This cilantro lime chicken simmers in a creamy flavor-packed sauce and comes together in just one pan and in around 40 minutes from start to finish. This easy chicken dinner recipe is a favorite in my home—and many readers’ homes too—all year round!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and more helpful success tips. And based on reader feedback, increased the amount of creamy sauce! 😉
While I enjoy baking desserts the most, dinner is an everyday adventure. And if you’re like me, you’re constantly searching for quick and easy dinner recipes. Well, you’ve come to the right place! This is my one-pan creamy cilantro lime chicken, a consistent crowd favorite.
One reader, Marci, commented: “Thank you for this recipe. My family has been obsessed for months; we have it at least once a week and I recommend it to everyone. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Rose, commented: “Omg what a flavor bomb!!! This was absolutely delicious!! … Wish I made a double batch, but will be making again and again!! ★★★★★“
And another reader, Allison, commented: “STAPLE DINNER in our house and a GREAT thing to serve to guests! Everyone LOVES this ★★★★★“
Today I’m going to show you that one skillet is all it takes to transform chicken into something you and your family will love. The process is a lot like my skillet apple cider chicken and this creamy lemon thyme chicken. Pan-sear the chicken on the stove, make a flavorful cilantro lime pan sauce, then bake the chicken in the sauce to finish.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Quick and easy 1-pan meal
- Extra tender, juicy chicken
- Creamy, buttery, zesty sauce tastes amazing on rice and vegetables, too!
- Undeniably crowd pleasing, so you’ll want to make it again and again
Grab These Ingredients
- Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Pound them down to even thickness. You could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead if desired.
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Broth
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Onion: Yellow, white, or red—chef’s choice!
- Cilantro
- Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a bit of heat, but feel free to reduce or increase the amount to your liking.
- Heavy Cream: Just enough to make the sauce taste creamy and rich. See below for a dairy-free alternative.
- Butter: Adds so much delicious flavor!
Start the Chicken, Then Make the Pan Sauce
The process is the same as my lemon thyme chicken and creamy garlic chicken and vegetables, so if you’ve made either of those before you know how easy it is!
Cook the chicken in a large oven-proof skillet until both sides are browned—the chicken will cook again in the oven so if the centers aren’t cooked all the way through yet, that’s fine. Remove the chicken temporarily and set it aside.
If you’re in the market for a new skillet, I own and love this one.
Now, using the same skillet, make the pan sauce. The juices left behind by the chicken are key for flavor, so don’t clean the skillet before making the sauce!
Simmer the pan sauce until it has reduced and thickened.
Add the chicken back to the skillet:
Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through. Garnish the saucy chicken with extra cilantro (flavor! flavor!) and a squeeze of lime. Serve with rice and veggies, and smother them with the sauce, too!
Yes! Use full-fat canned coconut cream instead of heavy cream and coconut oil instead of butter for a dairy-free version with a delicious coconut-y twist.
No problem! After you cook the chicken and sauce on the stove, you can transfer both to a baking dish.
Yes, you can use chicken thighs instead if you prefer. No changes necessary!
Yes! The recipe below reflects an almost-doubled portion of the sauce. Before 2025, it made only about half as much, but now there’s plenty to generously coat the chicken and spoon over any sides you’re serving.
Yes, and this 10.25-inch cast iron skillet is a good size. This particular skillet is a workhorse and I use it for nearly everything from bruschetta chicken and walnut crusted chicken to honey skillet cornbread, too.
What to Serve With Cilantro Lime Chicken
We enjoy this chicken with a side of rice and a green vegetable like roasted broccoli (and the cilantro lime sauce poured over everything, of course!), but here are a few more suggestions for tasty pairings:
- Cornbread or cornbread muffins
- Soft dinner rolls or honey whole wheat dinner rolls
- Roasted or steamed asparagus, green beans, or Brussels sprouts
- Mashed or roasted potatoes
- Zucchini fritters or corn fritters
Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This cilantro lime chicken simmers in a creamy flavor-packed sauce and comes together in only 1 pan!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds (24 ounces/680g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) chicken broth (I recommend reduced sodium)
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup (60g) chopped red onion
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2–1 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
- 1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons/80ml) heavy cream*
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons/56g) unsalted butter
- optional: lime wedges and more cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- If the chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound them down so they’re all even. This way all the breasts will cook through simultaneously. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6–7 minutes, turning once. You want the chicken nice and browned on the outside. (It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through yet.) Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil until step 5.
- Remove skillet from heat and add the broth, lime juice, onion, cilantro, and red pepper flakes. Return to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the cream and butter. Stir until butter has melted, then remove from heat.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet, turning once to coat both sides in the sauce. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake uncovered until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 5–10 minutes (internal temperature should be at least 165°F (74°C)).
- Serve chicken with sauce spooned on top, and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro, if desired.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. You can reheat on the stove over medium heat, in the microwave, or in the oven.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Meat Tenderizer | Large Oven-Proof Skillet (I own and love this one) | Tongs | Citrus Juicer | Instant-Read Thermometer
- Red Pepper Flakes: Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your liking. This amount made the chicken mildly spicy. The cream in the sauce mellows out the spice.
- Heavy Cream: You can use whole milk or half-and-half instead, but for the thickest, richest sauce I highly recommend heavy cream. If using whole milk, make sure it is at room temperature to help prevent curdling.
- Dairy-Free: Use coconut cream instead of heavy cream and coconut oil instead of butter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast + 1/4 of the sauce
- Calories: 396
- Sugar: 1.5 g
- Sodium: 254.4 mg
- Fat: 23.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.3 g
- Protein: 40.8 g
- Cholesterol: 165.9 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
Good but did not look like the photo. I will make again but will only reduce sauce to a little less than 1/2 cup and then finish off with cream/butter.
I made this chicken for dinner tonight and followed recipe exactly. It was very, very good. Will be definitely making again.
I normally slice the cutlets in half lengthwise and then pound to make sure they are nice and thin. If I saute them until done, would there be any reason for me to add the sauce and put them in the oven? Thanks.
Hi Lois, if the chicken is cooked through at that point, you could add it to the sauce and skip the oven step if desired.
When I see a recipe with ‘Sally’ on it, I know for certain it will be delicious. That’s is comforting to know that the ‘Sally’ recipes can be counted on every single time. And I highly recommend her book “Baking Addiction”. I get wonderful comments from everything I make from that book.
Same Linda, same 🙂
I added garlic and ground cilantro and gently fried with the onion before adding the stock as seemed it might be a bit bland for my tastes. Main change I mad though was to substitute coconut cream aside did not have cream on hand and these flavours are often served with coconut. OMG delicious!!
Omg what a flavor bomb!!! This was absolutely delicious!! My chicken was not dry at all, you just have to watch it and adjust your times accordingly. Only thing i added was some fresh garlic. Wish I made a double batch, but will be making again and again!!
I haven’t made this recipe exactly as written so I can’t truly give it a rating. However, the version I made was a 5+ stars! I seasoned the chicken with a mix of chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I didn’t think seasoning the chicken with just salt and pepper as the recipe stated would be flavorful enough. I am glad I followed my instincts. With the taco seasoned chicken, this had such a wonderful depth of flavor! My husband gave it a 10/10 and my boys loved it as well. I also cooked the chicken through in the skillet and skipped the extra step of baking it as I found that to be unnecessary. The chicken was juicy and so tasty! I served it with cilantro lime rice and guacamole. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the inspiration.
Flavorless. No “flavor punch” whatsoever! Chicken breast was very dry. Sauce was not creamy. I feel bad for the chicken’s life to have to end up in that dish.
Hi Aimee, thanks so much for giving this recipe a try. It sounds like your chicken may have been a bit overcooked if it came out dry. Baking/cooking time can vary a bit based on the exact size of your chicken pieces. Regardless, we appreciate you trying this one and reporting back!
I have made this recipe several times – it’s absolutely delicious!
Excellent recipe. Love, love, love!
Is there any reason I can’t cut the chicken breasts into pieces and brown those? Would it still need a stint in the oven if done that way?
Hi Linda, the additional time in the oven helps ensure the chicken is completely cooked through. If your smaller chicken pieces are cooked completely through on the skillet, you can skip that step.
Awesome recipe! This came out great
The taste was awesome! Why the chicken was dry?
Hi Gloria! The chicken will be dry if over-cooked. The exact cooking time for the chicken will depend on how thick your pieces are and how hot your stove is. Glad you enjoyed it!
Have made this numerous times for lots of different people and they all love it. My son just called me last week and asked for the recipe!!!
This was so good! I did use thighs instead of breasts, and basil instead of cilantro. Because my husband is very picky! But he loved as well! Served with mashed potatoes and broccoli and cauliflower. Delicious
This recipe is amazing. It is packed with flavor, and I recommend a serving it with cilantro, lime rice. Thank you so much for this recipe!
This was so delicious! I made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and I added a can of chopped green chiles for some extra flavor. Served with rice to soak up the sauce. I’ll definitely make this again.
Making this for company dinner, tonight. 1. Can i make it up Of course bring to room temperature before baking it in the oven and do that step after my guests arrive. 2. Or complete the recipe in the afternoon, bring back to room temperature and re-heat?
Love your recipe’s, comment and your responses.
Hi Kathryn, your best bet is the second option — to make the dish completely and then reheat when your guests arrive. Hope it’s a hit!
Loved this recipe! Quick and Easy to prepare so great for a weeknight meal. After I browned the chicken breasts I set them on a plate and covered with foil. Then in the same pan, I tossed in gnocchi and continued to brown those. Once browned I placed them with the plated chicken breasts and continued on with the recipe instruction. I did go easy on the lime juice to start but added it all in once I tasted the sauce. So delicious!!!!!
Yum, yum, yum! The only thing I’ll do differently next time is make more finger-licking sauce!!!!
Hi! I’ve made this recipe some years ago but my family and I we have been craving it lately. Last time I made it I don’t think I’ve put it back in the oven since my skillets can’t go inside an oven (due the the pan’s handle that’s bakelite). I have been meaning to purchase a skillet that can go in the oven but I’m unsure of the size to be able to make this recipe or others for a family of four. Could you recommend a size? Thanks in advance!
Hi Romina! Any larger sized skillet will work — we usually use an 11-12 inch skillet in our skillet recipes to ensure there is enough room for the chicken to fit.
Hi Sally
If I reduce the sauce to 1/4 cup
Will there be enough sauce ?
In the photo it looks like more than a 1/4 of a cup
Looks delicious and I am anxious to try it
Hi Sheila, it is enough, but feel free to make more if you think it won’t be enough for you!
My husband is on a restricted sodium diet, out of necessity. Do you know the sodium count for one serving. It looks delicious, and I would love to try it.
Hi Susan, we don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can I use a rotisserie chicken? Could you serve it with noodles or rice?
Thank you
Hi Denise! You could make the sauce and pour it over rotisserie chicken and rice/noodles – we haven’t tried it that way. Let us know how it goes!
We loved this recipe! It was easy to make and tasted so good. We had it with roasted potatoes and corn and the sauce was delicious on everything!
I see red onion in the photo. So, it’s a red onion that the recipe calls for?
We make this dish with yellow, white, or red– any will do just fine.
I’m a little confused as to when the skillet is in the oven and when it’s on the stove top. I’m assuming the 2 times it has chicken in it, these are the oven times?? Thank you!
Hi Susan, the chicken is in the skillet on the stove in step 3, the sauce is made in the skillet on the stove in step 4, and then the chicken is added back to the skilled and baked in the oven in step 5. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Question please, I love lime and chicken but not a cilantro fan. Any suggestions for a substitution?
Other readers have substituted with basil, parsley, or another favorite herb. You might enjoy this lemon thyme chicken instead. Let us know what you try!
I’m a lactose free person so no cream. I’ll use full lactose free milk instead unless you have a suggestion.
Hi Carolyn, you might also try coconut oil and coconut cream. Let us know how it goes!
Have you tried Oatmilk? It’s creamy and I use it regularly..
I adapted this to my Whole30 diet – one of the best recipes!!!
– Sub avocado oil for the olive oil
– sub coconut cream for the heavy cream (you will never go back!!)
-sub ghee for the butter (you will only need about half)
FANTASTIC!
Coconut cream?! I’ve made this recipe for years and never thought about substituting that. I will have to give it a try!
Try using 1 tin of cream of mushroom soup for the sauce and adding your seasonings and thinning it a bit with the broth