This grilled honey lime chicken recipe is my favorite way to get out of a chicken breast rut! Flavorful and juicy, thanks to a simple 5-ingredient honey lime chicken marinade...
Lime And Honey Chicken Recipe
It's that time of year when everyone is looking to eat a little healthier. I know I ate more than my fill of sweets over the holiday season!
It's pretty common knowledge now that including a moderate serving of lean proteins, like chicken breasts, in your meal is a great way to keep your calorie count low, while still keeping your belly full. But let's face it, chicken can get a little boring...
My mom sent me this honey lime chicken recipe several months ago, but it got buried in my inbox and I forgot all about it. She reminded me of it again the other day, so I took a second look and was excited to see that I already had all of the ingredients on hand.
Lime and honey chicken seems like an unusual pairing, but wow, does it ever perk up your chicken and turn it into something special. Mom was right - this is a recipe worth sharing!
Honey Lime Chicken Marinade Ingredients
This honey lime chicken marinade uses just five simple ingredients:
- 🫒 Olive oil: Use a quality extra virgin olive oil for best results.
- Soy sauce: This gives the marinade an umami, meaty flavor.
- 🍋🟩 Lime juice: This brightens the marinade and tenderizes the chicken. I used bottled lime juice for simplicity, but fresh squeezed lime juice is even better. If you go the fresh route, I highly recommend tossing in the zest, as well!
- 🍯 Honey: This balances the soy sauce and lime juice, while also encouraging better browning.
- 🧄 Garlic cloves: Crushed fresh garlic cloves add depth of flavor.
NOTE: Find quantities and detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
After whisking all of the marinade ingredients together, I sliced up my chicken breasts so the marinade could cover more surface area. Then I transferred the sliced chicken to a large Ziploc bag, poured the marinade over top, and put it in the fridge to marinate for about four hours.
This was super simple to throw together at lunch time, and it was ready to grill when the kids got home from school.
Slicing the chicken breasts makes the grilling process much faster - about five minutes per side was all that was necessary.
It also makes serving the chicken super easy. I give a couple slices to my youngest, adding a few more for my bigger eaters.
Side Dishes For Chicken With Lime and Honey
Add a veggie side to this grilled honey lime chicken and you've got a delicious and filling, easy weeknight meal that will appeal to the whole family!
I added some fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro to this delicious coconut milk rice and served our honey lime chicken over top.
Some more healthy veggie sides to consider:
Printable Recipe ↓
Honey Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - whole or sliced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove - crushed
Instructions
- Add soy sauce, lime juice, olive oil, honey, and garlic to a small bowl in that order (the olive oil will help the honey slide right out of the spoon). Whisk together thoroughly.
- Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag and pour the marinade in. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. I prefer to do it for about four hours.
- After marinating, grill chicken over high heat for about five minutes per side for slices or seven minutes per side for whole breasts, until cooked through.
More Grilling Recipes
If you like this honey lime chicken recipe, you might also enjoy these other delicious grilling recipes:
- BBQ Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Chicken Marinade
- Garlic Lime Grilled Pork Kabob Recipe
- Chicken In Foil on the Grill
Did you make this recipe?
I'd love to see how your grilled chicken with lime and honey turns out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
Cedric says
A recipe I would make again. Quick, good flavor,and pairs well with multiple sides.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Sarah says
This is soo easy to make! love it
Jesalyn says
This has become our favorite chicken recipe! It's so delicious and easy to prepare. I make it every time we have company in town and it always receives rave reviews.
Rita says
I made this this afternoon and it was delicious! I wasn't able to grill it, so I just sautéed it in some coconut oil, SO yummy. I tried to bake the other half of my batch and I wish I had looked at the comments before I made it, because I put it on for 20 minutes at 450 - 15 minutes would have been perfect, I ended up charring them a bit. Next time I make this (and there WILL be a next time!) I will try baking it for 15 minutes. Thank you for posting this recipe!
CLP says
I was sent to this site looking for a marinade to pair with chicken salad. Would this work if the chicken is Baked rather the Grilled? I might not put it in the salad but I am thinking about trying the rice recipe.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Yes, you can definitely bake them! I think about 15 minutes at 450 degrees should do it if you cut them into chunks and 20 minutes at 450 for whole breasts. Of course, test them to make sure the juices run clear.
Ericca says
Thats the same question I was going to ask whether or not In could bake the chicken.
Claire says
Is this using dark soy sauce or light? I only have dark
Thanks
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Either is fine, but dark is usually what I have on hand.
Chrissy says
Instead of lime juice, could you use lemon juice?
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Sure, I think lemon juice would be a great substitution!
Michelle says
Although it was good, all we could taste was soy sauce. Not what we were expecting. Didn't even taste a hint of honey or lime.
Tiffany says
Love this recipe! Just to get even more flavor in the chicken, I poked holes in the chicken about 2 times on each one with a fork before marinating! Lots of flavor!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Great tip — thanks for sharing, Tiffany!
Beth Lambert says
This looks so yummy and good. Since I am trying to eat healthier, I am going to make this tonight on my nu-wave grill, since it is raining. But, I don't have soy sauce, so substituting worcestershire sauce instead. Hoping it still comes out almost as good as everyone elses. Thanks for the recipe Tara!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
How did it turn out with the worcestershire sauce, Beth?
Kelly says
i just made this for dinner tonight and it is DELICIOUS! seriously good. and it's super easy! :-) i also grilled sliced zucchini (i tossed them in some olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little bit of lime juice) to go with it.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Glad you liked it, Kelly! Grilled zucchini is one of my favorite easy summer sides — sounds delicious.
aimee @ like mother like daughter says
oh my gosh, this looks so yummy! what kind of rice did you serve with it? cilantro lime?
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Yep, I just threw together a cilantro lime rice. I don't really have a recipe for it, but I described how to make it in the post. They're delicious together!
Jennifer (Savor) says
Another great chicken recipe to add to our family repertoire!
Rachel - A Southern Fairytale says
Definitely one of my favorite kinds of marinades! I use lime and honey and garlic and soy together a lot!
Delicious, Tara! And Gorgeous pics!
Kat says
I had all these ingredients, and it's been marinating for a day! But I had bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs... do you think it would be good in the croc-pot? or should I just bake and Broil?
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
I like it grilled because the marinade will caramelize a little bit over the heat, but I'd imagine it would be very good in the crockpot, as well.
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
Love these flavors, this would be perfect for weeknights!
Angie says
This looks so good! We use our grill year round too!
Cassie says
I love the lime juice here! these flavors are some of my favorites. I love this Tara!
Paula - bell'alimento says
That is one gorgeous chicken dish.
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
I love honey lime chicken! This sounds so easy!
Amanda says
That looks SOOOOOO good! I can almost taste it. And I really want to taste it right now!! Better hit the store. :)
Rick | Sushi Recipes says
Very simple, and looks delicious. Thanks for the recipe, I'm trying it tonight !
Robyn | Add a Pinch says
Love honey chicken and this looks amazing, Tara. I'm craving this for lunch!