Honey Lime Chicken or Citrus Grilled Chicken is extra JUICY and loaded with not one, but three different kinds of citrus! Orange, lemon, and lime come together to make this recipe fresh and so flavorful! It is delicious eaten with rice, in tacos, or added to a salad to turn it into a main dish!
What is in this post!
I have added lots of suggestions for using different ingredients if you don’t have what’s listed on hand. I am also including ideas about how to make it even quicker and easier. Go ahead and click on the links to see exactly what you are interested in!
Table of contents
About this Honey Lime Chicken Recipe
Grilling is one of my very favorite ways to cook and it’s my go-to all summer long. To be honest, though, we eat beef about 5 days a week and rarely eat chicken. We like chicken and all, but since we raise our own beef, we have tons of it in the freezer and we just really like it.
We’ve tried lots of grilled chicken recipes and so many of them are dry, or bland. THIS recipe is neither of those! It’s seriously so juicy and melts in your mouth tender. All there is to it is whipping up a simple marinade in the morning, letting the chicken soak in it, and throwing it on the grill just before it is time to eat.
If you are sick of dry chicken or don’t have all day to fuss with it you’re going to love this recipe as much as I do!
Ingredients in Citrus Marinade for Chicken
- CHICKEN– Boneless skinless chicken breast is my favorite. Chicken tenders cook faster and are great with this recipe too. Or use thighs or even legs if you would like.
- Vegetable Oil– Corn oil, canola oil are great choices too
- LEMON, ORANGE, AND LIME JUICE- Fresh squeezed is best if you have it. If not, go ahead and use bottled. I have even used a couple of tablespoons of orange juice concentrate and it is great!
- GARLIC- Freshly minced is amazing! Or use garlic paste or even 1 tsp. garlic powder.
- MUSTARD – Use Dijon if you have it, if not use spicy brown mustard, whole grain, or whatever you have
- HONEY – You can substitute brown sugar if needed.
- BALSAMIC VINEGAR – white, red wine or white wine can also be used
- SPICES– Kosher salt and pepper (reduce the amount of salt by ½ if you’re using table salt)
- HERBS– Adding cilantro gives makes it fresh!
How to make Honey Lime Chicken Recipe on the Grill
Grilling chicken really is easy! This recipe literally takes me about 30 minutes of hands-on time to make. You can’t beat that! Be sure to check out my tips for grilling chicken below if you have more questions!
STEP 1: Add all ingredients except chicken to a sealable bag, or a glass or ceramic pan.
STEP 2: Whisk to combine or shake in the bag. You’ll have to work a little bit to get the honey incorporated.
STEP 3: Add chicken, seal, or cover dish, and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. The honey lime chicken will soak up all the flavors as it sits in the sauce.
STEP 4: Remove chicken from the fridge. Preheat grill to 375 degrees (medium-high heat). The chicken will cook quicker if it has sat at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling.
STEP 5: Grill chicken until it’s 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken, flipping halfway through cooking time. Use an instant-read thermometer for best results.
STEP 8: Remove chicken from the grill, cover with foil, let rest for 5 minutes. Juices will redistribute as it rests and keeps the juices inside.
STEP 9: Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve! See serving suggestions below.
Tips for Grilling Chicken Breasts
Although chicken is really easy to grill, there are a few tips that will speed the process along and keep it moist too! Here are a few suggestions.
- Marinating time depends on what ingredients are in the marinade. This recipe is loaded with citrus and it will alter the texture of the chicken if it’s marinated too long. 4-6 hours if perfect for this recipe. Other recipes can be marinated overnight.
- Preparing chicken for grilling is easy! No need to rinse the chicken. Since chicken breasts are thicker in the middle than on the edges it will cook unevenly. It’s best to roll or pound chicken until it’s about 1”-1 ½” thick. This keeps the thinner parts from drying out before the thickest part is cooked.
- How long does it take to grill a chicken breast? It all depends on how hot the grill is and how thick the chicken is. For whole, unrolled chicken breasts I plan on a total of 30 minutes. For flattened chicken breasts, it will take about 15 minutes total. 375 degrees is my favorite grilling temperature for this particular kind of meat.
- How to tell when chicken is done grilling? Using an instant-read thermometer is the BEST way! It’s the safest method, it’s reliable and there’s no guessing involved. Most of the time people cook chicken for too long and it dries it out. Chicken should be cooked until it’s 165 degrees in the thickest part.
What to Serve with Lime Marinated Chicken:
The sky is the limit here! If you’re trying to keep things on the lighter side slice it up and add it to a salad. It’s also great with any other BBQ side dishes. This recipe also goes with Mexican food really well! Here are a few ideas to get you started!
- Lemon Parmesan Orzo – quick and easy pasta side dish
- Loaded Smashed Potatoes – cheese and bacon on potatoes are always a hit
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans – easy and flavorful
- Cornbread Muffins – or make it in a pan
- Spinach Salad with Strawberry Dressing – light and delicious
- Slow Cooker Corn Casserole – with cream cheese
What to do with leftover grilled chicken?
Be sure to grill a few extra pieces of meat because there are a hundred way to use them and trust me dinner will never be easier! We LOVE leftovers around here because they are so fast and easy! My kids never complain about leftovers when they look like this!
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Quesadillas – easy and yummy
- Chicken Taco Pizza – a 20-minute meal
- Lemon Pesto Pasta – with pesto
- Italian Chicken Bacon Sandwiches – oven-toasted sandwiches
- Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza – with pineapple
Grab my Citrus Grilled Chicken Recipe!
Citrus Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3/4 cup Mazola Corn Oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp cilantro
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except chicken to a sealable bag, or a glass or ceramic pan.
- Whisk to combine or shake in the bag. You’ll have to work a little bit to get the honey incorporated.
- Add chicken, seal, or cover dish, and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
- Remove chicken from the fridge. Preheat grill to 375 degrees (medium-high heat). The chicken will cook quicker if it has sat at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling.
- Grill chicken until it’s 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken, flipping halfway through cooking time. Use an instant-read thermometer for best results.
- Remove chicken from the grill, cover with foil, let rest for 5 minutes. Juices will redistribute as it rests and keeps the juices inside.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve!
You have no photo for your chicken marinade — and non of the photos have a Pinterest link
Hi Barbara. If you scroll down you’ll see quite a few photos or my marinade. There are images of the chicken after it’s grilled, and step by step images to show you exactly how to make it! Hover over the images to pin them or click on the Pinterest button at the top of the page. Hopefully, that helps!
How much garlic do you recommend?
I just added it to the ingredient list. I like to add 2 cloves of garlic or about a teaspoon of garlic paste. This chicken is so flavorful!
I made it tonight and everyone loved it!! Great flavor!!
Yay! Making a meal the whole family likes is always a win! Glad you enjoyed it!