Meet the dinner recipe that's become a member of our family. Garlic Lime Chicken Breasts are packed with flavor thanks to a simple spice rub and a sauce made from pan juices, fresh lime juice and a bit of broth. Serve with couscous, a green vegetable or mashed sweet potatoes.

Garlic Lime Chicken Recipe

Meet the recipe that's like a fourth member of our family.

Recipes come and go like the wind, fall in and out of favor with you and your family.

However, really reliable, delicious recipes, like Garlic Lime Chicken, last forever.

This Garlic Lime Chicken should be called magic chicken. Everyone who tries it loves it.

My husband calls it the best chicken he's ever eaten in his life. 

Make a few extra pieces of chicken. This dish makes excellent leftovers for lunch the next day.

This recipe is from a now defunct cooking column in the newspaper where I work.

I relied on this recipe a lot when my son was a baby (20 years ago!) and I was balancing a career and motherhood.

This dish would turn out every time I made it and it was fast and easy and flavor packed thanks to the spice rub.

This skillet chicken recipe is really good with a side dish of potatoes, especially Air Fryer Potato Slices.

If you like spice, you might explore scorpion pepper.

If you're looking for a hearty main dish featuring chicken, try this warming pumpkin chicken curry.

Speaking of fast, easy and delicious, another main dish chicken recipe for you to try are Ninja Foodie chicken kabobs.

If you like chicken with spices along with an indulgent, luscious sauce, you've got try Shilpa's chicken korma.

For an even simpler meal, we like to have orange chicken Trader Joe's for lunch or dinner.

How to Make Garlic Lime Chicken in a Skillet

This is a great recipe for new cooks.

• Thaw four chicken breasts.
• Make the spice rub, which you'll sprinkle on each side of the chicken.
• Cook the chicken over medium heat in a skillet with a bit of canola oil and butter. Depending on thickness of the meat, it will need to cook about five minutes per side.
• Once the juices run clear, remove the chicken from the skillet. Set the chicken on a plate to rest while you make the sauce. and put on a plate or p
• Make a sauce with chicken broth, fresh lime juice and the spices and butter left in the skillet.
• Bring to a boil and cook for about five minutes or until the sauce thickens.

We like a good amount of spice. I usually double the rub mixture.

If I'm cooking enough to have leftovers, I quadruple the rub.

You mix about five spices plus salt and pepper to make the rub.

If you don't have a fully stocked spice drawer/cabinet/pantry yet, see this post about purchasing spices.

Recipe Notes and Serving Ideas

This spicy skillet chicken dinner is perfect with Best Quinoa Salad as well as Frozen Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer.

Or serve with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad or broccoli.

Continue to Content

Yield: 4

Garlic Lime Chicken

Print

Garlic Lime Chicken Breasts are packed with flavor thanks to a simple spice rub and a sauce made from pan juices, fresh lime juice and a bit of broth. Serve with couscous, a green vegetable or mashed sweet potatoes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• Rub
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
• 1-½ teaspoons ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground paprika (smoked preferably)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 4 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ cup chicken broth

Instructions

1. Mix spices together in a small bowl. Sprinkle a bit of the mixture on each side of the chicken breast and rub in.
2. Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Saute chicken in a skillet over low to medium heat until golden brown about 5 to 7 minutes each side until juices run clear. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts.
4. Remove chicken once cooked and set aside in a bowl or a plate.
5. Add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan and turn heat up to high until the liquid starts boiling. Meanwhile scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook the sauce until it's thicker and has reduced slightly.
6. Return chicken to the pan and cook two to three more minutes until chicken is thoroughly coated with sauce.
7. Serve.
8. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This dish freezes well. Wrap well in a freezer-safe container for up to a month.

Recommended Products

This post and/or recipe may contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I'll earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosure policy.

• 
  Zwilling J.A. Henckels 30070-103 4&quot Paring Knife
• 
  Spring Chef Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Metal Measuring Spoons for Dry or Liquid, Fits in Spice Jar, Set of 6
• 
  Cuisinart 622-36H Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 14-Inch Open Skillet with Helper Handle, Black

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1 Servings
Amount Per Serving Calories 283Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 113mgSodium 714mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 38g

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