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This post has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyMazolaMarinade #GrillingWithMazola

Chicken marinated with Mazola® Corn Oil, cilantro, garlic and fresh lime, then grilled to have a perfectly crunchy outside and juicy inside! This Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken is a simple and quick, yet delicious dinner! A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, visit Mazola.com.

Dining In

Although staying at home day after day for the last month has not been my favorite thing in the world, I have adored the time I have gotten to spend with my family, and the amount of time I have been able to experiment in the kitchen.

The kitchen time has not come without difficulties though….. 

First, I have a 3 year old and 5 year old who each want to be a part of everything that I do in the kitchen. “Mom, why are you doing that?”, “I don’t think I want to eat that.”, “That’s the biggest knife I’ve ever seen, can I use it?!”…

Second, there is very little time during which I’m able cook without interruptions. And by without interruptions, I really mean that I have somewhat reduced interruptions. But right around five o’clock, I usually let my kids to watch 25 to 30 minutes of TV so that I can put dinner together. 

Third difficulty – as we all know – today, ingredients are not as easy to come by as they were a few months ago. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a competitive cooking show with limited items to work with, but I’m embracing it. 

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken

I have really enjoyed the challenge of making meals with what I already have on hand in the kitchen. One example of a successful challenge is this Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken. It turned out to be a family hit!

The Best Marinades

What oil should I use for my marinade?

The best marinades help the flavors of your meat and spices stand out. Mazola Corn Oil is a heart-healthy* cooking oil and creates marinades that make great-tasting food because it has a neutral taste that lets the natural flavor of your food speak for itself.

For this marinade I used Mazola Corn Oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper. The Mazola Corn Oil helped the grilled chicken skins hold onto and shine with cilantro lime taste. 

How should I place the marinade?

Make sure that you coat the outside of the chicken with the marinade AND rub it under the skin as well.

In addition, allow the chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes, and up to 6 hours.

Grilling to Perfection

My husband is the grilling king in our house. Here are a few of his tips to help make this Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken perfect:

Grilling Temperature

Heat your grill to 500˚ F​ degrees. When it reaches 500˚ F​ degrees, turn the temperature down to 450˚ F​ degrees before placing your meat on the grill. Mazola Corn Oil has a high smoke point (450˚ F), great for grilling and stir frying at high temperatures.

By turning the temperature higher than you need, when you open the grill to place the meat on, and consequently loose heat, you will ensure that the temperature is at about 450˚ F​ degrees when you begin cooking.

Use a Whole Chicken

For this recipe, I started with a whole, young, fryer sized chicken, and parted it. There are a number of ways to part and/or spatchcock a chicken, but for this recipe, smaller individual pieces are better. We separated each leg, wing, thigh, and cut each breast into two (2) pieces for a total of ten (10) individual pieces.

Marinade

Next, or just before parting the chicken, combine 1/2 cup Mazola Corn Oil, 1/2 cup (packed) chopped cilantro, 1 large minced or pressed fresh garlic, squeezed juice of 1/2 lime (reserve the other half), 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground kosher salt in a mixing bowl, whisking just enough for all of the ingredients to dissipate and mix well together.

Then, with the parted chicken spread in either a baking dish with a high wall, or large plastic bowl, gently drizzle half of the marinade over the chicken pieces, working it in and under the skin gently. Once coated well, flip the chicken pieces, and repeat with the remainder of the marinade. 

Marinade Time

If you are well ahead of when you plan to grill, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If you will be grilling shortly, cover with plastic wrap and let the chicken sit at room temperature.

Grilling

When starting the grill, you only need high heat (for this recipe). Place a large cast iron skillet, seasoned a bit with Mazola Corn Oil on one side of the grill. Let the grill heat as instructed above. Once the grill reaches desired temperature, place the thighs and legs into the cast iron pan, while placing the wings and divided breasts directly on the grill. Try not to move any of the chicken for at least the first 4-5 minutes.

Close the grill lid, and open every 3 to 4 minutes to monitor the skin color of the chicken. The pieces in the pan can brown quickly, and if you do not shake the excess marinade from the others, they can cause flare-ups inside of the closed grill. 

When monitoring, I try not to flip the chicken more than once, cooking it through, and then immediately removing. On the first flip, I used the remainder of the lime from before to squeeze directly over the cooked side of the pieces. The number of times you flip, move or rotate the chicken will of course be different with each grill, temperature, and depend on what else you might be cooking at the same time. Keep an eye out for the wings, as they cook the fastest of all the pieces. 

Finishing Touches

As the pieces cook through and are nicely marked/charred to your liking, remove them and set them aside as the others finish. Once they have all finished, you are on your way to a sure winning dinner made from staple ingredients, in less time than a Paw Patrol episode. 

This Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken is an easy meal that comes together quickly, with things you likely have on hand! A dinner win!

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken

Chicken marinated with Mazola® Corn Oil, cilantro, and lime, then grilled to have a perfectly crunchy outside and juicy inside! This Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken is a simple and quick, yet delicious dinner!

4.75 from 4 votes

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Course: Dinner

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 servings (2 pieces of chicken)

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Ingredients

• Whole fryer sized chicken
• 1/2 cup Mazola® Corn Oil, plus 2 tbsp
• 1 large clove fresh minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro packed
• Juice 1 lime divided
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground kosher salt

Instructions

• Part chicken. There are a number of ways to part and/or spatchcock a chicken, but for this recipe, smaller individual pieces are better. Separate each leg, wing, thigh, and cut each breast into two (2) pieces for a total of ten (10) individual pieces.
• Combine 1/2 cup Mazola Corn Oil, cilantro, garlic, squeezed juice of 1/2 lime (reserve the other half), ground pepper and ground kosher salt in a mixing bowl, whisking just enough for all of the ingredients to dissipate and mix well together.
• Spread chicken pieces in large baking dish or plastic bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade over the chicken pieces, working it in and under the skin gently. Once coated well, flip the chicken pieces, and repeat with the remainder of the marinade.
• Cover chicken with plastic wrap. Let chicken marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to 6 hours. If you are only going to let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes, you do not need to place it in the refrigerator. If you are going to let it marinate longer than this, place the marinated chicken in the refrigerator, but remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
• Place a large cast iron skillet, seasoned with 1-2 tbsp of Mazola Corn Oil, on one side of cool grill. Then, turn heat on grill to 500˚ F​ degrees. Once grill reaches temperature, reduce heat to 450˚ F​ degrees.
• Place the thighs and legs into the hot cast iron pan, while placing the wings and divided breasts directly on the heated grill. Try not to move any of the chicken for at least the first 4-5 minutes.
• Close the grill lid, and open every 3 to 4 minutes to monitor the skin color of the chicken. The pieces in the pan can brown quickly, and if you do not shake the excess marinade from the others, they can cause flare-ups inside of the closed grill.
• When monitoring, try not to flip the chicken more than once, cooking it through, and then immediately removing. On the first flip, use the remainder of the lime to squeeze directly over the cooked side of the pieces. The number of times you flip, move or rotate the chicken will of course be different with each grill, temperature, and depend on what else you might be cooking at the same time. Keep an eye out for the wings, as they cook the fastest of all the pieces.
• As the pieces cook through and are nicely marked/charred to your liking, remove them and set them aside as the others finish.

Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.

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If you enjoyed this Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe, you should check out these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:

Air Fried Cauliflower Poppers
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
Lemon Dill Fried Chicken
Tandoori Chicken with Peanut Sauce

*see Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health.