Flavorful and easy Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos adorned with zesty coleslaw and homemade avocado crema create the ideal SIMPLE summer dish! Bursting with fresh flavors and nutritious ingredients!
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Let’s talk about grilling season! When summer comes to mind, I instantly envision barbecues, pool get-togethers, and lighting up the grill, and these cilantro lime chicken tacos are a fantastic, tasty recipe to enjoy with your loved ones this season. With all these vibrant colors and fresh flavors, I assure your friends will be grateful! Just don’t forget to mix in a margarita or two.
Why You’ll Adore this Recipe
- Quick, healthy, and flavorful meal that can be prepared in less than 30 minutes!
- The cilantro lime marinade is AMAZING and brings so much taste to these tacos.
- You’ll also appreciate the rich avocado crema and tangy coleslaw, but feel free to add any toppings you prefer!
Ingredients You Will Require
- chicken – for this recipe, you’ll need 1 1/2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
- olive oil – this is used to coat your shrimp and vegetables; I prefer using good-quality olive oil, which doesn’t have to be pricey, just ensure it’s cold-pressed and organic for the best flavor.
- limes – fresh lime juice and zest are necessary for this marinade. Lime gives such a refreshing taste to the tacos; just ensure to use fresh lime juice and not the bottled version.
- honey – provides a touch of sweetness and helps balance the tangy flavors; you could also use maple syrup or another natural sweetener.
- garlic – fresh garlic tastes best, but you can substitute one teaspoon of garlic powder if that’s what you have available.
- cilantro – contributes a fresh and tasty flavor to the marinade.
- tortillas – I used flour tortillas for these tacos, but corn tortillas can be used for a gluten-free option or your favorite kind of tortilla.
- toppings – we’re topping these delightful tacos with a creamy avocado crema and zesty coleslaw (recipes linked below!), but you could also include fresh pico de gallo, guacamole, crumbled cotija cheese, or extra fresh cilantro.
The creamy avocado crema is one of my go-to recipes featured in this salad here. It’s one of my favorite dressings and pairs beautifully on these tacos! I added a bit more hot sauce than usual because I wanted these tacos to have a significant kick, but you can add as much or as little as you wish.
How to Prepare Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
- Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, garlic, honey, and cilantro until mixed well.
- Marinate the chicken. Put chicken in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade on top, ensuring the chicken is entirely coated. Seal and marinate for about 4 hours to overnight.
- Prepare the coleslaw. While the chicken is marinating, mix cabbage, carrots, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk lime juice, olive oil, honey, and salt together and combine it with the slaw.
- Prepare the avocado crema. In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend the avocado, garlic, cilantro, yogurt (or sour cream), lime juice, sriracha, and salt/pepper until smooth. While blending, gradually add olive oil and water until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Grill the chicken. Preheat your outdoor grill or grill pan on medium heat and add the marinated chicken. Lightly sprinkle salt and grill for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the juices run clear. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This keeps the chicken juicy!
- Assemble the tacos. Slice or shred the chicken and serve with tortillas, coleslaw, avocado crema, along with your favorite toppings.
Why You’ll Appreciate this Coleslaw
Now let’s discuss this incredibly easy coleslaw! It’s crunchy, full of flavor, and adds stunning color to the tacos, making it essential for this recipe. If you’re in search of a creamy slaw, this may not suit your taste, but I kept it much healthier by simply tossing it with olive oil, lime juice, and zest along with a hint of honey, allowing these flavors to blend just before serving. Simple, easy, and tasty! This is also my go-to slaw for topping burgers and sandwiches or even mixing into salads for added crunch.
How to Serve
These cilantro lime chicken tacos are delightful on their own, but here are some of my favored sides (and cocktails) I enjoy serving with them, especially when entertaining guests!
How to Store Leftovers
Keep any leftover chicken in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Any leftover toppings should be stored separately in containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat chicken in a skillet on the stove or microwave until warm.
More Taco Recipes
More Mexican Dishes
I hope you all love these Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos! If you enjoy this recipe as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I adore seeing all your delightful recreations!
For the marinade:
For the coleslaw:
For the avocado crema:
Place chicken in a large ziplock bag or a dish.
To create the marinade, whisk lime juice, zest, olive oil, garlic, honey, and cilantro until well mixed, and pour over chicken until it’s thoroughly coated. Cover and marinate for around 4 hours to overnight.
For the coleslaw, mix together cabbage, carrots, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk lime juice, olive oil, honey, and salt, then combine it with the slaw mixture.
To make the avocado crema, blend the avocado, garlic, cilantro, yogurt, lime juice, sriracha, and salt/pepper in a food processor until mixed well. While the motor is running, slowly incorporate olive oil and water until smooth to achieve your desired consistency.
For grilling, preheat your outdoor grill or grill pan on medium-high heat and add the marinated chicken breasts. Lightly sprinkle with salt and grill for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until the juices run clear. Move chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This helps retain juiciness!
To put the tacos together, place chicken in a tortilla and add slaw along with a drizzle of the avocado crema. Serve with a fresh squeeze of lime and enjoy!
Serving: 2tacos | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.8g | Protein: 31.8g | Fat: 20.4g | Saturated Fat: 5.5g | Sodium: 1.182mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 4.3g
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should only be considered as an estimation.