Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings
Oh-so-perfectly crispy, charred + smoky with the easiest marinade. Cilantro, lime, cumin, chili powder. So simple yet so good!
This is my favorite part about game day.
It’s not the actual games. I don’t even know how football works. I can also never find the ball. There’s just a lot of tackling and stopping? And then people running? I don’t know.
Anyway. The best part about game day is the actual game day food!
Dips, queso, hot dogs, sliders, finger foods…all of it. And now to add to this arsenal is (drum roll, please…):
CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN WINGS!
This is a riff on my favorite recipe here, something I make legit weekly. Except I kind of like it even more in wing-form. They just get so perfectly crispy and smoky on the grill, and they cook up SO FAST!
Just be sure to serve with plenty of cold beers and extra lime wedges for the best wing experience ever.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds chicken wings or drumettes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lime zest, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and cilantro mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Brush chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 12 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Going to try this recipe in my air fryer
Thanks for a great recipe! Made it child friendly by omitting the chilli powder and replacing with smoked paprika. Can’t wait to try it with the chili powder next time!
Made this tonight for dinner, followed to a “t” (except used an air fryer, because thunder storms came through). They were delicious, so much flavour and so juicy, will make again (and again). Thanks
This recipe is great!
It was super easy to make, and the smell when I was cooking it was like heaven. It definitely made me hungry for dinner. My family couldn’t wait to sit down and eat it. We switched up the chicken wings for chicken legs because we thought they’d be juicier—and they were!
The only thing I did different with this recipe is that I cooked it in my Instant Pot Air Fryer.
Is there a substitute for the cilantro and cumin. Have to be very  careful when cooking for a family member that eats bland foods without much seasoning.  And where do you get lime zest from. Thank you
Where do you get lime zest from? Are you kidding??Â
How to zest a lime:
1. Hold the microplane in one hand, place one end on a flat surface and hold it at an angle.
2. Hold the lime in the other hand, and drag it down over the microplane holes. …
3. Gradually turn the lime until all green parts of the peel have been removed.
This was so delicious and SO easy!!b
I made them in my air fryer and they turned out great!Â
Definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who enjoys some good ol’ wings and beer! Mmmm!Â
I have never reviewed a recipe before but I had to let you know that I loved this chicken. Â I didn’t have wings so I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it was great!
This was so tasty. Marinated and vacuum sealed the wings for the freezer, then cooked them in the air fryer since we don’t have a grill. They were excellent
How did you cook these in an air fryer? I don’t have a grill and just got an air fryer and have yet to use it so I’m looking for yummy recipes!
I cook my wings in the air fryer at 380 degrees for 18-20 minutes (depending on size of your wings!) and it’s came out perfect.
Thank you!
This recipe is deserves 10 stars!! It will be my new appetizer of choice for guests. My family adores chicken wings. They couldn’t get enough of these. I don’t have a grill, so I was grateful that you gave instructions for the oven. Thank you for the fabulous recipe. Cilantro and lime….simply divine!
Made these and the family polished them off and I have had several requests for a repeat. Â I took it one step dither and used chicken drumsticksÂ
These are amazing – my new go to for wings.
Can I cook these wings on a Grillpan pls?
Glad I found this…although I’m going to try this marinade on peel and eat shrimp for a mexican night appetizer. Â
Just wondering if anything has tried cooking them on a flat grill?
Tried these wings..turned out really good. Lots of flavour.
So simple, so delicious! I marinated the wings for 3 hours, cooked them on the grill at 400 turning regularly, and basting once halfway through with the used marinade. The fresh lime juice and cilantro added after cooking gave the wings an extra burst of flavor upon serving. No wings were left uneaten!
If you can grill them, do it. The charred taste is delicious. These are REALLY good!
Can we airfry these? What temp and how long would you recommend?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
This looks great – my daughter would love them.
Question – could you cook them in the oven too? If so, how long and what temperature.
Thx!
Felicia, I recommend baking these on a wire rack that has been coated with nonstick spray and placed on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy clean-up at 425 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes, using metal tongs to turn at halftime.
Hi
Looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend!!!! Can i bake them instead? If so at what temp and for how long?? Thanks
Robin, I recommend baking these on a wire rack that has been coated with nonstick spray and placed on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy clean-up at 425 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes, using metal tongs to turn at halftime.
I LOVE these wings. I’ve made this recipe several times and everyone that’s had them requests the recipe from me. I do very slightly adjust the recipe, and that’s just adding garlic to the marinade!