Barbecue Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe

I made chicken the other day and my meat connoisseur daughter said, "This is the best chicken I've ever had!" I stopped dead in my tracks and asked her if she was serious. With big eyes she asked if she could eat it all. So I dropped what I was doing and tried some myself. She wasn't wrong! This is really good. If you're into chicken and barbecue and lime you'll love this barbecue cilantro lime chicken recipe. 

I don't cook a lot of chicken because I hate dry, bland chicken. If I cook chicken it's usually for enchiladas or tacos so it's shredded and moist. But I usually only bake chicken if I'm out of ideas. I can tell you now, I'll be doing this again and again. And I'll be making homemade margaritas to go with these!

Oh yeah, there's butter in this recipe too. Because butter makes everything better. Of course, you could leave the butter off, if you're trying to cut calories. But I can't guarantee it will still be the best chicken ever. It might be the second best chicken ever. 

The not-so-secret ingredient is the K.C. Masterpiece BBQ Sauce Mix & Dry Rub. But if you can't find that, use your favorite BBQ dry rub. I had never used it before and was pleasantly surprised that it is gluten free so my daughter with Celiac disease could eat this too.

You can use it as a dry rub or mix it with your favorite liquids to make a marinade. I wanted to try bourbon but the only bourbon we had was a bit too good to mix with BBQ rub. And I'm so glad I was forced to go a different way because lime was the answer.

How To Serve Cilantro Lime Chicken:

• Salad: Dice the chicken and add to a salad with shredded cheese and your favorite veggies. You can even add tortilla chip strips.
• Main Dish: Serve with green beans and a side salad to make a full meal. Or consider mashed potatoes.
• Mex-American: Serve with cilantro lime rice, beans and warm tortillas
• In a Dip: Cut up pieces and dip in this hot spinach dip.
• In a Burrito: Use this chicken in my Easy Burrito.

Ingredients:

• KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce Mix & Dry Rub: Or make a homemade BBQ dry rub.
• chicken breasts: Use fresh, or defrosted chicken breasts. If they're very thick, pound them down so they're no more than ¾" thick.
• Lime juice: Fresh lime juice is always preferred!
• Butter: Use salted butter.
• High Heat Oil: I prefer to use avocado oil.
• Fresh Cilantro

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450°.

Step 2: Mix the rub, ¼ cup lime juice and water together. Pour over the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Mix 2 Tbsp. of softened butter, 1 Tbsp. lime, and cilantro together. Place in refrigerator.

Step 4: Place chicken in a lightly greased baking dish and cook in oven. Or use an oven safe skillet.  When chicken is in oven, heat up a large skillet on medium heat (unless you're cooking it in an oven safe skillet). Cook chicken in oven for 15-18 minutes, until chicken is about 155°.

Step 5: Add 1 Tbsp. of butter and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to hot pan. Transfer chicken to hot pan to finish cooking. About 2 minutes on each side. Chicken should be 165°. Transfer to cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Top each breast with a little cilantro lime butter. 

Enjoy the barbecue cilantro lime chicken! There won't be any leftovers!

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