Fiesta Lime Grilled Chicken Recipe | Simple Green Moms (2024)

Fiesta Lime Chicken

If you are looking to spice up your chicken rotation (literally and figuratively), this recipe for fiesta lime grilled chicken will definitely help! Just the word “fiesta” in the name makes this a dish you likely already want to try- who can pass up a fiesta?!

New Chicken Breast Recipes

I am the primary chef in my house, well, to be honest, I am the only chef in my house. While I absolutely love to cook, try new recipes and experiment in the kitchen, I also often get in a rut. I start making the same things over and over again, the same dinners ever single week.

I know that a lot of people struggle with this monotony and it is completely understandable why we chef’s fall into this pattern- it is easy! Once you find a few recipes that your family likes, why change it? You want everyone to eat and enjoy the meal, you know that certain meals will achieve this goal so you make them again and again.

Well, I was in just such a rut when my husband finally suggested making something new. At first my blood froze and daggers flew from my eyes in his direction. Make something new?!? What was wrong with what I was already making? Everyone loved my dinners and I was really good at making everything in my rotation. How dare he ask me to change!

Okay, okay, I over reacted. When I thought about it, I agreed, we did need something different. Our meals had gotten to be a little monotonous and switching it up a little would be fun. It would give me the chance to play around a little in the kitchen too. Maybe my husband would watch the kids while I experimented….

Chicken Breast Dinners

I decided to tackle my weekly chicken breast meal and see if I could come up with something a little more exciting than lemon chicken (one of the 5 meals I make on a rotating basis!). I always make chicken breast at least once a week because it is inexpensive, easy to make and you can pair it with so many different side dishes. Chicken breast and cous cous, chicken breast with salad, chicken breast on top of pasta…it all works! It really is a versatile food. Finding a new chicken breast recipe for dinner should be easy.

Of course the new chicken breast recipe would have to accomplish the following things:

1. Be Healthy
2. Be easy to make
3. Taste amazing
4. Be something my kids would also love to eat

Challenge accepted! New chicken recipe, here I come!

Fiesta Lime Chicken

In addition to livening up my chicken dish, I had been tossing around the idea of having a Mexican food night. I like having dinners with themes as it helps to give each nights meal a very distinct flavor. Mexican food one night, Italian food the next, Thai cuisine the third night- each category is so different that it is impossible to get bored!

With Mexican night dreams in my head and a new chicken breast recipe mulling around in my head, why not combine both of these ideas into one?! Mexican inspired chicken breast sounded like the perfect food. It also sounded like it would hit all my dinner requirements and be healthy, easy, tasty and kid friendly pending I didn’t make it too spicy.

I started looking at recipes online and thinking about what my family would like. We all love the liveliness of lemon chicken so why not try lime chicken? It has a Mexican flair and also a bright fresh flavor that my kids would enjoy. It is a little different than my norm but it would be a good way to easy into something new and exciting.

Marinating Chicken Breast

I feel as though it is essential to marinate chicken breast. Marinating meat lets the acid in the marinade break down some of the tough proteins in the meat, making it more tender and delicious. It also infuses flavor which, of course, makes the chicken taste delicious on so many levels!

Seasonings, olive oil and an acid is all you need for a great marinade. I went with the lime juice, Mexican spices and pure olive oil. This chicken was sounding like a winner already!

The best way to marinate chicken is to do so overnight. This give the marinade plenty of time to work into the meat, making it full of flavor and very juicy. If you like to plan your meals days in advance and you know exactly what you will be serving for dinner every night, marinating chicken for 24 hours is not a problem. However, if you are like me and tend to be scrambling for a dinner idea an hour before dinner is served, you may not have as much time to marinate.

If you are able to let your chicken sit in the marinade for at least thirty minutes, you will be set. If you are rush marinating, stab your raw chicken breast a few times with a fork to help the marinade get into the center of the meat. Yes, overnight marinade is best but thirty minutes will do just fine.

Grilled Chicken Breast

After marinating overnight (I was prepared this time!), I grilled my chicken until those perfect sear lines were present. While the chicken looked great, it still needed something. It was still missing the ‘fiesta’ that was necessary to take this chicken up to my high dinner standards.

Salsa! Salsa was the answer. I poured some salsa over my plate and voila! Pure perfection. I did leave the salsa off for my kids as they are anti spicy but for my husband and I, I piled it on thick! No need to spend hours making a sauce for your chicken breast when you can just crack a jar of salsa and be done! As I mentioned before, I love easy options that make my dinner fantastic with little effort.

Lime Grilled Chicken Uses

While I could totally eat this chicken breast all by itself, it goes very well inside other Mexican dishes. Shred this chicken with two forks then add it into a burrito, taco or inside enchiladas. Slice the chicken and serve it with a rice bowl.

However you choose to eat this chicken is great and we want to hear about it (in the comments below!). This recipe has become a new go-to of mine and I make it quite frequently. In order to keep it fresh and exciting, I serve it in different ways. My favorite is to make mini tacos or burrito bowls with chip scoops! I wonder how you will eat it…Time to fine out!

Fiesta Lime Chicken Recipe Ingredients

• Chicken Breast
• Olive Oil
• Fresh Lime Juice
• Sea Salt
• Paprika
• Onion Powder
• Cumin
• Garlic Powder
• Optional Toppings: fresh salsa and / or ranch dressing

Fiesta Lime Chicken Marinade

Keep in mind that you need some extra time to marinate the chicken with the lime juice and seasoning. We recommend a minimum of 2 hours, but suggest you marinate it overnight for extra flavor. The grilled lime chicken makes a great healthy dinner or as a snack during the day.

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Fiesta Lime Grilled Chicken

★★★★★5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Simple Green Moms
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Gluten Free

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Description

Using lime juice, spices and salsa, you will be able to easily create a chicken breast dinner that is fiesta ready!

Ingredients

Scale

• 6 chicken breasts
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Optional toppings: fresh salsa and/or ranch dressing

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, and seasonings. Add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat grill and remove chicken from marinade before grilling. Grill chicken for about 12-15 minutes or until done. The time will very depending on how thick your chicken is.
3. Serve with toppings and/or side of choice.

Notes

• Make a dry rub seasoning instead of a marinate by skipping the olive oil. Rub the seasoning blend onto the chicken breast and then let sit over night before grilling.
• Bake this chicken in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes rather than grilling
• Pan sear the chicken breasts in a large skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes
• This chicken will keep if properly wrapped in the fridge for one week.
• Freeze this chicken for up to one month.

See Also

Squash Casserole Recipe