Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken is a perfect weeknight dinner that's ready in just minutes on those busy days! Fresh cilantro and lime juice combine with chili powder, garlic and chicken for a kickin' good flavor that cooks in just minutes in your instant pot.
Yes, I am officially hooked on my Instant Pot folks!
Jump to:
Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
I'm here with an instant pot recipe of Cilantro Lime Chicken, some of my all-time favorite flavors.
A delicious recipe with bold flavors, this instant pot chicken cooks quickly and will be on your table in no time at all.
Serve on a bed of rice, either white rice or brown rice and enjoy the delicious sauce.
Mango salsa would taste amazing dolloped on top along with spoonfuls of guacamole.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Do you have an Instant Pot yet? If not, what are you waiting for? I waited and I don't know what I was thinking.
Dinner can be cooked in such a snap, you're going to love it. In just about 15 minutes you'll have your instant pot chicken dinner on the table without standing over a stove top.
Fresh cilantro and lime juice combine with chili powder and garlic for a kickin' good flavor combo!
These flavored juices and tender chicken topped with fresh avocado are fabulous served over hot cooked rice, cauliflower rice or rice noodles.
This recipe is versatile enough that you could turn it into a cilantro lime chicken tacos recipe by serving the chicken in taco shells with shredded lettuce, salsa and avocado!
These flavors will make a delicious taco filling and you can just drizzle some of the flavorful juices on your taco and serve the remaining on the side.
A chili cilantro lime chicken enchilada filling sounds fabulous to me too!
And cilantro lime chicken and rice really complement each other beautifully too so I'll also turn this recipe into a rice bowl dinner.
Instant Pot is in my kitchen now! Oh yum!
Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's personal kitchen recommendations!
How to make cilantro lime chicken
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Place chicken pieces in bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Combine cilantro, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, chili powder and kosher salt in a small bowl. Pour over chicken.
- Seal the Instant Pot according to manufacturer’s instructions and cook on Poultry cycle for 10 minutes.
- Cool according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Serve chicken and lime sauce over hot cooked rice or rice noodles.
- Top with chopped avocado and serve with lime wedges.
What to serve with cilantro lime chicken
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- This recipe is delicious when served on a bowl of rice with lots of your favorite toppings
- Serve with sliced green onions and chopped tomatoes
- Add red pepper flakes for a hint of heat
- Top with sour cream
- Make a creamy cilantro lime chicken and stir in some sour cream before serving
Substitutions
- Substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts
- Use another citrus in place of the lime for a change of zesty flavor, such as range or lemon
- Tajin seasoning can replace the chili powder
Equipment
Ingredients
ingredients for instant pot chicken:
- chicken breasts
- cilantro
- lime juice
- garlic
- olive oil
- chili powder
- kosher salt
- avocado
- lime wedges
This recipe is featured on the Honest Cooking website.
Easy Chicken Recipes
Have you tried some of my other easy chicken dinner recipes yet? You're going to fall in love with these chicken recipes that are guaranteed to make those busy days easier for you at dinnertime!
Baked Salsa Chicken is an easy recipe for those busy days. Juicy chicken breasts flavored with taco seasoning are smothered with salsa and cheddar cheese and baked to perfection, making this a soon-to-be favorite weeknight recipe!
Indian Butter Chicken combines warm spices with the simple ingredients of onion, butter, tomato and garlic creating tender chicken in a creamy tomato sauce. An easy chicken dinner that makes an impressive meal for entertaining too!
One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta is an easy recipe bursting with all the flavors of Chicken Parmesan. Seasoned chicken, tomato sauce, cheese, and even penne pasta cook up all together for a quick weeknight dinner that’s ready in just 30 minutes!
Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken & Pasta combines the best of both worlds, chicken and pasta, and makes it’s own velvety tomato sauce and gets it’s creaminess from a secret ingredient….cream cheese!
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut in chunks
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 avocado , pitted, peeled and chopped
- lime wedges
I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Arrange chicken pieces in bottom of Instant Pot.
- Combine cilantro, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, chili powder and kosher salt. Pour over chicken.
- Seal Instant Pot according to manufacturer's instructions and cook on Poultry cycle for 10 minutes.
- Cool according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Serve chicken and lime sauce over hot cooked rice or rice noodles.
- Top with chopped avocado and serve with lime wedges.
This recipe was FABULOUS!!! I used my Instant Pot and left it on Natural Pressure Release, and it made the chicken that much more moist. I added the olive oil first, to ensure no burning / chicken sticking to the bottom, and once all my ingredients were in the pot, I stirred and then closed it up. Bookmarking this for sure <3
Thank you so much for your kind words Katie! I am thrilled that you love my recipe. Thanks for stopping by Swirls and being a fan. Happy cooking! Savor the Moments, Gwynn
Hi! I'm new to instapot cooking. I thought you were suppose to have a minimum of 1 cup of liquid?
Hi Christina,
I found this recipe to work well with the amounts listed. The juices from the chicken add to the final outcome of the recipe. Happy Cooking, Gwynn
Can you make this with frozen chicken? How much cooking time do I add?
Hi Ruby, Unfortunately I have not tried to make this recipe with frozen chicken. My recommendation would be to check the instruction manual for your instant pot for cooking frozen chicken. Sorry I couldn't answer your question! Thanks for stopping by Swirls and happy cooking, Gwynn
Frozen chicken takes 28 minutes to cook and NR.
Thanks so much for this information Connie and thank you for stopping by Swirls! Happy cooking, Gwynn
This was delicious! We are new the the Instant Pot world- this was only our third recipe- and I was a little bit thrown off because apparently our Instant Pot does not have a Poultry setting! We just did Manual for 10 minutes. Should we have done something differently?
Hi Kathleen, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed my recipe! Setting your instant pot on the manual setting is good! Models made by different manufacturers have slightly different settings but that works. Thanks so much for stopping by Swirls. Happy cooking and Savor the Moment, Gwynn
This is DELICIOUS. I am making it for the second time tonight. I make it with frozen chicken breasts. You just have to cook it on high pressure for 12-14 minutes and make sure you have at least a cup of liquid (chicken broth, water, whatever) in the pot. Thanks for this recipe!
Thanks so much for your 5 star rating and recipe review Erin! I always love to hear when a follower makes and enjoys my recipe. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and let me know and for being a fan of Swirls! Happy Cooking, Gwynn
Hi this looks great - can you use different cuts like boneless skinless thighs? If so, is there a different in time?
Thx,
Daniel
Hi Daniel, Boneless skinless chicken thighs, as long as you cut them as directed in the recipe, should cook through in the time allotted in the recipe. Thanks for stopping by Swirls and Savor the Moment, Gwynn
Hi there! Just made this recipe and it turned out amazing. I was wondering if I could make more than one batch at a time. I was hoping to triple the recipe. I’m new to using the instant pot and I wasn’t sure if the chicken stacking would interfere with it cooking properly.
Hi Chelsea, I wish I could give you an answer on that but I honestly am not sure. I haven't tested the recipe with additional chicken. Tripling the recipe and having to pile up the chicken could affect the timing of the recipe and the amount of liquid needed. Wish I could be of more help. If I get a chance to give it a try I'll pop back and let you know! In the meantime, thank you for stopping by Swirls. I truly appreciate you! Happy Cooking and Savor the Moment, Gwynn
I am new to this , if I made a marinade over night could you just use part of that for the liquid? While cooking?
Hi Tim, I cannot give you a definite answer because I don't know how much liquid you are using for your marinade. This recipe is quite flavorful without marinating the chicken! Hope that helps, GG
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! My family and I looooved it !
So happy to heat that you and your family loved this recipe! Thank you for stopping by Swirls. Happy Cooking & Savor The Moments, GG
How does this work without a cup of liquid in the Instant pot?
Delicious. Made tonight with fresh cilantro from the garden. It's a winner. Ty
Hi Sue, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Fresh cilantro from your garden sounds delicious! Thanks for stopping by! Happy Cooking, GG
Hi Diane, I have heard about the 1 cup of liquid required in the instant pot, however, this recipe works well without adding that much liquid. Happy Cooking, GG
First time trying anything in our pressure cooker and I'd call it a success! I doubled the recipe. I also eye balled measurements, but I'll probably stick closer to the measurements on this one next time because I ended up with more of a soup. It's was still very good!
Yes, you have to be careful with the amount of liquid you add. So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Happy cooking, GG
This was amazing! I made it exactly as recommended and shredded the chicken a bit. Then I served it with tortillas and all the typical taco or fajita fixins’ to include finely diced onions and extra chopped cilantro. My guys thought it was a hit. Will be making it again really soon! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Servng as a taco filling is a delicious idea and I'm so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Lisa! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
From Az, and this is delicious. Definitely going in the rotation.
I did add 1/4 cup chicken broth to keep super moist and Marinated it for about 30 minutes. Served with flour tortillas, fresh cilantro and cojita cheese.