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Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites

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Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites – A super quick and easy dinner idea that’s made with chicken, cilantro, lime, and garlic. Ready in less than 20 minutes!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites next to rice and black beansMy name is Sharon and I am addicted to anything and everything with cilantro & lime. There, I said it. Ever since I tried the rice at Chipotle, I’ve been obsessed with this simple, yet powerful combination. It’s such a refreshing flavor, with a little bite from the citrus. I love it! Now, if I see anything on a menu with these two ingredients together – cilantro lime sauce, cilantro lime steak, cilantro lime anything- you can pretty much guarantee that I’ll be ordering it.

I’ve already tackled a few cilantro lime recipes myself- this cilantro lime rice and these grilled cilantro lime skewers. Those skewers are unbelievably flavorful but they take some time to marinate so it’s not something I tend to make in a pinch.

But these cilantro lime chicken bites, on the other hand, are perfect for a last-minute meal since it can be made in less than 20 minutes. Plus, because of my previously mentioned obsession with cilantro and lime, I already have all the ingredients sitting in my fridge so there’s nothing extra I need to buy.  How much easier can you get?!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites on a plate Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites with rice and black beansCilantro Lime Chicken Bites served with black beans and rice

This recipe came about back when my husband was traveling a lot. I hated making dinners that required a lot of ingredients since it was just me. Honestly, most nights I’d end up making a sandwich or a bowl of cereal. #lazy

But I started craving more substantial meals that were also quick and easy to make. I found this recipe on Pinterest and fell in love with it! Not only was it so simple but the chicken comes out crispy and with a huge punch of flavor. Just add some rice and beans and you have yourself a complete meal!

This main reason why theses cilantro lime chicken bites cook so quickly is because of the small size of the chicken. The smaller the surface area of your protein, the quicker it takes to raise to the desired temperature. You don’t have to cut the chicken into bites if you don’t want to, but just know that it will take longer for the chicken to cook.

Pieces of seasoned chicken cooking Adding cilantro to cooking chicken

I love giving you guys tips and tricks to make sure that the recipe turns out perfectly. But this recipe is so easy that I don’t need to give you any tips! So go ahead and make this chicken this week. You’re gonna love it!

And don’t forget to scroll past the recipe to check out some more of my favorite easy weekday meals!

Finished Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites after cooking

Here are all the kitchen tools and serveware that I used in today’s recipe. For each item sold below, I make a small commission. I only recommend items that I own and love so you can trust that each recommendation is tried and true. Thank you for supporting CPA!

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Print Recipe

Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites

A super quick and easy dinner idea that's made with chicken, cilantro, lime, and garlic. Ready in less than 20 minutes!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 3 limes
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Mince garlic and zest 1 lime and place into a small bowl. Set aside. Juice the 3 limes and place into another bowl. Set aside.
  • Cut chicken into evenly sized chunks. Place large pan or braising dish on stove and set to medium high. Add olive oil to pan, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Let oil heat up.
  • Once oil is really hot, add chicken chunks and let it cook, undisturbed. When the chicken has browned nicely on the bottom and no longer sticks to the pan, sprinkle chicken evenly with cumin and cayenne pepper. Let chicken cook for 1-2 more minutes. Flip chicken so it can brown on the other side.
  • Once it's browned, reduce heat to medium low and sprinkle with minced garlic and lime zest. Stir together with chicken to brown the garlic a little but don't let it burn!
  • Once chicken is cooked through, add lime juice to pan to help release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this releases all that extra flavor!). Give the chicken and lime juice a good stir and then let it cook for another 2 minutes, until the juice has reduced slightly. Serve with your favorite rice and beans for a well-rounded, satisfying meal.

This post first appeared in Julie’s Eats and Treats, where I am a contributor.

Pin for later:

Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites photo collage

More easy weeknight dinner ideas that you’ll love:

Pasta e Fagioli

Bowl of Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Bowl of Cajun Chicken Pasta

Easy Meatball Subs

Stack of Easy Meatball Subs

Comments

  11. Jolina says

    Hi Sharon. I’m Jolina and it looks like we’re in the same cilantro/lime support group lol! It’s one of our favourite, go-to flavour combinations. And these chicken bites look incredible!

    Reply

  14. Melissa says

    Sounds so fresh and light for Summer! We love chicken, we cook it a couple of times a week, but it can get so boring! This looks like a nice and easy update we can make over and over again. Yum!

    Reply

    • Sharon says

      Exactly! I was so bored of the plain chicken I would make. This was an easy and quick way to jazz it up!

      Reply

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