PALEO CREAMY CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN


Jump to Recipe

Paleo creamy cilantro lime chicken is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner that is also so tasty and nourishing. It’s paleo and Whole 30 approved, but I love it just because it’s so good! The chicken get nuzzled into a creamy coconut sauce with lots of fresh squeezed lime juice, which makes for the most refreshing bite. Definitely try this recipe out for a dinner for your family!

Paleo Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken Ingredients

Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless chicken breast, but you could try it out with other cuts of chicken. Boneless chicken thighs would work well too and taste very similar if you have them on hand instead. You can also use chicken breast with skin if you’d like a crispier outside.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for this recipe are salt, pepper, smoked paprika and garlic powder. I highly recommend getting smoked paprika if you don’t have it, it’s my favorite spice to use lately because it adds so much flavor to dishes. Feel free to add anything else you enjoy like onion powder or italian seasoning as well.

Avocado Oil: I use avocado on the skillet to make this chicken. Any neutral oil will work, like olive oil. I love to use avocado oil because it has a much higher smoke point than olive oil so it can be heated much higher, which is great for getting a good sear on the chicken.

Coconut Milk: Coconut milk is the key to making the creamy coconut lime sauce that the chicken goes in. You’ll want to use canned, full-fat coconut milk for best results. If you don’t have canned coconut milk, you can try it from a carton for a slightly different texture.

Lime: For the sauce, you’ll need the zest and juice of one lime. If you have bottled lime juice and no fresh limes on hand, that’s totally fine! Just use ~3 tablespoons of lime juice to make up for it.

Cilantro: I definitely recommend using fresh cilantro in this recipe rather than dried. Cilantro is such a tasty and versatile herb that pairs amazingly well with lime and coconut. This recipe combines those flavors beautifully.

Green Onions: I like to add green onions along with the cilantro for some extra flavor, but feel free to omit them if green onions aren’t your thing.


How To Make Paleo Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken

Step One: Heat two tablespoons of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breast from its packaging and pat all sides with a paper towel until dry.

Step Two: In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Cover the chicken with the spice mix, completely covering each piece with spices.

Step Three: Place the chicken in the heated skillet and cook for ~5 minutes before flipping all pieces to cook on the other side. Depending on the thickness, you may need to cook the chicken for longer than ~5 minutes after flipping. Use a meat thermometer for best results.

Step Four: Once the chicken is fully cooked (an internal temperature of 165 degrees), remove it from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, pour in the can of coconut milk and bring it to a simmer.

Step Five: Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the lime juice and zest, chopped cilantro and green onions. Place the chicken back into the pan with the coconut sauce.

Step Six: Let the chicken cook in the sauce for a few minutes before serving with extra cilantro and lime on top if desired. Store in the refrigerator for up to four days.

If you try out this recipe, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it. You can also snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support this blog and make it possible for me to continue to create healthier recipes!


PALEO CREAMY CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN

Recipe by Jenn Lueke
Servings

4-6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Diet

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo

Paleo creamy cilantro lime chicken is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner that is also so tasty and nourishing. It’s paleo and Whole 30 approved, but I love it just because it’s so good! The chicken get nuzzled into a creamy coconut sauce with lots of fresh squeezed lime juice, which makes for the most refreshing bite. Definitely try this recipe out for a dinner for your family!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp avocado oil

  • 2 lbs boneless chicken breast

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk

  • 1 lime, juice and zest

  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

  • 3 green onions, chopped

Directions

  • Heat two tablespoons of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breast from its packaging and pat all sides with a paper towel until dry.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Cover the chicken with the spice mix, completely covering each piece with spices.
  • Place the chicken in the heated skillet and cook for ~5 minutes before flipping all pieces to cook on the other side. Depending on the thickness, you may need to cook the chicken for longer than ~5 minutes after flipping. Use a meat thermometer for best results.
  • Once the chicken is fully cooked (an internal temperature of 165 degrees), remove it from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, pour in the can of coconut milk and bring it to a simmer.
  • Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the lime juice and zest, chopped cilantro and green onions. Place the chicken back into the pan with the coconut sauce.
  • Let the chicken cook in the sauce for a few minutes before serving with extra cilantro and lime on top if desired. Store in the refrigerator for up to four days.

RATE THIS RECIPE
Submit your review
1
2
3
4
5
Submit
     
Cancel

Create your own review

jenn eats goood
Average rating:  
 0 reviews
%d