Do you put lime on chicken before or after cooking?

Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, or until it's browned and cooked through. Add the remaining chopped cilantro to the cooked chicken. Squeeze fresh lime over the finished chicken or serve with lime wedges so each person can squeeze their own.

What does Ina Garten serve with her lemon chicken?

The sauce has garlic, thyme and lemon, and has so much flavor," Garten says. "And the whole thing takes like 5 minutes to put together... The best thing about this is that it makes the chicken and the sauce at the same time." Serve it over rice or quinoa , and the grains can absorb all of the sauce, Garten recommends.

What happens if you marinate chicken in lime?

The Lime Marinade makes the chicken juicy on the inside and injects with flavour so you won't need a sauce with it . And after resting the chicken for a few minutes before serving it, some of those juices will sweat to the surface, like you see below. As for what to serve on the side, here are a few suggestions!

What does rubbing lime on chicken do?

Use the lime and its juices to scrub the surface of each individual piece of chicken. This helps to remove the slime and film off the chicken . The salt helps to "exfoliate" as you scrub the limes on the chicken like a "sponge".

Why do you rub lemon on chicken before cooking?

Like pickling, smoking, and curing, the practice of rinsing chicken with lemon juice probably started out as a way to neutralize any off-aromas in the meat and cut down on bacteria .

What does adding lemon juice to chicken do?

What's the secret to wonderful lemon chicken? Use chicken thighs (or legs, but thighs are easier to eat), bone-in and skin-on. Lemon is acidic and helps balance the stronger flavor of the dark meat in thighs and legs, and the fat from the chicken skin .

Why put a lemon in a chicken?

The benefits of the hot steaming lemon going into the chicken are very obvious as the meat tastes amazing, and the chicken cooks slightly quicker because of it . Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Can you put lime on raw chicken?

Rinse the chicken. If I will be removing the skin before cooking it, I remove the skin first, then clean it. If you are using just the juice, put the salt in your hand, pour the lime juice on top of it, and scrub. It is important that the lime/lime juice is cold so that the salt does not dissolve.

When to add lime juice while cooking?

Citric acid, the kind found in lemon and lime juice breaks down at higher heat so it is added when cooking is complete . It's usually to add brightness to the dish.

What does lime do to chicken meat?

Why marinate chicken in lime juice? This is one of my favorite chicken marinades. For one thing, citrus juices like lime juice naturally tenderize meat . Lemon, lime, and orange juice are acidic, which makes them ideal for tenderizing tough meats.

Do you water before or after applying lime?

After you've applied the lime , immediately water your lawn to rinse any extra lime off the grass blades to prevent leaf burn.

Cilantro Lime Chicken (Popular 1 Pan Recipe) - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

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Author: Sally

Published: 07/08/2015Updated: 04/25/2022

This cilantro lime chicken simmers in a creamy flavor packed sauce and comes together in only 1 pan!

Cilantro Lime Chicken (Popular 1 Pan Recipe) - Sally's Baking Addiction (1)

While I enjoy baking desserts the most (chocolate chip cookies > dinner), dinner is an everyday adventure. And if you’re like me, you’re constantly searching for quick and easydinner recipes. Well, you’ve come to the right place today! This is my 1 pan creamy cilantro lime chicken, a consistent crowd-favorite!

Cilantro Lime Chicken (Popular 1 Pan Recipe) - Sally's Baking Addiction (2)

Today I’m going to show you that one skillet is all it takes to transform chicken into something you and your fam will love.The process is a lot like my skillet apple cider chickenand thiscreamy lemon thyme chicken. Thechicken is cooked on the stove and finished off in the ovenwitha flavorful southwestern-inspired cilantro lime pan sauce:

creamy
buttery
slightly caramelized onions
cilantro
a little spice
zestylime

How to Make Cilantro Lime Chicken

The process is the same as my lemon thyme chicken and creamy garlic chicken and vegetables, so if you’ve made either of those before you know how easy it is! The first thing to do is grab skinless boneless chicken breasts. You can use bone-in chicken thighs instead if that’s easier. Cook the chickenin the skillet until both sides are browned and crisp—the chicken will cook again in the oven so if the centers aren’t cooked all the way through just yet, it’s ok. Remove the chicken for the time being.

Now, using the same skillet, make the pan sauce with the smorgasbord of tasty thingsmentioned above.

Cilantro Lime Chicken (Popular 1 Pan Recipe) - Sally's Baking Addiction (4)

For the sauce’s liquids, you’ll use chicken broth and cream. Now, you’ll only need a little cream (3 Tablespoons for the whole recipe—that’s it!). Just the right amount toadd richness to the sauce. You can use whole milk instead if that’s easier.Boil the pan sauce until it has reduced and thickened.

The sauce is easily the best part of this dish. And that makes sense because without it this would just be cooked chicken. So yeah.You’ll be ~~spooning~~ licking up the sauce from your plate. Whatever. It’s really goodsauce.

Next step? Add the chicken back to the skillet and bake everything in the oven until the chicken is cooked through. Add extra cilantro (flavor! flavor!), another squeeze of lime, and that’s IT. Serve with veggies and smother them with the extra sauce. Have a batch of dinner rolls to soak up any extra, too! ♥

About 40 minutes start to finish. We both LOVED this meal.

More Favorite Dinner Recipes

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Walnut Crusted Chicken
Honey Garlic Shrimp (only 20 minutes!)
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Peanut Chicken Zucchini Noodles
Chicken Meatballs
Zucchini Fritters or Corn Fritters

Skillet Chicken with Cilantro Lime Sauce

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 42 reviews

Author: Sally
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: serves 4
Category: Dinner
Method: Cooking
Cuisine: American

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Description

This cilantro lime chicken simmers in a creamy flavor packed sauce and comes together in only 1 pan!

Ingredients

4skinlessboneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoonsalt
1/4 teaspoonfreshlyground black pepper
1 Tablespoonolive oil
1 cupchicken broth(I recommend reduced sodium)
1 Tablespoonfresh lime juice(I use closer to1.5 Tbsp)
1/4 cupfinely choppedonion
1 Tablespoonchoppedcilantro
1/2 teaspoonred pepper flakes*
3 Tablespoonsheavy cream*
2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cubed
optional:lime wedges andmore cilantro for garnish, steamed asparagus for serving

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
If the chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound them down so they’re all even. This way all the breasts will cook through simultaneously. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.
In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6-7 minutes, turning once. You want the chicken nice and browned on the outside. (It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through yet.) Set chicken on a plateand cover tightly with foil until step 5.
Remove skillet from heat and add the broth, lime juice, onion, cilantro, and red pepper. Return to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to around 1/4 cup. (During this time you can steam some veggies to have on the side, like asparagus.) Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the cream and butter. Stir until butter has melted.
Addchicken to the sauceand place the skillet in the preheated oven. Bake uncovered until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve chicken with sauce spooned on top and any of the listed optional garnishes.Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.

Notes

Special Tools (affiliate links): Large Oven-Proof Skillet | Tongs
Red Pepper Flakes:Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your liking. This amount made the chicken mildly spicy. The cream in the sauce mellows out the spice.
Heavy Cream:You can use whole milk instead, but for the thickest, richest sauce Ihighlyrecommend heavy cream. If using whole milk, make sure it is at room temperature to help prevent curdling.
Nutrition Information:UsingSparkRecipescalculator, thisgluten free chicken dishcomes out to about 300calories, 14g fat, 2g carbs, and 33g protein per serving. That includes all the extra sauce too! If your chicken breastsare smaller than 6 ounces each (about what mine were), these numbers will be lower.