperature. Microwaving tends to make the chicken rubbery.
Nutritional Notes
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. It comes in at around 280 calories per serving. The fat content is primarily from the olive oil and the dark meat of the chicken.
