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Tender and juicy seasoned and pan seared chicken thighs slow cook with a flavorful and light cilantro lime sauce. This meal is packed with flavor and absolutely delicious! Slow Cooker Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken.

Happy New year! Can you believe how fast 2015 came and went? Have you set some New Year’s Resolutions? I always love a new year and a fresh clean start to make goals for the upcoming year. This year a huge goal of mine is to be better organized and stick to a schedule. Sometimes balancing family life and working on the blog can be tricky. I know that if I can better organize the blog and behind the scenes it will make my family life a whole lot easier. Especially because I love spending all of my free time with my family!

Of course I want to continue with my healthy eating goals and weight loss journey. And I don’t know about you guys but I am totally ready for some SAVORY recipes! I have had just about enough treats from the holidays and I am so excited to get back on track with my better eating habits. So what better way to start than with this easy and full of flavor savory recipe today!

Overhead view of Slow Cooker Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken.

This Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken is the bomb dot com. It requires just minimal ingredients but is light and packed with flavor. I decided to use boneless and skinless chicken thighs this time around. They were so juicy and tender by the time that they were finished cooking.

Slow Cooker Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken over rice in a white bowl.

Pan searing the chicken with the spices is just one extra step and so worth it. It takes only a few minutes. It seals in the flavor and creates a crisp edge while the inside of the chicken is tender and juicy. You throw it in the slow cooker with just a few ingredients and let is slow cook to perfection!

Slow Cooker Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken in a white bowl over rice.

I served the chicken over rice with the creamy cilantro lime sauce drizzled on top. You guys. The flavor is seriously incredible! It became an instant favorite with the first bite. Especially because I love cilantro! The chicken was amazing and everything about this simple and light dish was incredible!

I know you guys are going to love this one too!

 

Slow Cooker Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken over rice in a white bowl.

Slow Cooker Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken over rice in white bowl.

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Slow Cooker Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken

4.50 from 4 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
Tender and juicy seasoned and pan seared chicken thighs slow cook with a flavorful and light cilantro lime sauce. This meal is packed with flavor and absolutely delicious!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Heat a skillet to medium high heat and add olive oil. In a shallow bowl combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, and pepper. Rub the seasoning into the chicken on each side. Pan sear in the hot oil until each side is brown. Transfer chicken to slow cooker.
  • Add the chicken broth and lime juice and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high 3-4 hours. Right before the chicken is done, carefully remove the chicken and add heavy cream, cilantro, and cornstarch and water and mix well. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker and continue to cook until sauce starts to thicken about 15-20 minutes.
  • Serve over rice, or quinoa and garnish with additional fresh cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 30gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 452mgPotassium: 492mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 814IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
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About Alyssa Rivers

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.

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Recipe Rating




56 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Really tasty! I doctored it up a bit by adding a tablespoon of red curry paste and a teaspoon of salt after adding the cream and cornstarch. About 3 hrs into cooking time, added cubed sweet potato and carrot, as well as a finely minced jalapeño for some heat. Served over brown rice and I’m sure it’ll be just as tasty tomorrow!

  2. 4 stars
    Really good, made this tonight & I’m assuming the leftovers tomorrow will be even better. I used a combo of of boneless skinless chicken thighs & regular chicken thighs. I did decrease the amount of chicken broth to ~1.5c, added a little extra lime juice & doubled the cornstarch/water mix. I held off on adding cilantro until serving. I felt this was definitely lime-y enough. Even with doubling the cornstarch/water combo & decreasing the amount of broth, still felt the sauce could have been a bit thicker, but it definitely wasn’t watery and had such a great flavor. The chicken was super tender, fell off the bones. Served over brown rice with a side salad. Easy, not too much prep work. Will definitely add to our rotation!

  3. 5 stars
    I converted this amazing recipe to the instant pot, and it was to die for!!!
    Sautéed the thighs right in the pot, then added the broth and lime juice to remove the brown yummy bits! Added chicken back and manually cooked on high for 9 mins. Then did 10 min natural release.
    Took chicken out and added cream and cilantro. I did double the cornstarch and water also. Added chicken back and sautéed on low for about 5-10 mins til thickened.
    Served the chicken and sauce over brown jasmine rice…. DELICIOUS 😋

  4. I was looking for something to do with pork tenderloin – and I am on whole30 round. I am going to try this with coconut cream and a compliant starch for thickening!

    1. I have not made this into an instant pot recipe but that sounds like a great idea! Let me know how it worked for you!

  5. This recipe is amazing! I serve it with herbed basmati rice, grilled butter tortillas and a dash of hot sauce! Thank you!! ❤️?