This cilantro ginger chicken has been on repeat all summer long at our house. It's packed with fresh flavor from ginger, lime, and cilantro making it a versatile main dish option. It's delicious on it's own or with rice, tacos, salads, or burritos. With just a handful of ingredients, you can have a fresh, easy, protein-packed dish. We recommend making extra of this chicken so you can have an easy and quick protein option on hand all week.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It's a tender chicken with lots of flavor the whole family will love.
- It's a great recipe for meal prep.
- The chicken is versatile and a great option for tacos, bowl, various salads, and burritos.
- It's delicious served in rice bowls with our coconut jasmine rice.
- The complexity of the flavors shines on the grill.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - for this recipe, we prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts since we typically always have those on hand. We like to butterfly the chicken breasts to make them less thick and more even for cooking.
- Chopped cilantro, lime juice, low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos - all of these ingredients create the delicious flavor that stands out! The fresh herbs are perfect for a summer dish.
- Olive or avocado oil, brown sugar, minced ginger & garlic, salt - a few other ingredients for the marinade to help balance the other flavors.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Grill and tongs
- Medium bowl
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Begin by butterflying the chicken breast by carefully cutting each in half. Divide each half down the middle so you have smaller strips of chicken. Add the chicken to a bowl or large resealable bag with the chopped cilantro, juice from 2 limes, low sodium soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, minced fresh ginger & garlic, and salt. Stir until the chicken is evenly coated. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. When you're ready to grill, discard the remaining liquid from the marinade.
Step 2: Preheat the grill on medium heat for 5 minutes. Place the chicken breasts in an even layer on the grill. Close the lid of the grill to retain heat and allow the chicken to cook evenly. After 3 minutes, flip each piece of chicken and close the lid of the grill again. Allow the chicken to cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Tips & Variations
- We love to serve this chicken dipped in our peanut sauce.
- Instead of boneless chicken breasts, feel free to use chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins.
- If you have a shorter amount of time for the marinade, you can gently massage marinade into the chicken by placing everything in a sealed Ziploc bag.
- You can marinade the chicken in a bowl or opt for a seal bag for easier clean-up.
- Serve this chicken in tacos, on a bed of rice, burritos, or salads. Coconut rice or cilantro lime rice would be delicious.
- If you're going to marinade the chicken for longer than 30 minutes, don't leave the chicken at room temperature - be sure to set the chicken back in the fridge.
- You can add other ingredients to the marinade like green onions, a dash of chili powder or sesame oil.
FAQ
While we have found the grilling method to be our favorite cooking method, you can definitely cook this chicken in the air fryer. We recommend 375 degrees. Follow similar instructions to the grill by flipping the chicken half way through and cooking until the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. You can reheat the chicken before serving or serve cold for salads.
Yes, this chicken is easily gluten and dairy-free with the use of coconut aminos, gluten-free soy sauce, or tamari in place of normal soy sauce.
If you like this easy recipe, check out a few of our other chicken dishes:
If you make this juicy chicken recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Grilled Cilantro Lime Ginger Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- Juice from 2 limes
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Begin by butterflying the chicken breast by carefully cutting each in half. Divide each half down the middle so you have smaller strips of chicken.
- Add the chicken to a bowl or Ziploc bag with the chopped fresh cilantro, juice from 2 limes, low sodium soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, minced ginger, minced garlic, and salt. Stir until the chicken is evenly coated. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the grill on medium heat for 5 minutes. Place chicken breasts in an even layer on the grill. Close the lid of the grill to retain heat and allow the chicken to cook evenly. After 3 minutes, flip each piece of chicken and close the lid of the grill again. Allow the chicken to cook on the second side for 3-4 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- We love to serve this chicken dipped in our peanut sauce.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. You can reheat the chicken before serving or serve cold for salads.
- Make this chicken gluten-free by using coconut aminos, gluten-free soy sauce, or tamari in place of regular soy sauce.
NUTRITION
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Cilantro Ginger Chicken."
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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