These honey lime grilled chicken thighs are PERFECT for grilling season! Boneless skinless chicken thighs are marinated with honey, garlic, lots of lime juice & spices then blackened on the grill & served with a sweet honey-lime sauce!
Summer is my favorite time of year! The longer days, the sunshine, the fresh summer produce and of course – it’s grilling season! (Everything tastes better on the grill.😉) And these honey lime grilled chicken thighs are no exception!
They’re sweet, savory, salty – everything you could want in an easy summer meal! The zesty lime juice, sweet honey and smokiness from the barbecue are the perfect trifecta of flavor! And it’s so easy to double or triple this recipe too – making it perfect for summer potlucks! You and your guests are going to LOVE this one!
Ingredients To Make Honey Lime Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for the best results. (They take less time to cook!)
Olive oil: 2 tablespoons of olive oil is needed for your marinade. (We prefer using extra light tasting olive oil.)
Honey: You’ll need a ¼ cup of honey for this recipe. (Most will be used for the marinade and the rest is for the sauce.)
Lime juice: Use fresh lime juice for the best results! You’ll need enough limes to make at least a ¼ cup of juice.
Garlic: You’ll need 3 minced garlic cloves for the marinade.
Cilantro: Use the leaves and stems for maximum flavor!
Spices: Smoked paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper all go in to your marinade!
How To Grill Honey Lime Chicken Thighs
1. Marinate your chicken thighs. Whisk your marinade ingredients together in a large bowl until fully combined. Then add your chicken thighs, cover and allow them to marinate for 2 hours – overnight.
2. Make your honey-lime sauce. While the chicken is marinates, whisk your remaining honey, lime juice and cilantro together and set it aside.
3. Grill. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates to prevent sticking. Once it’s hot, add your chicken thighs directly to the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes per side.
4. Serve! Once your chicken thighs are slightly charred and cooked through (with an internal temperature of 165 degrees), remove them from the grill and serve immediately with your honey-lime sauce drizzled over the top.
We love serving these grilled chicken thighs for summer bbq’s and cookouts! Our guests always love their sweet and savory flavor that pairs so well with their favorite bbq side dishes!
Serving Suggestions
Speaking of sides – you HAVE to try this chicken recipe with some of our favorite summer side dishes (listed below)! OR serve them with your favorite sides instead – think fruity salads, zesty potatoes or jazzed up white rice to play off the chicken’s sweet and salty notes!
- Mexican Street Corn Kale Salad
- Grilled Asparagus Salad with Feta
- Summer Corn Salad with Avocado
- Crispy Chili Smashed Potatoes
- Black Bean Mango Avocado Salad
FAQ’s
- Can I use chicken breast instead? Absolutely! Chicken beasts will need a little longer to cook since they’re thicker than chicken thighs.
- How long should I marinate my chicken thighs? The longer they marinate – the better! (And more flavorful they’ll become too!😉) We prefer marinating ours for most of the day, if not overnight. (I’ll usually prepare the chicken in the morning and grill them later that night.)
- I don’t have smoked paprika! What else can I use? Regular paprika will work too! Smoked paprika helps to accentuate the smokiness from the grill but it’s not a necessity.
Why you’ll love this grilled chicken recipe!
- An easy summer dinner! Grilling & summer go hand in hand! AND it takes wayy less time than baking the chicken or pan searing them!
- Full of flavor! Sweet, salty & savory! You’re going to love the complexity of flavor in this chicken dish!
- Perfect for grilling beginners! Chicken thighs are much more forgiving when it comes to potentially overcooking them – making this recipe perfect for the beginning griller! It’s simple, straight-forward & so easy!
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Honey Lime Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
For the grilled chicken:
- 2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the honey-lime sauce:
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the marinade: Mix your lime juice, honey, garlic, olive oil, cilantro, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add your chicken thighs, cover and marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
- Make the sauce: While the chicken cooks, mix your sauce ingredients together.
- Grill the chicken: Preheat your grill to medium high heat and oil the grill grates to prevent sticking.Once hot, remove your chicken thighs from the marinade and place them direct on the grill. Cook for 5-6 minutes per side (or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the chicken thighs).
- To serve: Serve your chicken immediately with your honey-lime sauce drizzled over the top.
So good! We made this tonight and the family loved it. I used boneless chicken thighs and blended the sauce to make it a little smoother. We will be having this again!!
Hi Heather! Yayyy, I’m so glad it was a hit! And genius idea to blend the sauce too! 🙂
Saw this recipe and going to try it out with your poppy seed fruit salad for the 4th July!
Thank you for many awesome recipes!! JB
Hi Jerry! Oh yay, I hope you enjoyed them! 🙂
Question can I bake them in the oven? Thanks! Beautiful recipe
Hi Natalie! Thank you so much. Yes you can! We bake ours at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes.😊 I hope this helps!
made tonight and it was delicious.
Hi Bridie! Yay, I’m so happy it was a hit! 🙂
This is a keeper!! Beautiful flavors. Served with cilantro lime rice and a Mexican corn salad.
Hi Lorri! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 Those side dishes sound amazing!
Just doubled this and it was awesome! Definitely a keeper!
Can this recipe be made in the oven instead of grilling ?
Absolutely! You can bake them at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes. 🙂
Love this recipe delicious
So happy you enjoyes it Yessenia! 🙂
Delicious – family loved it!
Yayy! So happy you all loved it! 🙂
I thought citrus marinades slowly “cook” raw meat if marinated for more than 4 hours (?) Or is that only regarding raw fish? This looks good. Hope to try it soon
Totally understandable! (You’re right too, that’s how traditional ceviche is made.😉) However, because there’s oil in this marinade – it keeps the citrus from “cooking” the chicken and helps infuse it with flavor and spices. I hope this helps! 🙂 Definitely let me know if you give it a try!