Marinated and grilled chicken thighs make a tasty cilantro lime chicken taco. Easy and flavorful dinner recipe! Serve street corn style with corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and onion or customize with your favorite taco toppings.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos feature flavorful, tender, grilled chicken thighs. The marinade is simple, no blender required, and one you will want to keep on repeat for a healthy dinner option. Serve in your favorite tortilla and top with cilantro, onion and all your favorite taco toppings.
This is a go-to recipe for my family. I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can substitute other cuts of chicken. Be sure to give yourself at least two hours to marinade the chicken for the most flavorful results.
How to make
- Marinate chicken: Whisk together marinade ingredients. In a large bowl or resealable bag, add chicken thighs and cilantro lime marinade. Let chicken marinate for 1- 3 hours.
- Grill chicken: Grill chicken thighs over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes per side. For tender chicken thighs, cook until internal temperature reaches 170°F. Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
- Assemble tacos: Warm tortillas. Slice chicken thighs into strips. Placed sliced chicken in tortillas and top with extra cilantro, onion and additional toppings of your choice.
Recipe tips
- Use kitchen shears to carefully trim excess visible fat from the chicken thighs.
- Don't marinade chicken thighs over 3 hours. The acidity from the lime juice can negatively impact the texture of the chicken.
- Use a digital thermometer to check doneness of chicken. It is recommended to cook the chicken thighs to 170°F for this recipe.
Toppings
For a street style chicken taco, I like to keep it simple and use a corn tortilla topped with diced fresh cilantro and white onion.
Additional topping ideas include:
- Green or red salsa
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole
- Crumbled cotija or shredded cheese
Tortillas: You can use flour or corn tortillas. Heat them up on a hot cast iron skillet before serving for the best taco.
Serving and Storage
Serving suggestions: Ideas for sides to serve with cilantro lime chicken tacos include fajita peppers and onions, black beans, Spanish rice, grilled street corn salad and guacamole salad.
Storage: Once cooled, store leftover grilled chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
📖 Recipe
Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Marinade
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup white onion diced
- ½ cup cilantro coarsely chopped
Tortillas and toppings
- 6 flour or corn tortillas
- cilantro coarsely chopped
- white onion diced
- shredded cheese optional
Instructions
- Prepare chicken marinade. Place chicken in a large bowl or gallon Ziploc bag. Whisk together marinade ingredients (olive oil, lime juice, cumin, paprika, brown sugar, salt and garlic powder). Add in chopped onion and cilantro. Pour marinade over chicken and let chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Flip the bag or give it a stir half way through the marinating time to ensure all chicken gets evenly coated.
- Grill chicken. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400-450°F). Brush grill grates with oil to prevent sticking if necessary. Remove chicken from cilantro lime marinade and place on grill. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side. Cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 170°F. Remove chicken from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Assemble cilantro lime chicken tacos. Heat tortillas on a skillet over medium heat. To assemble tacos, slice chicken into strips and place in tortillas. Top with additional cilantro, onion and cheese to taste preference (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
I hope your family enjoys these cilantro lime chicken tacos!
Alaine
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