Spiced Honey Lime Grilled Chicken have just the right amount of sweetness and spice. Grill these for your BBQ or 4th of July party and let your guests enjoy just the right amount of moistness on the inside and crispy grilled skin.
Grilling season is in full swing and 4th of July is fast approaching.
Today’s recipe for Spiced Honey Lime Grilled Chicken is one of our favorite go-to grilling recipes.
The marinade on this chicken is one of my favorites. It mixes sweet and spicy flavors for the perfect pairing on the chicken. In the summer we love to pair this with a Summer Orzo Pasta Salad and these Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables. I suggest marinading the chicken for at least 2 hours to really infuse the flavors in the chicken. When it is grilled it creates a tender, juicy piece of chicken every time!
Why You Will Love This Spiced Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
- Easy to Prepare: This chicken is so easy to prepare. You just mix up the marinade, let the chicken set in the marinade for a bit and then grill the chicken. It really couldn’t be easier!
- Great for Meal-Prep: If you like to meal-prep this is a nice recipe to add to the line-up. You can even make a double batch of chicken and have leftovers for the week for salads, rice bowls and tacos.
- Perfect Pairing of Flavors: The pairing of the sweet honey, lime juice and spices work so nicely together. The crushed red pepper adds a touch of heat against the sweet honey which is nice!
If you like this chicken recipe, check out this Tandoori Chicken, Grilled Chicken Thighs with Greek Marinade, Grilled Huli Huli Chicken or this Margarita Grilled Chicken.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken: I like this marinade with chicken breasts because I find they are juiciest when grilling. You can also use chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins but make sure to adjust your time based on the size of the chicken.
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil or olive oil works in this marinade recipe. I do like avocado oil because it works well at the high heat point of the grill.
- Honey: The sweet honey adds great flavor alongside the spices in this recipe and the citrus. If you like extra spice try adding hot honey.
- Limes: Citrus, like lime juice, helps tenderize the chicken. It also works nicely to balance the honey and spices.
- Spices: The spices that I used in this marinade are chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, onion salt and crushed red pepper.
How Do You Make this Spiced Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
Step 1: Create Marinade: In a medium mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients to create the marinade. In a large ziplock bag place the chicken. Pour the marinade over the chicken into the Ziploc bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken until well coated.
Step 2: Marinade for Two Hours: Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is ideal.
Step 3: Grill the Chicken: Grill the chicken breasts, brushing the leftover marinade over the chicken breasts as it cooks. You need to reach an internal temperature on 165 degrees F. (74 degrees C.). Check all the pieces of chicken to be certain that they are cooked.
Once done remove from the grill and cover and allow to rest for about 5 minutes then serve. Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQ
You will want to se a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) for safe consumption. Remove the chicken from the grill at around 160°F (71°C), as it will continue to cook while resting.
Letting the chicken rest helps to redistribute the juices, keeping it moist. I suggest letting the chicken rest for 5 minutes after grilling.
A good marinade typically has four components: fat, acid, salt and flavor boosters like garlic, ginger, herbs and spices.
I find that the two hour mark is a good amount of time for marinading chicken. If you are using citrus avoid marinating for too long, as it can break down the proteins too much and makes the chicken mushy.
Basting your chicken while it is grilling can add more flavor into the chicken. Set aside a small amount of the marinade to do this. While the chicken grills you can use a brush to baste the chicken with more marinade. Never reuse marinade that’s been in contact with raw chicken unless you boil it first to kill bacteria.
Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
If you enjoy grilling chicken, try one of these recipes!
- Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs
- Lemon Chicken Kabobs
- Yogurt Marinated Chicken
- Greek Marinated Chicken
- Chicken Souvlaki
- Grilled Mediterranean Wings
Spiced Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 limes,, juiced
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
- In a large ziplock bag place the chicken.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients to create the marinade. Pour the marinade over the chicken into the Ziploc bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken until well coated.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is ideal.
- Grill the chicken breasts, brushing the leftover marinade over the chicken breasts as it cooks. You need to reach an internal temperature on 165 degrees F. (74 degrees C.). Check all the pieces of chicken to be certain that they are cooked.
- Once done remove from the grill and cover and allow to rest for about 5 minutes then serve.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Bone-in chicken breasts take longer than boneless chicken breasts to grill. It took us about 40 minutes total.
This looks fantastic! Perfect dish for summer 🙂
kristy @ the wicked noodle recently posted..how to roast garlic {and 25 things to do with it}
Thanks Kristy!
Now that is some awesome chicken! I bet the flavor is out of this world!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) recently posted..Raspberry Limeade Popsicles
Thanks Jocelyn! The flavors are great together.
This recipe has some great flavors! I love how easy it is, and I will definitely try the wine pairing. It sound wonderful! Thank you for sharing! Pinned!
Marion@Life Tastes Good recently posted..Beef Short Rib Sandwich #SundaySupper
Fabulous!! We love to grill chicken – and we are always looking for new marinades. I love the spices in this – sounds phenomenal! Can’t wait to make this chicken!! 🙂
Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens recently posted..Easy Grilled Polenta with Fresh Mozzarella and Balsamic Tomatoes
We do too! It is so easy to make and full of flavor.
I could eat that whole plate Julia, it looks delicious!!
Beth @ The First Year recently posted..Very Berry Coconut Chocolate Pudding Pops
Thanks Beth!
Wonderful selection of spices. I am not sure why lime and chicken are such a great team flavor wise, but they are!
I looooove all the flavors happening on this chicken!!! What an easy weeknight or even weekend entertaining recipe!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking recently posted..The Bachelorette Party: Episode Five
Thanks Stefanie! I agree!
Love the cause and chicken wine pairing looks great.
Liz@Virtually Homemade recently posted..Chocolate Raspberry Shortcakes {Gluten Free}
Thanks Liz! It is a great cause. I really loved the flavors and the wine together–a winner for sure!
Yum! This is the perfect summer meal!!
Jessica @ Stuck On Sweet recently posted..Sloppy Joes
Thanks Jess! I agree! 🙂