Hot Honey Lime Chicken with Coconut Rice
I’ve got my new favorite fast weeknight meal comin’ at ya! This hot honey lime chicken is an explosion of flavor. A par-tay in your mouth. And you can easily have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.
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I always kick off this recipe by putting a small pot of coconut rice on the stove (soooo easy), then getting the chicken seasoned and in the air fryer, then I throw a veggie in the other side of my air fryer, whip up the sauce, and by then both the chicken and rice are done. Easy peasy.
Check out these other great 30-minute meals!
I will admit that the way I make this is a tiiiinnnny bit less “hot honey” than some people’s would be, just because I’m a total baby on spice. I like just a little heat, but *you* measure that with your heart.
Also, I’ve made this several times with chicken breasts, but I think it would be great with chicken thighs!
Get the rice cooking first. Rinse the rice well, then add the water, coconut milk, rice, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan. Stir and cook on medium-high until it comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
Cook for 15 minutes (covered at a simmer), then remove from heat, put a folded-up tea towel on top of the pan and replace the lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and add the squeeze of lime if using.
While the rice is cooking, get your chicken going. If you have thick chicken breasts, I always cut mine in half length-wise so they’re more chicken tender sized.
Combine the spices (minus the red pepper flakes) and coat the chicken with the mixture, then drizzle the juice of 1/2 lime over them. See notes on method.
Spray the chicken lightly with olive or avocado oil, and air fry at 375 F for around 10 minutes, or until the chicken reaches at least 145 F in the thickest portion. You could also grill them if preferred.
While the chicken is cooking, mix together the melted butter, honey, remaining lime juice, red pepper flakes, and chopped cilantro.
When the chicken is done, let rest on a plate for 5-10 minutes, then coat with the honey lime sauce on both sides. Serve with the coconut rice and any remaining sauce.
This honey lime cilantro chicken is now a staple in my “easy weeknight dinners”, and I think it should be in YOURS as well!
Adapted from @danae.fit on IG
Other amazing, quick weeknight meals you’ll love:
- Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
- Delicious & Easy Walnut-Crusted Chicken
- Salmon & Quinoa Power Bowl with Lemon Feta Avocado Salsa
- The Crispiest Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer
- Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Thighs
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Hot Honey Lime Chicken with Coconut Rice
This hot honey lime chicken with a fragrant coconut rice is super easy and SO delicious, a perfect 30-minute meal. The chicken and sauce are packed with flavor, and it makes great leftovers as well!
Ingredients
- CHICKEN & SAUCE
- 1 to 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- Juice of 1 1/2 limes, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- COCONUT RICE
- 1 cup of jasmine rice, rinsed and drained (see notes)
- 1 cup of full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup of water
- A pinch of salt
- Optional: squeeze of lime juice
Instructions
- Get the rice cooking first. Rinse the rice well, then add the water, coconut milk, rice, and salt to a medium saucepan. Stir and cook on medium-high until it comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
- Cook for 15 minutes (covered at a simmer), stir halfway through, then remove from heat, put a folded-up tea towel on top of the pan and replace the lid. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and add the squeeze of lime if using.
- While the rice is cooking, get your chicken going. If you have thick chicken breasts, I always cut mine in half length-wise so they're more chicken tender sized.
- Combine the spices (minus the red pepper flakes) and coat the chicken with the mixture, then drizzle the juice of 1/2 lime over them. See notes on method.
- Spray the chicken lightly with olive or avocado oil, and air fry at 375 F for around 10 minutes, or until the chicken reaches at least 145 F in the thickest portion. You could also grill them if preferred.
- While the chicken is cooking, mix together the melted butter, honey, remaining lime juice, red pepper flakes, and chopped cilantro.
- When the chicken is done, let rest on a plate for 5-10 minutes, then coat with the honey lime sauce on both sides. Serve with the coconut rice and any remaining sauce.
Notes
- I haven't tried it yet but I assume chicken thighs would be awesome too
- I've tried putting the lime juice in with the spices to make a paste, then rubbing that on the chicken, or just putting the dry spice rub on the chicken and drizzling with the lime juice. Pros and cons to each method. I usually do the latter, as the wet spice mixture doesn't stick to the chicken breasts as well.
- If you have the time and think ahead of time, it's ideal to not only rinse the rice well, but also soak it for an hour or so before cooking. If you soak it in cold water, just drain and rinse it before cooking.
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