Cilantro Lime Chicken with Charred Corn Salsa

This vibrant cilantro lime chicken with charred corn salsa brings bold flavors to your dinner table. Tender, herb-marinated chicken meets smoky charred corn in this fresh and flavorful dish.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Chicken: We're using halved chicken breasts in order for the flavors to soak in quicker. You can use 2 whole chicken breasts, but I suggest marinating for double the time. Feel free to also use chicken thighs.
• Cilantro: Provides a distinctive citrusy, slightly peppery flavor.
• Lime: Provides essential acidity that tenderizes the chicken. Its bright, tart flavor also balances the spices.
• Corn: When charred, corn develops a caramelized sweetness and subtle smokiness. If corn isn't in season, you can use frozen.
• Snap peas: Add fresh, crisp contrast to the dish. They provide a bright green color and a sweet, vegetal flavor that complements the corn without competing with it.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: Try this recipe with shrimp, salmon, or beef kebabs, adjusting the time for the marinade and cook time accordingly.
• Spicy: Add jalapenos to the salsa or cayenne to the chicken marinade for a spicy kick.
• Toppings: Feel free to add extra toppings such as fresh avocado, guacamole, thinly sliced radish, or fresh scallions.

Recipe

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Cilantro Lime Chicken with Charred Corn Salsa

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Cilantro lime chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halved
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup olive oil
• juice of 2 limes
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Corn salsa

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 ears corn shucked
• ½ cup chopped snap peas
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Prepare the marinade for the chicken. Combine cilantro, oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt, coriander, and pepper in a medium bowl. Reserve half of the sauce and set aside. Pour the remaining half over the chicken, tossing to coat. Let sit for 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the corn salsa. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels and saute until slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Add the snap peas and saute 1-2 more minutes or until charred. Remove from heat and let cool. Toss with tomatoes, red onion, and reserved sauce. Season with salt and pepper and let sit.
• Heat grill to medium heat.
• Cook the chicken on the grill until deep grill marks form, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook on the other side until the chicken is fully cooked, another 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with the corn salsa.

Notes

You can prepare the corn salsa the day before.

You can also cook the chicken on the stovetop or in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15-18 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Marinate chicken

When you look at the time for this recipe, it reads "1 hour and 20 minutes" total cooking time, but in actuality, 1 hour of that is for marinating the chicken. So really, what's stopping you from making this delicious meal?

The cilantro lime chicken is really just that, with a touch of cumin, coriander, and garlic for added goodness. The sauce is so good that we're using half of it to season the salsa and the other half to season the chicken.

We're using halved chicken breasts to cut down on the marinating time and the cooking time. Since the breasts are thinner, they will soak up the marinade quicker. However, you can use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs, or whole chicken breasts.

If you do choose to use bone-in or whole, I recommend marinating for double the time. Make sure also to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Step 2: Prepare salsa

While the chicken is getting nice and flavorful, make the salsa. There's just something about charred corn that makes it so darn tasty. The slight char with the sweet corn kernels makes it my favorite way to eat corn. Just a quick tip: salt the corn after it's done cooking. The salt draws out the water, which is what makes the corn sweet, so season after!

Sear the snap peas with the corn and let them cool. If you're not a fan of snap peas, you can omit them.

Once cooled, combine the sauteed vegetables with chopped tomatoes, red onion, and that delicious reserved sauce. Depending on how much you saved for the salsa, you may need to adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Feel free to prepare the salsa the day before.

Step 3: Cook chicken

By now, the chicken should be ready to cook. You can cook the chicken on the grill, saute pan, or even in the oven, but preparing it on the grill just seemed the most appropriate since it is summertime.

Heat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat and cook the chicken until deep grill marks appear and the juices run clear. To make sure the chicken is done, check the internal temperature. It should register 165 degrees F.

Let the chicken rest 5 minutes after it is done to let the juices permeate, and then serve with the salsa.

This cilantro lime chicken with charred corn salsa is one of those simple but delicious meals. Don't tell, but I like to make extra salsa and eat it by the spoonful.

For more delicious grilled chicken recipes, check out this herby yogurt grilled chicken!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can prepare the corn salsa the day before and make the marinade ahead of time.
• Store: Cooked chicken and corn salsa will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Store them separately for the best quality.

Frequently asked questions

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