Cilantro lime sauce is one of my favorite flavor combinations. This Instant Pot chicken recipe is quick, easy, and delicious. It’s also a tasty Weight Watchers dinner recipe. Try out this cilantro lime instant pot chicken recipe today with this tasty cilantro lime sauce.
If you are looking for more Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points recipes you can download and print (super printer friendly version) my eBook full of recipes here.
Can I use this cilantro lime sauce on any kind of chicken?
You absolutely can! This cilantro lime sauce is made with fresh lime juice and cilantro and it goes so well with chicken–you could put it on just about any cut! Try it on some Instant Pot chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs. You can shred the chicken and top salads, make chicken salad, or even add the sauce to some sour cream for a creamy cilantro lime sauce.
No matter how you serve up this cilantro lime sauce you won’t be sorry. It’s so fresh and flavorful–especially for those of you who love cilantro like I do.
Should I use the sauce for dipping or cooking?
You can do it either way. I prefer to brown my chicken a bit first and then use the cilantro lime sauce as part of the cooking process. It really infuses into the meat when I cook the chicken in the Instant Pot. If you are going to use the sauce for dipping rather than cooking you might want to put it in a small sauce pan for a bit and warm it up.
A little bit of cooking will help the flavors come together and avoid any raw taste of the individual ingredients you might notice otherwise.
Can I use this cilantro lime sauce as a marinade?
You can! I love marinating my chicken (and steak, and shrimp) in this sauce! I don’t usually worry too much about marinades when I’m cooking my chicken in the Instant Pot but I would definitely give it a try if I would cooking breasts or thighs or even drumsticks on the grill or in a skillet.
Note: cooking in the Instant Pot means the flavors are going to be infused into the meat pretty well no matter what so marinading chicken before cooking isn’t really necessary.
My trick for always having delicious chicken that is marinated is to separate my chicken into 2-4 pieces when I get home from the grocery store and put them into a zipper freezer bag along with any marinade I want to use. I freeze the chicken until we need to use it, and as it’s defrosting it’s being marinated. I always have marinated chicken in my freezer for any occasion–fajitas, chicken salads, chipotle chicken, and more.
Do you have Weight Watchers info for these tasty chicken drumsticks?
I do! I always use the Weight Watchers recipe creator in order to find the most accurate information on points! Before I go to the trouble of adding a recipe to my meal prep sheet I look them up to make sure the points are where I need them to be…in this case, they’re pretty low so it’s perfect!
One serving is 6 Freestyle Smart Points and the recipe makes 3 servings. Perfect for those days when I want to meal prep for the following days’ lunches or dinners.
The Instant Pot cilantro lime marinade is really good, and thanks to pressure cooking the flavors are infused quickly and easily. In a matter of 30 minutes I have a delicious recipe on the table that the whole family loves.
If you’re looking for more Weight Watchers 6-10 point recipes, you can find all of mine right here.
How can I reduce the Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points in this recipe?
Most of the points in this recipe are coming from the drumsticks. If you are really looking to cut back you could use a more point friendly form of chicken. As I mentioned above this cilantro lime sauce will go great on just about any cut of chicken so don’t be afraid to try it on chicken breasts which are 0 Freestyle Smart Points.
That being said, I think it’s worth remembering that eating within your healthy point range each day will help you see the best results. 6 Freestyle Smart Points for one serving of drumsticks is not a bad point value and you could easily add almost any fresh or cooked vegetable side to these Instant Pot chicken drumsticks!
As the weather warms up and we head outdoors to cook on the grill I love throwing fresh vegetables on the grill for a few minutes. It’s an easy way to add a free side dish to your chicken drumsticks.
How do I make Instant Pot Cilantro Lime chicken?
1. Add the olive oil (or spray oil) to the Instant Pot and turn to sauté. When the oil is hot, carefully add the drumsticks. Sprinkle the seasoning over the drumsticks. Use tongs to rotate the drumsticks and brown on each side for 2 minutes or so.
2. Add the lime juice, cilantro, and chicken stock or bone broth to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. When done, allow the pressure to release naturally. Quick release is not a great idea for meat because it can get dry and bland. The natural pressure release will be worth it, and it should only take about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the drumsticks to a baking sheet and broil until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Cook times may vary depending on your oven. Sprinkle with more cilantro and serve while warm.
I don’t like spicy chicken can I leave out the red pepper flakes?
You can leave them out, certainly. I don’t think they make this recipe overly spicy but if you know it’s a flavor that you just don’t like, definitely feel free to leave them out. The cilantro lime marinade is the star here and those are the dominate flavors in my opinion!
What other great chicken recipes do you have for me to try?
Chicken is a great healthy protein and now that chicken breast is free on the Freestyle Weight Watchers program I’m always looking for ways to incorporate it into meals. Here are some of my favorite chicken recipes for Weight Watchers. Try them all and let me know which one is your favorite!
- Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
- Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta | Instant Pot | Slow Cooker | Stovetop
- Chicken Gyro Bowl with Homemade Tzatziki
- Healthy Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Pasta | Crock Pot | Instant Pot | Stove
- Weight Watchers Cajun Chicken Alfredo
I love that my healthy recipes fit under most diets–almost all are perfect for Weight Watchers!
If you’re looking for more delicious recipes that have WW points already calculated, take a look at these favorites:
Weight Watchers 0 SmartPoints Recipes:
Weight Watchers 1-5 SmartPoints Recipes:
- Avocado Stuffed Chicken Breast with Bacon
- Baked Blooming Onion with Spicy Dipping Sauce
- Southwest Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Zucchini and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Weight Watchers 6-10 SmartPoints Recipes:
- Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
- Carne Asada Burrito Bowl with Creamy Chili Lime Dressing
- Beef Enchiladas
Printable Weight Watchers Cilantro Lime Sauce + Instant Pot Drumsticks Recipe:
Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 6 drumsticks
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp. red peppers crushed
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- Juice from 1 lime
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and turn to sautÈ. When the oil is hot add the drumsticks. Sprinkle the seasoning over the drumsticks. Use tongs to stir the drumsticks and brown on each side for 2 minutes.
- Add the lime juice, cilantro, and chicken broth to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. When done let the pressure release naturally.
- Transfer the drumstick to a baking sheet and broil until golden brown for about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle with more cilantro and serve while warm.
Anonymous says
This recipe was easy and Delicious!!!!