If you love big flavour with minimal fuss, this chilli lime chicken will be a weeknight favourite. It’s glossy, sweet-tangy with a gentle heat, made with juicy chicken thighs and a sauce that clings to every bite. I developed this recipe for my book Quick & Easy Dinners and it’s been a family staple ever since. Everything cooks in one pan and it’s ready in under 30 minutes.
Nicky’s Notes
This chilli lime chicken is super simple: no marinade, one pan and a sticky glaze in minutes.
I use thigh fillets for tenderness, and a little cornflour in two ways: a light dusting on the chicken to help it brown quickly, and a tablespoon whisked into the sauce so it reduces to a glossy, clingy finish.
Fresh red chilli adds brightness and a clean heat you can adjust with chilli flakes at the end.
It’s the kind of quick, satisfying one-pan dinner I included in my Quick & Easy book—minimal effort, maximum flavour, and that rewarding moment when the sauce turns shiny and coats every piece of chicken.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Notes
- Why This Chilli Lime Chicken Works
- 📋 Ingredients
- Abbreviated Recipe
- Recipe Tips
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Chilli Lime Chicken Recipe
- 🥡 More Sticky Chicken Recipes
Why This Chilli Lime Chicken Works
- No marinade time: Cornflour plus a hot pan gives rapid browning and fast sauce thickening.
- Layered flavour: Light soy brings savoury depth, lime adds zing, honey and brown sugar balance the heat from garlic and chilli.
- One pan: Sear, glaze and serve—perfect for busy evenings.
- Flexible: Adjust the heat or swap thighs for flattened breasts if preferred.
📋 Ingredients
Full recipe quantities and details are provided in the recipe card below.
Best cut of chicken to use
Boneless, skinless thigh fillets are ideal—naturally juicy, forgiving to cook and perfect for a sticky glaze. The small amount of fat helps with browning and keeps the meat tender.
Prefer breasts? Use 4 chicken breasts, place them between sheets of clingfilm and pound to half their thickness with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Sear until golden, then finish in the sauce until just cooked through to keep them succulent.
Abbreviated Recipe
Toss flattened chicken thighs with cornflour, salt and pepper; sear in a large frying pan until golden, turning once. Whisk light soy, lime juice, honey, brown sugar, garlic, chillies and a tablespoon of cornflour; pour into the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce is glossy and the chicken is cooked through. Finish with sesame seeds, chilli flakes, lime wedges and sliced spring onions; serve with rice or noodles.
Recipe Tips
- After adding the soy–lime mixture, reduce to a gentle simmer and stop moving the chicken. When the sauce coats the back of a spoon and a spatula leaves a short trail, it’s ready. If too thick, stir in a splash of hot water off the heat to loosen to a glossy finish.
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🍽️ What to serve it with
I love this served over plain boiled rice with a scattering of sesame seeds, chilli flakes and sliced spring onions. The chilli lime sauce soaking into the rice is irresistible.
Other good options:
- Egg fried rice
- Coconut rice
- Thai sticky rice
- Sesame noodles
📺 Watch how to make it
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Chilli Lime Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and flattened slightly
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado or vegetable)
The Sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 red chillies, sliced
To Serve
- Sesame seeds
- Chilli flakes
- Wedges of lime
- Sliced spring onions (scallions)
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a board. Mix 2 tablespoons cornflour with the salt and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of the thighs.
- Heat sesame and neutral oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and fry for 6–7 minutes, turning once, until golden.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, honey, brown sugar, garlic, chillies and the remaining tablespoon of cornflour in a small bowl.
- Pour the sauce over the browned chicken, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through.
- Top with sesame seeds, chilli flakes, lime wedges and sliced spring onions. Serve with boiled rice or noodles.
Notes
Chicken breasts option
Use 4 chicken breasts, flatten to half thickness so they cook evenly. Sear then finish in the sauce until just cooked through.
Gluten free
Replace soy sauce with tamari.
Freezing and reheating
You can freeze cooked chicken though texture may change. Cool quickly, freeze, then defrost overnight. Reheat in a 180°C/350°F oven, covered with foil, for 12–15 minutes until piping hot. Add a splash of hot water if the sauce tightens up.
Nutritional information is calculated automatically and is an approximation per serving without sides.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
This sticky chilli lime chicken recipe was first posted in Nov 2025.
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It’s in the book!
This chilli lime chicken is featured in Quick & Easy, a collection of 90 recipes you can make in 30 minutes or less.
Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Nutrition information is approximate and can vary. For details see the site terms and conditions.