Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewers, the perfect summer recipe to feed a crowd of any size. They’re so simple to make and only requires a handful of fresh ingredients that you may very well have in your fridge. If not, it’s well worth a quick drive to the grocery store to pick up these key ingredients. I absolutely couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you today.
These Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewers start with chicken breast and a wonderful cilantro lime marinade. If you do not have an outdoor grill, no problem, let your indoor grill do the work. I promise you will not be disappointed.
What I love most about these chicken skewers is their versatility. They are great served:
- Alone
- For dipping in your favorite sauce
- On top of a bed of fresh greens
- Chopped for chicken, burritos, or enchiladas
- Sliced for chicken sandwiches
- Chopped, sliced, or diced in pasta dishes
The options are limitless. So, let me tell you how these easy Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewers came together.
HOW DO YOU MAKE GRILLED CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN SKEWERS
The star of the show is this easy breezy cilantro lime marinade. Before I continue, this marinade is also great for marinading beef, chicken, shrimp, salmon or can be used as a sauce to add the finishing touches to a dish.
Marinade: This 4-ingredient cilantro lime marinade consists of cilantro, limes, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil that’s either processed in a food processor or blended in a blender. Either method works great.
If you’re able to drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while processing or blending would be even better. By doing that, will allow the olive oil to emulsify much better than just adding the olive oil to the food processor or blender with the other ingredients.
Tip: Marinade the chicken breast no longer than 30 minutes. If you marinate the chicken longer than the recommended time, the acid from the limes will start cooking the chicken breast causing an unpleasant texture and taste. The same is true if using lemons.
Chicken Breast: I prefer cutting the chicken breast into tender-sized strips myself although you can purchase pre-cut chicken tenders from the grocery store. It’s totally up to you either way the end result will be the same… nice, moist, and flavorful chicken breast.
Note: Chicken breast is one of those cuts of meat that’s hard to cook as it can taste dry and become unpleasant to eat. I’ve learned 3 key elements to cooking really good chicken breast that’s flavorful and moist, and they are:
1) A great marinade,
2) Season well with salt, and
3) Have an instant read thermometer. To prevent dryness, chicken breast internal temperature should read between 160 – 165 degrees F. If you follow these 3 elements, you’re well on your way to great tasting chicken breast.
Skewers: I prefer metal skewers, but wooden ones will work just as great. If using the wooden skewers, it’s important to soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes or so to prevent them from burning during grilling.
Tip: You can thread the entire chicken tender through the skewer or you can chop the chicken breast into large cubes and thread each individual cube onto the skewer.
Grill: For this recipe, I used my indoor grill.
After cutting chicken breast into tenders, place in zip loc bag to marinate in the fridge for no longer than 30 minutes.
Thread chicken breast tenders threw skewers and allow to reach room temperature for even cooking. They are done when juices run clear or internal temperature reaches between 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Read below on how long to grill.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK GRILLED CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN SKEWERS
This easy recipe for Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewers is ready in about 15 minutes. It’s as simple as 1-2-3…
- Place your grill on the stove over medium high heat
- Lightly coat the grill grates with olive oil
- Place the chicken skewers on the grill
- Cook turning the skewers frequently to ensure even cooking
- At the15 minutes mark, transfer the chicken skewers onto a clean plate and check that the chicken juices run clear or use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature by inserting your thermometer into the thickest part of the meat
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. If you’re looking for other chicken inspired dishes, check out:
Oven Roasted Butterflied Chicken
and for my quick 4 Ingredient Cilantro Lime Marinade click that link :).
By the way, this recipe is Whole30 and Gluten Free.
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More importantly, thank you for visiting my blog.
All the best,
~Cree
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Skewers grilled to perfection in a simple but flavorful cilantro lime marinade. For a burst of flavor, marinade between 15 to 30 minutes. You will not be disappointed.
- 3 large chicken breast cut into tenders or precut chicken tender will work just as fine
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches cilantro stems removed
- 1/2 cup basil loosely packed
- juice of 2 limes
- salt to taste
Wash chicken breast and pat dry with clean paper towel. Cut chicken breast into tenders using a sharp knife. Pre-cut chicken tenders will work just as fine. Using a large zip loc bag, pour in cilantro lime marinade. Add chicken tenders. Move tenders around in the zip loc bag to ensure that all are coated in the marinade. Marinade for 15 to 30 minutes in fridge. Try not exceed 30 minutes.
After the chicken tenders have marinaded, remove from zip loc bag, discard marinade, and thread each tender onto a skewer. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes to prevent skewer from burning. Set aside.
Heat grill over medium to high heat and prep grill grates by brushing with extra virgin olive oil. Place chicken skewers on top of grill grates and grill until juices run clear or internal heat has reached 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. **DO NOT OVER COOK AS TENDERS MAY TURN DRY.
Plate and garnish with cilantro leaves or your favorite dipping sauce.
For left-overs, cut chicken tenders into cubes and store in an airtight container and use to make delicious chicken salads, tacos, burritos, pasta or whatever suits your needs. These can serve as a great meal prep idea.
Place all ingredients into mini chopper, food processor or blender and pulse until cilantro/basil appear finely chopped.
**Please note: Nutritional values serve as a guide only as values may vary.
This grilled cilantro lime chicken skewers sound delicious! Great for a summer dinner.
Hi Dawn – Thank you so very much. These are so easy and quick to make. Definitely a favorite for the summer.