Copycat Bahama Breeze Chicken with Cilantro Crema Recipe
This copycat Bahama Breeze chicken with cilantro crema recipe is a bright, flavorful, and tasty homemade recipe the whole family will love! Sweet, savory, and with a fresh and herby dipping sauce you can make in just 5 minutes.
Skip the restaurant and make this tasty dish in your own home with simple ingredients! And browse our other favorite Bahama Breeze copycat recipes: creamy jerk chicken pasta and jerk chicken pineapple bowls.
We recently found Bahama Breeze, a wonderful island-inspired chain restaurant, and have gone back a few times for their tasty meals. I ordered the grilled chicken with cilantro crema, and it was so delicious I had to make it at home. I’m not usually a ‘order chicken at a restaurant’ type of person, but their chicken was cooked so perfectly, I was beyond impressed.
The chicken had a wonderful sweet orangey glaze, and it was so perfect dipped in the creamy cilantro sauce. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and seared corn, and enjoy a tasty restaurant-quality meal at home.
Note: this is not the official restaurant recipe, just a copycat I developed at home. By the way, my husband and I both agreed that the homemade version was even better than the restaurant’s (although you can’t beat the Bahama Breeze restaurant coconut shrimp and Bahama mama cocktail)! Let us know below if you agree.
This Chicken with Cilantro Crema (Bahama Breeze Copycat) Is
- Bright
- Fresh
- herby
- Savory & Sweet
- Earthy
- Made with Simple Ingredients
- Perfect with the Creamy Sauce
- An Easy Recipe for Entertaining
Copy Cat Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
I love finding new (& delicious!) ways to cook chicken like baked and dipped in a delicious cilantro cream sauce. Chicken is an inexpensive protein, is great for easy lunches and dinners, and is so versatile – you can cook it so many different ways! This is our favorite dish to make when we want something a little sweet and savory.
It’s great to add to lunch salads, soups, or pasta dinners. And easy to bake, grill, or broil. Brose all our trending chicken recipes here to discover your next family favorite!
Ingredients for this Bahama Breeze Copycat Recipe
- Chicken – you can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs for this recipe – I used thin-cut chicken breasts which had a great flavor!
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Spices: garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika
- Orange marmalade – the secret to a perfect citrus sauce!
- Fresh cilantro, plus a little extra for garnish
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- Easy Homemade Cilantro Crema
What’s in the copycat Bahama Breeze Cilantro Crema recipe?
While I don’t have the official restaurant recipe, I am fairly sure it’s a mayonnaise-based Mexican crema sauce. I made it at home using mayo, and the flavor was spot-on to the restaurant version. If you don’t like mayo, you can substitute plain sour cream, or even a Greek yogurt if desired.
The tangy cilantro crema can be made in a blender or food processor. It’s perfect to top the cilantro lime chicken with, and also makes a great dipping sauce for fries! It makes a perfect summer meal, loaded with great flavors.
How to Make This Bahama Breeze Copycat Chicken Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken breasts on a cutting board, and pound chicken until it is an inch thick. You want the chicken to be an even thickness so it cooks evenly.
- In a large 13 x 9 inch baking dish, add the chicken breasts in an even layer. Top each chicken breast with a drizzle of olive oil.
- In a small bowl, add the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika. Mix to combine. Pour 1 teaspoon of the mixture over each breast.
- Over the spice mixture, spread 1 teaspoon of orange marmalade over each chicken breast. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the marmalade evenly on top of the slices and over the surface of the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the pre-heated oven, and bake for 25-35 minutes (the thicker the chicken, the longer it will take), until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which is cooked through.
- While the chicken is baking, make the crema. In a blender, add the mayonnaise, cilantro leaves, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, and the salt. Blend on low speed until the cilantro has blended and the sauce is a light green color. Pour into a small serving dish.
- Once chicken is done, place on a serving plate and drizzle 1/2 the cilantro crema over the chicken. Save the remaining crema as a dipping sauce. Serve hot and enjoy. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
What To Serve With This Chicken
At the restaurant, you get this dish with whipped potatoes and fire-roasted corn – a super flavorful pairing!
I served mine with yellow rice.
Serve with oven roasted fries, or beans and rice.
You can top the chicken with fresh parsley or green onions to garnish. I added some sliced oranges for garnish too!
​A Note on Baking vs. Grilling the Chicken
I oven-baked this chicken at home, and it came out fantastic, especially when dipped into the delicious sauce.
You can grill the chicken instead on a charcoal grill, gas grill, or even a grill pan on the stove. If you are going to grill chicken, grill on high heat for 12-16 minutes, flip the chicken half way through cooking.
Always ensure the chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the chicken. Check with a meat thermometer before serving.
More Modern Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!
Chicken and Kale Casserole Recipe
Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings
Crispy Italian Chicken Cutlets
Share This Tasty Bahama Breeze Copycat Recipe!
After you make this easy copy cat Bahama Breeze chicken with crema recipe – please be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag Modern Bites on Instagram. I absolutely love browsing through all your photos of my recipes!
Chicken with Cilantro Crema (Bahama Breeze Copycat)
Equipment
- 13 x 9 inch baking dish
- Blender
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 medium chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon each sea salt & black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 4 teaspoons orange marmalade
For the Cilantro Crema
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup fresh cilantro , plus more for garnishing the chicken
- 2 limes zest and juice
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. (see Note below if grilling)
- In a large 13 x 9 inch baking dish, add the chicken breasts in an even layer. Top each chicken breast with a drizzle of olive oil.
- In a small bowl, add the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika. Mix to combine. Pour 1 teaspoon of the mixture over each breast.
- Over the spice mixture, spread 1 teaspoon of orange marmalade over each chicken breast. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the marmalade evenly on top of the slices and over the surface of the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the pre-heated oven, and bake for 25-35 minutes (the thicker the chicken, the longer it will take), until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which is cooked through.
- While the chicken is baking, make the crema. In a blender, add the mayonnaise, cilantro leaves, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, and the salt. Blend on low speed until the cilantro has blended and the sauce is a light green color. Pour into a small serving dish.
- Once chicken is done, place on a serving plate and drizzle 1/2 the cilantro crema over the chicken. Save the remaining crema as a dipping sauce. Serve hot and enjoy. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
A Note on Baking vs. Grilling the Chicken
I oven-baked this chicken at home, and it came out fantastic, especially when dipped into the delicious sauce. You can grill the chicken instead on a charcoal grill, gas grill, or even a grill pan on the stove. If you are going to grill chicken, grill on high heat for 12-16 minutes, flip the chicken half way through cooking. Always ensure the chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the chicken. Check with a meat thermometer before serving.  Note: this is not the official Bahama Breeze recipe just a copycat I tried to make at home! If you can visit one of their locations, I highly recommend, it’s a great place for dinner & a drink!!Nutrition
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A great combination of flavors