This grilled cilantro lime chicken is a summer’s night dream.
You know I’m all about the non-boring chicken dinners, right?!
Well, this one isn’t fancy but it’s flavorful and perfect for hot summer nights.
Ever since I made our favorite tortellini salad (ever!), we’ve become hooked on the cilantro lime vinaigrette. It is SO good and even though I really like cilantro, I don’t think it’s very cilantro-y. Like I know people who don’t love cilantro and even they enjoy that dressing in the tortellini salad.
So then, I started using it as a marinade! I have a recipe with steak and cilantro lime marinade coming up in my next book, so I figured… why not throw some chicken in there as well.
This is one of my quintessential summer dinners. I mean, honestly, many nights I could just eat corn on the cob and tomatoes with mozzarella and call it a day. The fresh, summery garden produce just calls to me right now like nothing else.
Of course (shocker), it’s not even to sustain Eddie for dinner, so I have to get creative. Many days I just have no desire to turn on the oven. I will make as MANY things on the grill that I can, even if they seem a but outlandish. But it works, I swear.
This chicken (you can use breasts or thighs!) is marinated a cilantro lime vinaigrette, grilled to perfection and served with a peach pico de gallo on top.
YUM.
If you have a copy of The Pretty Dish, then you know that how much I love a good peach salsa. The version in my book uses corn, and I make a different version every week. But I can say with certainty that it is something I make every.single.week in the summer. Friends just die over it. It’s fresh, sweet, spicy – so good with chips.
This one is pretty darn simple – it’s essentially a pico de gallo with diced peaches thrown in. I CRAVE this. It’s sweet and spicy and crunchy and limey. The sweetness that the peaches add? Phenomenal. And I never even knew I wanted something sweet in my pico!
It looks like a bit of a boring dinner but if you’re someone who loves a quick summer dish that can be made mostly on the grill, here you go! I like to throw a few ears of corn on the grill along with the chicken to complete the meal. You can eat it as is, chop it all up and throw it on a salad, mix it in a rice bowl – anything!
And I mean, it definitely leaves room for ice cream after.
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Yield: 4 people
This grilled cilantro lime chicken is juicy and flavorful and topped with a spicy, sweet peach pico de gallo! Perfect for summer nights.
cilantro lime chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
peach pico de gallo
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 peach, diced
- 1 shallot. diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime, freshly juiced
- pinch of salt and pepper
cilantro lime chicken
Place the chicken in a bowl, baking dish or resealable bag.
Combine the cilantro lime juice, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, pepper flakes and olive oil in a blender until combined. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Preheat the grill to high for at least 10 minutes. I like mine around 500 or 550 degrees!
Remove the chicken from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Place the chicken on the grates and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
While the chicken grills, I also like to throw some corn on the cob directly on the grill. I grill it for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then slice it and serve with the peach pico on top.
peach pico de gallo
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined. You can make this a day ahead of time – it’s great even if it sits for 10 to 15 minutes!
Could eat that pico with a spoon.
