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Easy Chili Lime Chicken: Chili lime-seasoned chicken baked with garlic and butter, and finished with my chili lime sauce made with butter, spices, chilies, fresh lime juice, and honey! This is the simplest dinner to make and comes together in no time at all!
What’s your comfort meal? The one you can easily make any night of the week and know it will hit the spot? For me, it’s a chicken and rice dish.
As a kid, my dad would make chicken and rice on rotation a couple of times each week. Mostly a lot of potato chip chicken, chicken baked with simple seasonings, or grilled chicken. And anytime we had chicken, we had rice. Chicken and rice – a Gerard family classic, just like my dad’s tacos.
As I got older, I became bored with the chicken and rice dinners. This is actually when I started cooking and having fun creating meals for my family. I was very adventurous back then. I had a lot more time to dedicate to cooking! One of the chicken dishes I’d made a few times was baked chili lime chicken.
I think it was a Rachel Ray recipe. I know I adapted it to what my mom kept the kitchen stocked with. But either way, this chili lime chicken was always such a family pleaser.
I recently decided to make a variation on this chicken. It ended up being so yummy I thought I’d share the recipe! This is really quick to make and uses mostly just spices, a sauce, plus fresh cilantro and basil. I used a lot of lime juice in my sauce, but I think it suits well when paired with the honey and chilies. It’s the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors!
Serve the chicken with rice and extra sauce. I like to make coconut rice, I love the flavor and creaminess. It’s my favorite!
Serve this to your family tonight, but don’t overlook it for a dinner party. It’s simple to create, healthy, and looks pretty!
The Details
Ingredients – for the chicken
- Chicken thighs or breasts – we like thighs best, but my mom prefers breasts
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Salted butter
- Basil
Ingredients – for the sauce
- Salted butter
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Chipotle chili powder
- Fresno peppers – or use chili flakes
- Honey
- Limes
- Cilantro
Special tools
You will need a baking dish and small sauce pot.
Steps
Step 1: season the chicken
To season the chicken I like to use ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Then a handful of fresh chopped garlic cloves and butter.
It’s not fancy, but a good base. The sauce is where all the yummy flavor comes in.
Step 2: bake
Bake the chicken with the butter slices on top. As the chicken bakes, the butter melts over the chicken and cooks the chicken perfectly creating the best flavor.
Step 3: the honey-lime sauce
While the chicken is cooking, I mix the sauce on the stove. I use more butter, but you could use olive oil too. I then add onion and garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle chili powder, and a Fresno pepper. If you don’t have a Fresno pepper, use chili flakes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add honey, lime juice, and cilantro. Then season with salt.
Step 4: serve
When the chicken comes out of the oven, spoon the sauce over the warm chicken. Don’t waste any of the sauce in the pan. Scoop it all up and serve it over bowls of rice with lots of fresh basil leaves, or you can use additional cilantro.
You could then add some cojita cheese, which would be so delicious! And maybe an extra sprinkle of sea salt. This will be a fun family dinner! Chips are yummy for scooping as well.
Looking for more simple Mexican recipes? Here are a few favorites:
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Cauliflower Al Pastor Quesadillas with Lime Smashed Avocado
Mushroom Al Pastor Tacos with Garlic Lime Special Sauce
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Lastly, if you make these Easy Chili Lime Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Chili Lime Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 434 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cold, salted butter, sliced
- steamed rice and naan for serving
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Chili Lime Sauce
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 fresno pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400°.2. In a baking dish, toss together the chicken, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Arrange the butter slices over the chicken. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a sauce pot, warm 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil with onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and chipotle chili powder. Add the fresno pepper or chil flakes to taste. Cook over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat, whisk in the honey and lime juice. Add the cilantro. Season with salt.4. Spoon the sauce over the warm chicken. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh basil and additional sauce.
This post was originally published on March 20, 2025
Super easy and delicious. One of my new favorites to make!
Hey Cassandra,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I am so glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you!
Do you have suggestions to modify the sauce so it’s not spicy. My family has baby mouths
Hi Nance,
Yes, I would reduce the smoke paprika and skip the cayenne. I hope you love this recipe!
Chef’s Kiss!!! I made this for dinner last night and beyond delicious! I used 1/3 honey, chicken thighs and paired it with your amazing coconut rice. I am usually a hater, but this meal was DA BOMB!!! Thank you!!
Love to hear it, Mary! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment! Have the best day!
I have been making one of your recipes nightly this week and I just ordered your cookbook off Amazon yesterday. Huge KUDOS for doing all the heavy lifting and helping me decide what to make for dinner – I BOW DOWN TO YOU!!! Last night, grilled your amazing flank steak kabobs w/peanut sauce and tonight, skillet fajitas with spicy grapefruit margs!!
Aww, thanks so much for your kind message, Mary:) This really means so much to me! xx
I made this tonight. So good!! We spooned that yummy butter sauce over the chicken and rice. I cut down on the honey, I didn’t want it too sweet. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Hey Shawna,
Wonderful!! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it and your comment!
I used chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, substituted ground harrisa for the Fresno pepper, and used ancho chili powder instead of Chipotle chili powder. I tried using only half of the recommended honey, but ended up adding more. I love the tangy flavor! It tastes light (yes, even with all the butter) and is filling!
Hey Kristen,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for your comment and making this recipe, love to hear it was a hit!☀️
This recipe was thoroughly enjoyed by my whole family. I doubled the spices on the chicken because we like intense flavors. I did cut down on the honey by 25% for the sauce. Really delicious, especially garnished with avocado pieces.
Hey Leslie,
Wonderful!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, I appreciate you making it and taking the time to comment! Have the best weekend:)
One of the easiest and most tasty recipes I have made! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Kimberly:) Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have a nice Memorial Day!
Awesome recipe! Hubs said to put it in rotation! I did cut back on the honey a bit (we try to watch our sugar consumption and have gotten use to less sugar). Going to share with family and friends. VERY flavorful used thighs, with rice and sliced avocado. DEFINITELY will make again! Thank you so much! i just found your blog so will check out more recipes!
Thanks so much, Sue:) I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it! xx
Would it be super weird to use parsley instead of cilantro? I’m one of those soapy cilantro folks.
Hi Natalie,
Not at all, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you! xx
How much chili flakes would you recommend if using that as a substitute? Thanks!
Hi Kristen,
I would just use a pinch or more to your liking. I hope you love this recipe! xT