This dish literally only needs cilantro, lime and chicken. I make it fancy by adding some garlic, cumin and olive oil. But I suspect that if you really only use cilantro, lime and chicken, this dish would still turn out wonderful.
Also super cheap and perfect for the budget while maintaining to be really tasty, flavorful and I would say healthy! You can use bone in chicken thighs or breast but I prefer boneless skinless. Dark meat in chicken is easier to infuse with flavor than the white meat so I always use dark meat for this kind of recipe. But if you want to go super lean, than use some breast.
You can also use the grill to grill them instead of pan fried, but I live in a shoe box apartment in NYC, I am already privilege to have a functioning kitchen! Either way the chicken is so flavorful, you eat this weekly.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic -minced
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 limes -zested, wedged, divided
1/2 cup fresh cilantro -chopped, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs
Instructions:
- To make the marinade, combine the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Add the lime zest and squeeze the juice of one lime.
- Add half of the chopped cilantro to the bowl then whisk to combine.
- Place the chicken thighs in a shallow dish. Add the marinade and toss the chicken to coat.
- Allow the chicken to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or refrigerated overnight, turning it once or twice as it marinates.
- When the chicken is done marinating, in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned and well done, about 5-7 minutes on each side.
- Add extra olive oil to the pan if the chicken is too dry.
- Top the cooked chicken with more fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- Serve with any extra lime wedges. Enjoy!