Skillet Chicken with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

Tell me about your 4th of July! What did you do? Did you make any of my recipes? Fire up the grill? Watch fireworks and catch some rays? The weather was miserable, humid, and rainy on Saturday here in Philly so a lot of my celebrating was indoors. Which didn’t stop us from the best party of all time.

Seeing how many of you love my recent glazed salmon recipe inspires me to share more of my dinner favorites like this cilantro lime chicken. While I enjoy baking desserts the most (cookies > dinner), dinner is an everyday adventure. And if you’re like me, you’re constantly searching for quick and easy meals. Well, you’ve come to the right place today.

They require minimal prep and clean-up so you don’t end you stressing about dirty pots and pans later!

This creamy cilantro lime chicken is extremely easy to make and has become a weekly part of our dinner routine. The chicken is tender and flavorful and the creamy sauce is just out of this world. The chicken can be served with a  side of veggies, rice, or even pasta.

For the creamy texture, heavy cream or half and half works great but if you’re on a diet, we like to use sour-cream or greek yogurt instead. You end up with the same flavor and texture and skip out on some of the added calories.

Today I’m going to show you that one skillet is all it takes to transform chicken into something you and your fam will love. This chicken is cooked on the stove and finished off in the oven with a flavorful southwestern-inspired cilantro lime pan sauce:

• creamy
• buttery
• slightly caramelized onions
• cilantro
• a little spice
• zesty lime

This meal reminds me of my days waitressing at Chilis! Good times. It also has me craving margaritas on the rocks, a mountain of chips and guacamole, and key lime pie for dessert. (In favor of trying to keep meals healthy and my shorts fitting, I settled for water and a side of asparagus.)

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• fresh cilantro and crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Sauce

• 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: Put all ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor. Puree until completely smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed to get a creamy pourable consistency.
2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Season evenly on both sides with the chili powder and salt to taste.
3. Heat a large (12-inch) deep skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the chicken. Cook until chicken is browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and wipe out the skillet.
4. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, garlic and cumin and stir until the rice is coated with oil and garlic is fragrant, 1 or 2 minutes.
5. Pour in 2 cups water and add a teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat. Return browned chicken to pan, cover and cook until the rice is absorbed, 20-25 minutes.
6. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the cilantro and feta and serve.

Recipe Notes

• Keep any extra sauce for up to 2 days in the fridge – it’s delicious on tacos or as a dip!

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