Our quick and easy Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowl is the perfect dinner recipe to make tonight for dinner! Made with tender and juicy chicken, fresh guacamole, a creamy homemade sauce, and all served on a bed of rice. This amazing rice bowl recipe is packed with lots of light and refreshing flavor!
The Best Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowl
Here at The Wooden Skillet we love nothing more than the bright flavors of fresh cilantro and lime juice. Combine those in an easy rice bowl for dinner and we are absolutely in love! We have been making cilantro lime chicken for years, so it was a no-brainer to create a new spin for any easy and healthy weeknight dinner. Perfect for those warm, summer months. Can’t wait for you to try it, we know you are going to be making it again and again!
Looking for More Rice Bowl Recipes?
If you love rice bowls as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Pickle Chicken Rice Bowl!
What You Will Need
- fresh cilantro – one of our all-time favorite fresh herbs that we love growing in the garden or pick some up at your local grocery store.
- olive oil – a great addition to any homemade marinade recipe and a little bit to help thin out the creamy sauce.
- lime juice & lime zest – absolutely love all this fresh acidity to lighten and brighten just about any recipe.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – simple seasonings that are a must when cooking any cut of meat.
- chicken thighs – highly recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can also sub with bone-in chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts.
- Greek yogurt & mayonnaise – combine for the creamy base of the cilantro lime sauce.
- cooked rice – option to use any type of rice – white rice, brown rice, etc.
- guacamole – for years we have been making homemade guacamole but feel free to keep it easy and pick up a store-bought version.
- lime wedges – serve with your bowl for that fresh squeeze of lime juice.
How To Make Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowl
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather the ingredients for the cilantro lime marinade and blend them in a food processor or blender.
Pour the chicken marinade over the chicken thighs in a shallow baking dish or large ziplock bag. Let it sit for about 20-30 minutes.
While the chicken marinates, blend all of the yogurt sauce ingredients in a small food processor.
Now bring your outdoor grill to a medium high heat and clean the grill grates. Pull the chicken thighs out of the marinade and place directly on the hot grill. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side or until their internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees F (use an internal meat thermometer).
Let the meat rest and then build your bowl any way you want!
Best Way To Serve A Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowl
We love serving our chicken rice bowl just as it is written in the recipe card below. Divide the rice between bowls, place the chicken on top, add some guacamole, cilantro, and a generous drizzle of the cilantro lime yogurt sauce! This rice bowl recipe would also be great with some avocado, fresh tomatoes, or a few slices of jalapeño to bring a little kick of heat.
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Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Marinate Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make an amazing Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowl with this easy recipe! Packed with flavor and the most amazing sauce!
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Chicken:
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup extra light olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast thighs
Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce:
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 2–4 tablespoons lime juice
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Other Rice Bowl Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked rice of your choice
- guacamole (store-bought or homemade guacamole)
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade: in a small blender or food processor combine cilantro, olive oil, lime juice and kosher salt. Blend until combined. Place chicken in a glass container or reusable silicone bag and pour marinade over top. Ensure chicken is fully coated. Let marinate for 20-30 minutes, while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce: in a small blender or food processor add the plain Greek yogurt, mayo, light olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, kosher salt and ground black pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and add any additional salt, lime or cilantro – as desired.
- Prep Grill: Bring grill to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F) and ensure grill grates are clean.
- Grill Chicken: Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess liquid drip off. Place chicken thighs directly on the grill grates and season with a little salt and pepper. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side (the bigger/thicker the thigh the longer you will need to cook it), flipping once (and season the other side once you flip with a little more salt and pepper). Remove from grill once the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F (use an instant-read meat thermometer).
- Rest Chicken: Let meat rest 5-10 minutes before serving. After they rest feel free to slice or dice up the chicken.
- Build Bowl: Divide rice between bowls. Top with chicken, guacamole, Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce and a little freshly chopped cilantro. Squeeze some lime juice over top and serve immediately.
Notes
- Chicken Breasts: you can definitely use chicken breast, if that is what you prefer – just adjust the cook time.
- Stove Top: You can cook cast iron chicken thighs on the stovetop, if you don’t have a grill.
- Dairy-Free: to make the sauce dairy-free, I would look for a plain dairy-free yogurt (unflavored, unsweetened) and it should work just fine!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 278
- Sugar: 1.2 g
- Sodium: 195.1 mg
- Fat: 9.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.2 g
- Protein: 17.5 g
- Cholesterol: 47.7 mg
Belle says
I am planning on making this tomorrow. Can you marinate the chicken overnight?
Erin says
Hi Belle – I actually wouldn’t for this one just because of the high acidity of the limes in the marinade. If you marinated the chicken overnight the texture might get a bit weird (because the acidity in the lime would actually start cooking the chicken – like ceviche). Hope that helps!