Do you put lime on chicken before or after cooking?

Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, or until it's browned and cooked through. Add the remaining chopped cilantro to the cooked chicken. Squeeze fresh lime over the finished chicken or serve with lime wedges so each person can squeeze their own.

How do you thicken chicken tacos?

If you decide to use ground chicken, you will want to start by adding about one teaspoon of cornstarch to the two tablespoons of taco seasoning per pound . This helps thicken the sauce.

What does soaking chicken in lime do?

The marinade keeps the meat so juicy and tender , almost as if it tenderizes the meat with the lime juice while it's marinating. I love to serve this chicken cold or hot. You can also use a meat hammer (also known as a meat tenderizer) to pound out the chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper to a 1/2″ thickness.

Does lime juice cook raw chicken?

For this Lime Marinade, chicken is best marinated for 12 to 24 hours. It will make the outside a touch white because the amount of lime juice in this marinade “cooks” the chicken a bit (think ceviche). But it doesn't take it so far that the chicken starts to break down so don't be alarmed.

Do you put taco seasoning on chicken before or after cooking?

Return shredded chicken to skillet. Stir in 2/3 cup water and the taco seasoning mix ; cook over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is heated through and sauce is thickened. Divide warmed chicken mixture among heated taco shells.

What does cornstarch do to chicken?

Cornstarch and high heat mean super-crispy chicken every time. Before cooking, toss the chicken in cornstarch until completely coated. When the cornstarch hits the hot oil, something magic happens and your chicken with gorgeously golden, crispy edges.

Why add water to tacos?

Turns out it's essential for giving the proper consistency to the taco meat because those seasoning mixes contain cornstarch, which requires water and heat to create a sauce. What you're doing when you add water is helping the cornstarch create a smooth sauce flavored with the spices .

When to add lime to cooking?

Adding lime juice too early can even make your dish bitter and discolored. To ensure your dish bursts with lime flavor without hiccups, add the lime juice after taking the dish off the heat . Similarly, if you're using lime zest, sprinkle it in during the last few minutes of cooking to maintain that zesty freshness.

Do you put lemon juice on chicken before or after cooking?

Method Marinate chicken: Place lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large, non-reactive bowl, whisk to combine. ... Place chicken in baking dish, brush with butter: ... Bake and baste with marinade: ... Let the chicken rest: ... Save meat juices to serve with chicken:

Why do you rub lime on chicken?

Lime adds a tangy and bright citrus flavor to chicken while also acting as a natural tenderizer due to its acidity .

How to use lime for chickens?

Crushed or powdered lime can be added to your chickens' feed or provided in a separate dish to ensure they receive an adequate calcium intake . Strengthening their eggshells not only improves the quality of eggs but also contributes to overall flock health.

Honey Lime Chicken Taco Recipe - Cooking With Karli (2024)

Jump to RecipeRate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Honey Lime Chicken is a sweet and savory infused shredded chicken that works great nestled in a tortilla with rice, cheese and beans to make a delicious Honey Lime Chicken Taco.

Honey Lime Tacos

Honey lime chicken is the thing you didn’t know you needed in your life. With a soft, tender, savory, and slightly sweet/caramelized flavor of shredded chicken and salsa verde coming together to create a flavorful dish, you’ll want to put it on everything from rice to tortillas or nachos.

You can make these honey lime tacos inside of your Instant Pot or your slow cooker and they turn out great either way.

Honey lime chicken is also one of those great recipes that uses hardly any ingredients. The seasonings are probably in your kitchen pantry already, so there isn’t much to buy. I love to pair these tacos with sides like Mexican rice or Mexican Fruit Cups, which are always a hit.

What’s In Honey Lime Chicken?

Chicken Tenderloins:The chicken tenderloins can be fresh or frozen, obviously the fresh tenderloins will cook a bit faster but that is truly the only difference here.
Lime Juice:I generally squeeze my lime juice fresh but you are welcome to use lime juice in the bottle if that is what you have on hand.
Honey
Salsa Verde:My family is a little bit whimpy when it comes to spice so we always opt for the mild salsa verde, if you like your food spicy, get that salsa verde hot!
Garlic:I use garlic powder and those are the measurements I will give. Feel free to substitute fresh garlic if you’d prefer!
Chili Powder
Salt
Pepper

How to Make Honey Lime Chicken

Shredded Honey Lime Chicken can be made easily in both your Instant Pot or crockpot (if you don’t have an Instant Pot, because let’s be honest, if you have an Instant Pot, you’ll be using your Instant Pot!) I will go through both methods below quickly.

For both methods we will whisk together the lime juice, honey and seasonings until it’s well combined.

Instant Pot Method

Cooking the chicken in the Instant Pot is as easy as placing the chicken tenderloins in the bottom of the Instant Pot, pouring the honey lime mixture on top and then adding in your salsa verde. Close the lid, turn the knob to sealing, and then pressure cook!

For fresh chicken tenderloins you’ll cook on high pressure for 3 minutes with a 6 minute natural pressure release. If cooking from frozen, cook for 6 minutes with a 6 minute natural pressure release. If you are unfamiliar with the Instant Pot and how it works, I have some great Instant Pot resources for beginners.

After the chicken has cooked, we will remove the chicken to shred. While the chicken is being shredded, turn the Instant Pot onto saute. Simmer to reduce the liquid into a thicker, more flavorful sauce.

Slow Cooker Method

To make the chicken in your slow cooker, simply add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through, reads at least 165° on an instant read thermometer and shreds easily.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker too shred. Transfer the leftover liquid to a sauce pan and simmer over medium high heat until the liquid reduces to a thicker sauce.

Add the chicken back into the thickened sauce and stir to coat.

How Do You Serve Honey Lime Chicken?

You can pour a good scoop of this verde chicken over the top of some freshly cooked white rice for a nice comfort meal. You can even place it in some warmed flour or corn tortillas depending on your preference. Serving with a side of rice and beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, or any other topping you love!

Can I Freeze Leftover Honey Lime Chicken?

Yes! If you find yourself with leftover meat, just bag it up and place it in the freezer. To reheat all you have to do is thaw the bag for a few hours and place the mixture in a saucepot on med/low until it’s completely defrosted and warmed through. Serve as normal.

If you loved what you saw here, get more of it on Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest! I’d love to connect! Sign up for my weekly newsletter below to never miss a new recipe again!

[et_bloom_inline optin_id=optin_2]

Want more Instant Pot Chicken Recipes? Check out my Top 15 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes!

Save

PinPrint

Honey Lime Chicken Tacos

By: Karli Bitner

Honey Lime Chicken is a sweet and savory infused shredded chicken that works great nestled in a tortilla with rice, cheese and beans to make a delicious Honey Lime Chicken Taco.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

▢ 1.5 lbs chicken tenderloins
▢ 1/4 cup lime juice, approx 2 limes
▢ 1/3 cup honey
▢ 1/2 cup salsa verde, mild
▢ 1/2 tsp garlic
▢ 1 tsp chili powder
▢ 1/4 tsp salt
▢ 1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions

Whisk together the lime juice, honey and seasonings until well combined.
Place your chicken in the bottom of either your Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Pour the honey lime mixture and salsa verde on top of the chicken.
For the Instant Pot cook on high pressure for 3 minutes with a 6 minute natural pressure release (6 minutes high pressure with a 6 minute natural pressure release if using frozen chicken tenderloins.). For the slow cooker cook on 3-4 hours on high, 4-6 hours on low.
Remove the cooked chicken and saute the liquid to reduce it to a thicker consistency. This can be done with the saute button on the Instant Pot or by transferring the liquid from the slow cooker into a sauce pan and simmering on the stovetop.
Simmer until the liquid coats the back of a spoon and doesn't immediately slip off like water, it should be slightly thicker than that.
While the sauce is simmering, shred your chicken. Once the sauce has thickened, return the chicken to the sauce and stir to combine. You should have just enough sauce to coat and flavor the chicken.
Serve in tortillas with rice, cheese, beans, pico, guac etc or on top of nachos.

Video

Nutrition

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!