Pollo al limón dorado en salsa verde de limón, ajo y cilantro, servido en plato de barro con arroz blanco
🍽️ Lunch🌙 Dinner

Mom's Lemon Chicken

Pollo al Limón

Paula's mom's lemon chicken — flour-crusted chicken pieces browned in butter and bathed in a concentrated lime, garlic, and cilantro sauce. Tangy, aromatic, and addictive. Serve with plain white rice to balance the bold flavors.

Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Difficulty
Medium
💪 High protein 🚫🌾 Gluten free
🛒

Grocery list

What to buy · Shopping quantities included — check off what you already have.

Ingredients

4 servings
  • 800 g chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks, bone-in) — cut into medium pieces
  • 42 g all-purpose flour — for coating — just flour, no egg
  • 2 tbsp light butter — for browning the chicken
  • 8 pieces limes (juice) — enough juice to cover the chicken — approx. 400ml
  • 6 cloves garlic cloves — generous amount — peeled
  • 30 g fresh cilantro (1 bunch) — leaves and tender stems
  • to taste salt (optional)

Nutrition facts

Per serving
Total (4)
  • Calories
    364 kcal
    1456 kcal
  • Protein
    34 g
    136 g
  • Carbs
    18 g
    72 g
  • Fat
    18 g
    72 g
  • Fiber
    1 g
    4 g

Values are recalculated automatically when you change the servings.

Instructions

Every step carries its own ingredients and measurements — no more scrolling back up.

  1. 1

    Season and flour the chicken

    📋 You'll need
    • 800 g chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks, bone-in) (cut into pieces)
    • 42 g all-purpose flour
    • salt

    Cut the chicken into medium pieces and season with salt. Put flour on a shallow plate and coat each piece well on all sides. Just flour — no egg. This is the 'panizado' style Paula's mom uses.

  2. 2

    Brown the chicken in butter

    📋 You'll need
    • 2 tbsp light butter
    • the floured chicken pieces

    Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the floured chicken until golden on all sides. They don't need to be fully cooked — just well sealed. The flour creates a crust that will later thicken the sauce.

  3. 3

    Blend the lime sauce

    📋 You'll need
    • 8 pieces limes (juice)
    • 6 cloves garlic cloves
    • 30 g fresh cilantro (1 bunch)

    While the chicken browns, squeeze all the limes and blend the juice with the peeled garlic cloves and the bunch of cilantro. Don't add water — the sauce must be pure concentrated lime with garlic and cilantro. That's what makes it intense and delicious.

  4. 4

    Bathe the chicken in the sauce

    📋 You'll need
    • the browned chicken
    • the lime, garlic, and cilantro sauce

    Once the chicken is browned, pour the lime sauce over all the pieces in the skillet. The sauce must completely cover the chicken — if it's not enough, squeeze more limes. This step is key: the chicken cooks bathed in lime.

  5. 5

    Simmer until cooked

    Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low. Cover the skillet and cook 25–30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through. The flour from the coating naturally thickens the sauce — you don't need to add anything else.

  6. 6

    Serve with white rice

    📋 You'll need
    • white rice (side dish)

    Taste for salt and adjust. Serve the chicken pieces bathed in the thickened sauce with plain white rice on the side. The rice balances the tangy, intense lime, garlic, and cilantro. It's sour but SO good!

#pollo#limón#ajo#cilantro#guisado#mexicano#mamá de Paula
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