Pollo limetta, or chicken with lime, is a great and easy recipe to “spice-up” the “usual” chicken with the addition of some bold flavors.

Some good quality olive oil mixed with salt, pepper, citrus juice, garlic, basil and chili pepper will make a nice and spicy marinade enhancing any kind of poultry dish.

For this recipe, I used a half chicken breast for each serving, but the limetta marinade is also very nice used to flavor a whole roasted chicken, Cornish hen, Hamburg cockerel and even turkey.

Ingredients and Instructions (serves 4):

• 4 half-chicken breasts, boneless and skinless


• 1/2 teaspoon of salt


• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper


• 1 lime


• 1 lemon


• 4 tablespoons of olive oil


• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped


• 2 garlic cloves, minched


• 1 pinch of red chili pepper flakes

1. Grate the peel of both the lime and the lemon, then squeeze them to extract their juice.


2. Make a marinade, by mixing together the grated peels and the juice of the lime and lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, garlic and chili pepper flakes in either a bowl or a resealable bag.


3. Add the chicken breasts, spread the marinade to coat them all over and then and cover the bowl or seal the bag before placing it in the refrigerator.


4. Allow the chicken to marinate for about an hour, then preheat the oven at 400 F (about 200 C).


5. Place the pieces of chicken in an ovenproof dish or baking pan and pour any leftover marinade from the bowl or bag over the chicken.


6. When the oven reaches the set temperature, place the baking dish on the center rack and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Serve warm.

Try this lime chicken accompanied by a nice tomato salad and some steamed rice.

Buon appetito.

Cinzia Aversa, 2014