Grilled Lime Chicken Recipe

Four Ingredient Grilled Lime Chicken is easy to make four with a fun marinade made from frozen limeade. It is a fast lime marinade for chicken and tastes so good when grilled! Like summer on a plate.

🐔 Ingredients

📝 Ingredient Notes

Chicken Breasts – Chicken breasts are a slightly healthier chicken choice but they do have a tendency to dry out if you overcook them. Make sure to use a wireless meat thermometer and pull them off the heat as soon as they reach 165ºF. One good tip is to pound them down to make them a bit thinner. The thinner meat is more manageable when grilling.

Limeade Concentrate – Find this in the freezer section of your local grocery store and stock up when you see them on sale so you can make this fantastic lime chicken marinade whenever you want. The rest of the ingredients will almost always be in your cabinets.

Brown Sugar – We used light brown sugar, but if you have dark brown sugar that works for this recipe too, and will not noticeably change the flavor.

Ketchup – Use your family’s favorite. If you use ketchup for marinades with some frequency, you could also buy a cheaper brand just for marinating meat. It doesn’t have to be fancy for this use.

Salt and Pepper – Used for seasoning the chicken breasts and enhancing the flavor.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

GrillGrate | This handy grilling tool sits right on top of the grill and focuses the heat onto the fins that hold up the chicken. That leaves some gorgeous sear marks! The design also minimizes flare-ups as it slows down any dripping into the coals. It’s one of my favorite grilling tools.

Wireless Meat Thermometer | Never overcook your meat again with one of these handy devices. Read our reviews of the best wireless meat thermometers, including the one Jason uses every time he grills.

🔥 Instructions

Step One: Make a lime marinade for chicken. Thaw the limeade completely and pour it into a pint jar.

Step Two: Add the brown sugar to the jar.

Step Three: Add the ketchup to the jar and stir the ingredients. Alternatively, you can screw the lid on tight and give it a good shake. Reserve half of the lime chicken marinade in the jar to use for glazing the chicken when it finishes on the grill.

Step Four: Pour the other half of the marinade into a plastic bag. Add the chicken to the marinade and seal the bag, place it inside a bowl in the refrigerator for 30 – 60 minutes. Swish the marinade around to make sure that the chicken is completely covered.

Step Five: Preheat the grill to 350ºF first, and then grill each side for about six to seven minutes.

Step Six: After cooking the second side for about five minutes start checking your wireless meat thermometer diligently to make sure you do not overcook your chicken breasts and dry them out.

❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks

Using the Grill Grate: Spread a liberal coat of olive oil on the GrillGrate before you add the meat. The fins are a bit wider than the stock grilling surface and the meat can stick if you aren’t careful.

Dress it up: Top the chicken with thin slices of lime to add a fun treat!

Be ready with your side dishes: Grilled lime chicken is an extremely fast recipe that is perfect for those busy nights when you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Don’t forget the glaze: Be sure you reserve half of the jar of the marinade to use for basting the chicken as you take it off the grill. This glazes the chicken to add delicious flavor.

🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating

Keep your leftover chicken in an airtight container in your refrigerator for two or three days. If you won’t use it all up before it goes bad, cut it up into one-inch pieces and freeze it in an airtight container for future use. It will keep in the freezer for about three months.

To reheat your leftover chicken, you can microwave it in short bursts until you get it hot. Diced chicken can be reheated in a skillet instead.

Meal Prep

Using the chicken lime marinade for grilling, make up a big batch of chicken to use in future recipes! Diced grilled lime chicken can be used in quesadillas, tacos, tortilla soup, salads, or sandwiches.

Additions and Substitutions

Use Chicken Thighs Instead. Chicken thighs are chock full of flavor and stay juicy, but the darker meat just isn’t as good for you. If I do use the thighs for this lime juice chicken marinade, I usually grill the boneless, skinless cuts.

Add Cilantro. Rinse and chop fresh cilantro and use it in the marinade. Then add chopped fresh cilantro to the chicken on your plate.

Sweeten it up. Add two or three tablespoons of honey to the marinade and glaze for a grilled honey lime chicken version.

Make it more grown-up. Add one tablespoon of tequila to the marinade after you put it in the bag for tequila lime chicken.

Give it some heat. Add a spicy peach or pineapple salsa to your chicken on the plate.

Turn it up a notch. Give it some real kick by adding chili pepper flakes to your marinade for chili lime chicken. You’ll want to add from ¼ teaspoon to one teaspoon of chili flakes depending on your level of tolerance. This is perfect for tacos!

Add healthy fats. Top with avocado salsa or guacamole

Ward off vampires. Add several cloves of minced garlic to your marinade for garlic lime chicken.

Booze it up. Add half a can of your favorite beer to your marinade in the bag for beer lime chicken.

Take it tropical. Add half a cup of coconut milk to your marinade and glaze for coconut lime chicken. Then garnish your chicken with chopped cilantro and toasted coconut flakes on the plate.

Serving Suggestions

Try serving this delicious grilled lime chicken over cilantro lime rice with freshly sliced garden tomatoes or a citrusy salad on the side and a margarita in your hand. You could also serve these Grilled Brussel Sprout Kabobs – They are easy to make and grill extremely fast. They will be ready about the same time as your chicken. Or you could try these Grilled Parsnips – The preparation for these couldn’t be any easier! A quick slice and a light coating of olive oil, and you’ll have a tasty side dish in just a few minutes!

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