Easy Chili Lime Chicken. – Half Baked Harvest

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!