This Mexican Chicken Marinade is our absolute favorite marinade, made with zesty cilantro, lime, and just the right amount of seasoning. It makes the absolute best grilled chicken that can be used for everything from tacos to quesadillas. If you love restaurant style fajita chicken, you’re going to love this marinade!

The Building Blocks of The Best Chicken Marinade

Have you ever found yourself at a Mexican restaurant enjoying a plateful of delicious chicken fajitas and wondered what kind of magic or witchcraft makes it taste so darn good? Well, wonder no more friends. I have discovered the secret and it lies within this Mexican chicken marinade recipe.

If you’re familiar with Chef Samin Nosrat’s cookbook, Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat, or the Netflix special by the same name, you’ll know these four elements are essential for excellent cooking, and that includes a great marinade! These simple elements are the foundation of all of our marinade recipes, including this fantastic Mexican Chicken Marinade.

Table of Contents

Salt– Salt tenderizes chicken by breaking down the proteins and draws moisture (and flavor) from the chicken marinade into the meat so that it permeates the whole chicken cut, not just the surface.
Fat– Olive oil accompanies the natural fat in the chicken to create that melt-in-your-mouth flavor, adding moisture and tenderness which are crucial (especially when grilling) to prevent the meat from drying out.
Acid – Citrus juice, like salt, tenderizes meat by helping to break down proteins and fats. Plus, it adds a ton of bright flavor.
Heat – Grilling uses some intensely high heat to cook your food. It sears the surface of your chicken, creating those nice grill marks and sealing in flavor and moisture. As fats/oils drip off, the flame char-broils the exterior of the meat, while the ambient heat inside the grill cooks the inside of your meat. For those food scientists keeping score at home, that’s conduction, radiation, AND convection all performing a beautiful dance of thermodynamics, and the result is delicious!

All of that to say, this Mexican Chicken Marinade is absolutely banging, and not just because we say so. Science says so, too!

Why You’ll Love this Mexican Marinated Chicken

This Mexican Grilled Chicken is one of our most loved and most repeated meals thanks to these three things:

It’s make ahead friendly and great for parties. We regularly make a double or triple batch for big summer gatherings. People RAVE about this chicken, adults and kids alike!
The leftovers are so versatile that we never mind having extras in the fridge. We toss the leftovers into Mexican chicken salads, tacos, burritos, or grilled chicken quesadillas.
With only 10 minutes to prep, this Cilantro Lime Chicken is an easy recipe you’ll want to make over and over again.

Key Ingredients

Bowls of chili powder, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. Limes, cilantro, olive oil, garlic cloves, and chicken thighs.

Lime juice– Use fresh lime juice, not the bottled stuff! Lime juice plays a huge part in this marinade, so you want to make sure to use the real thing.
Olive oil– We enjoy using a light olive oil in this recipe, but you can also substitute canola or vegetable oil.
Cilantro- You can use the cilantro leaves and stems for this marinade, but I usually try to avoid the thicker, woodier stems at the bottom of the bunch of cilantro. If you’re one of the unlucky folks whose taste buds don’t agree with cilantro, this recipe won’t be for you. The cilantro is definitely a primary flavor here!
Garlic– An essential for almost all of our savory recipes, the garlic adds another layer of flavor to this dish.
Salt– We like to use Kosher salt when seasoning meats. If you’re substituting table salt, reduce the amount to 3/4 teaspoon.
Spices– A blend of oregano, chili powder, onion powder, and black pepper ensures the chicken is well seasoned.
Chicken– We prefer to grill with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It’s an affordable cut of meat that’s tough to screw up! That said, you can absolutely use this marinade for chicken breasts or even turkey or steak if you prefer.

How To Make Mexican Chicken Marinade

Cilantro, lime, olive oil, and seasonings combined in a food processor.

Step 1: Make the marinade. Place all of the marinade ingredients into a food processor or blender. Pulse until well combined.

Chicken thighs in a cilantro lime marinade in a glass dish.

Step 2: Marinate. Place the chicken in a shallow dish or storage bag and pour the marinade over top, flipping the chicken so it’s coated on all sides. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Grilled Mexican Chicken on a cast iron skillet.

Step 3: Grill the chicken. Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Place the chicken directly on the grates and grill for 6-7 minutes a side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 165 degrees.

Be a Grill Master

We spent last summer grilling all kinds of chicken, and learned a lot along the way. We shared some grill advice in our last post for spicy chicken marinade, but these grilling tips warrant repeating. Here’s how to make the absolute best grilled chicken you’ve ever tasted.

Mexican marinated chicken on a plate, topped with cilantro.

Use boneless skinless chicken thighs as your go-to cut for grilling. They taste good, they’re cheap, and they’re hard to overcook. Almost fool-proof.
Skip needless meat prep steps. Don’t waste time poking a bunch of holes in it with a fork or preseasoning. I tested this marinade recipe all kinds of ways, and honestly couldn’t tell the difference to just marinating the chicken as-is, straight from the package.
Cook hot and fast. I consistently grill chicken thighs around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and they only take about 6 minutes per side.
Quit messing around! Lifting the grill lid, and moving your food around too much results in longer cook time and dry meat, because you’re letting heat and moisture escape. Plus, every time you move it, you risk your meat breaking apart and falling into a fiery grave.
Use a meat thermometer as your authority on when meat is cooked properly (not your eyeballs, or “feel”). Chicken is cooked properly when its internal temp is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let it rest. This crucial step allows the juices in the chicken to redistribute into the meat so they don’t end up all over your plate when you cut into it. Transfer your grilled chicken to a plate, cover with foil, and rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

Make ahead– By nature, a marinade is a made ahead friendly dish! We recommend marinating the chicken at least 2 hours ahead of time or up to 24 hours ahead of time.
Leftover storage– Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating– Leftover chicken reheats well in the microwave.

Honestly, this is the kind of chicken you eat cold straight out of the fridge at 10 pm, and not just because you’re trying to up your protein input. The chicken CALLS, you know?

What to Serve with Mexican Chicken

This Cilantro Lime Chicken pairs beautifully with guacamole, pico de gallo (find our pico recipe in these Taco Burgers), Mexican rice, and/or black bean and corn salsa.

These also make delicious rice bowls with all your standard taco toppings: avocado, beans, tomato, corn, and sour cream Finish with a drizzle of our favorite avocado lime dressing.

One of our family’s favorite ways to use this chicken is in Chicken Quesadillas. You can also pair it with sizzling onions and peppers for chicken fajitas or toss it with greens for chicken taco salad. Throw it in a burrito, use it for tacos, or make Cast Iron Skillet Nachos. The options are really endless!

More Fantastic Marinade Recipes to Try

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