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Air Fryer Cilantro Lime Chicken + VIDEO

This air fryer cilantro lime chicken recipe is packed with flavor. Using a homemade low-carb, paleo, whole30 marinade, this healthy chicken recipe cooks in 20 minutes or less!

Cilantro Lime Marinade

I know I say this a lot but this recipe is once again all about the sauce. In this instance, technically it’s a marinade. There are tons of different cilantro-lime marinade recipes out there. My version includes the usual ingredients: oil, cilantro, lime juice, etc. I also add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to give it a little kick. Lower the amount or omit it all together if you don’t want marinade to have a little bit of heat to it.  To blend your marinade together you can use a food processor or a blender.

Cooking Breasts & Other Cuts Of Chicken

Every air fryer is different and the size & thickness of your chicken breasts will increase or decrease the cook time. If you have a food thermometer, this is a great time to use it. When your air fryer cilantro lime chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, it’s done. My chicken breasts were approximately 7 ounces each & they were cooked in full in 15 minutes. You can use up to 2 pounds of whatever cut of chicken that will fit in your air fryer. If you use dark meat, you might need to increase the cooking time by a few minutes.

before

What Is An Air Fryer?

What is an air fryer exactly? The name air fryer is a little bit confusing, because when you cook food in your air fryer you aren’t actually frying it. An air fryer cooks your food by circulating hot air around the food at a very high-speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy ‘fried’ layer. This is called convection so your air fryer is actually a small countertop convection oven. An air fryer can help you cook your food faster while still getting a nice baked or fried texture on the outside, all with a very small amount of oil. Air fryers come in a variety of different sizes and styles. What you see here in the pics is a 5.8-quart air fryer.

after

Air Fryer Recipes 

Shrimp

 

Ribs 

Tri-Tip 

OTHER COOKING METHODS

Don’t have an air fryer yet? That’s okay. While I do recommend getting one, you can also bake the chicken. Here are instructions on what to do once the chicken has marinated: preheat oven to 400F.  Place chicken on a large baking sheet, skin side up. Bake for approximately 20 minutes (white meat) to 30 minutes (dark meat) or until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  How long you bake this will depend on what cut of chicken you are using.

I used a 5.8-quart air fryer for this recipe.

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Air Fryer Cilantro Lime Chicken

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (up to 2 pounds)

Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 3 limes (approximately 6 tablespoons)
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Add chicken to a large bowl or plastic bag. Blend marinade ingredients together until smooth. Pour marinade over chicken. Cover & marinate minimum 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
  2. When ready to cook, add the chicken to the air fryer in a single layer. You might have to cook your chicken do this in batches depending on the size of your air fryer. Discard any remaining marinade.
  3. Cook 380 degrees for  15-20 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. Make sure the internal temperature of the cooked chicken is 165 degrees before serving.
  • Author: Shannon Epstein

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on one of the product links, I might receive compensation. For more about my disclosure policy see here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/.

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Air Fryer Cilantro Lime Chicken + VIDEOAir Fryer Cilantro Lime Chicken + VIDEO
Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Myra henson

Thursday 5th of August 2021

I used a combo of legs & thighs. This came out very tasty.

Lorenzo

Friday 17th of July 2020

In the dictionary, under "perfectly cooked chicken" it should be this picture!