Simple Chicken Tacos are a delicious and quick meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights. With just a few flavorful ingredients and easy preparation, you’ll have these easy street tacos ready in no time.
Why You'll Love Simple Chicken Tacos (The Street Taco Way)
🌶️ Simple Chicken Tacos Street Style are a hit because the chicken is marinated with exciting flavors from chili powder, cumin, and paprika. The fresh lime juice gives them a tangy zing that makes the juicy chicken taste even better.
🥘 After marinating the chicken, you can have these tacos ready in just 15 minutes!
🛒 Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts or Thighs - Use whatever you have on hand, but thighs are a great choice here. They’re more forgiving and will make your tacos extra juicy and tender. Both breasts and thighs work well with the marinade.
- Tortillas - Street tacos are usually served in small corn tortillas, about 4-5 inches wide. However, you can use any tortillas you like, or cut larger ones into smaller pieces if needed. Just remember to warm them up before you fill them.
- Seasonings - Mexican street tacos often use minimal seasoning, with most of the flavor coming from hot sauce. We’re adding a blend of spices, but you can use your own mix or a pre-made taco seasoning if you prefer. For a twist, you might even try lime juice or exotic flavors like pineapple or orange juice.
👩🍳 You'll find the complete list of ingredients below the recipe card.
Do Real Street Tacos Have Cheese?
NO, real street tacos typically don’t have cheese. They usually focus on simple ingredients like meat, onions, cilantro, and lime, keeping the flavor fresh and straightforward.
🌮 How To Make The Best Simple Chicken Tacos
- Mix the chicken with seasonings, lime juice, and oil in a bowl. Marinate for several hours if possible, or at least for a short while if you’re in a hurry. For better results, pound the chicken before marinating, and cut it into cubes later.
- Heat oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, cook the chicken until it’s fully done, flipping it halfway through the cooking time. Use a meat thermometer to check that it’s reached a safe internal temperature.
- Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest briefly before dicing it into small cubes.
- Serve with warmed taco shells and add your choice of toppings like extra lime juice, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, and sour cream.
- Complete the dish with your favorite extras, such as guacamole, pico de gallo, salad, jalapenos, and lime wedges.
How To Warm Tortillas
To make your tortillas pliable and not break easily, we need to heat them before use. There are 4 methods I recommend.
- Skillet: Place the tortillas one by one on a dry pan over medium heat and let warm through and get charred to your liking.
- Oven: wrap a stack of tortillas in aluminum foil and place in a preheated oven for 5 minutes.
- Microwave: Place a stack of tortillas on a plate, cover it with a barely damp paper towel, and microwave for 30 seconds until warmed through. Repeat if still not warm.
- Grill: place the tortillas directly onto the grill in small batches. Heat for about 30 seconds, or until the bottom gets charred, flip it over and cook for another 30 seconds until charred on the bottom again.
📋Tips
- Flavor - you can taste flavors of cumin, and little lime, with added smokiness and heat from chili and cayenne. If you want to make it hot, double the amount of chili & cayenne.
- Got a slow cooker? Place the chicken + seasonings in the crock pot in the morning or the previous night, let it cook through, and serve with tacos.
- If you’re planning to load these tacos, go for standard taco size rather than mini. Small ones will break easily once stuffed with many toppings.
- Marinade - Make sure to give your chicken enough time to marinate in the spices and lime juice, ideally for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flavors to fully blend.
- To ensure that your chicken is safely cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. Chicken is ready once its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting. It will absorb all the tasty juices so much better.
- If you are worried about the meat being dry, stick with chicken thighs instead. They are almost guaranteed to be always juicy and tender.
🍱Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Keep cooked chicken without taco shells in the fridge for 2-3 days. Store the filling and tortillas separately.
- 🥶Freezing. Put the chicken in a ziplock bag or container, then freeze it for 2-3 months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight.
- 🔥To Reheat. Heat the chicken in a nonstick skillet with a bit of oil over medium-low heat until hot. Or use the microwave, covering the chicken with a microwave-safe lid with holes. Adding a splash of water or milk helps keep it from drying out.
What to Serve With the Simple Chicken Tacos
For the best chicken tacos serve them with a variety of side dishes such as avocado dip, taco salad, corn relish, sheet pan nachos, salsa, more coleslaw, and yellow rice.
For dessert and drinks don't forget chocolate rice pudding and strawberry virgin mojito.
Easy Mexican Style Dinner Recipes
📖Recipe
Simple Chicken Tacos (Best Seasoning!)
Ingredients
For Tacos
- 1 ½ pound boneless skinless chicken breast, or chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice, freshly
For Serving
- hard or soft corn tortillas, 8 inch
- cilantro leaves
- chopped brown or red onion
- bell peppers
- lime wedges
- sour cream
- 1 recipe pico de gallo, (optional)
- 1 recipe guacamole, (optional)
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a ziplock bag or a bowl with the seasonings, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Seal the bag and shake it around until the chicken is covered with the mix. Let it marinate for 3-6 hours if you can, or just 1 hour if you're short on time. For even better results, pound the chicken flat before marinating.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 6-8 minutes until fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to check that it reaches 165°F.
- Take the chicken off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then, cut it into small cubes. Serve with extra lime juice, taco shells, onions, cilantro, and sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
🤷Frequently Asked Questions
Sauce for street tacos often includes a variety of flavorful options, such as:
💚 Salsa Verde: A green sauce made from tomatillos, green chilies, onions, and cilantro, offering a tangy and fresh taste.
❤️ Salsa Roja: A red sauce made from tomatoes, red chilies, garlic, and spices, providing a rich, smoky flavor.
A street taco is special because it uses small, soft corn tortillas and focuses on simple, tasty fillings. It’s topped with fresh ingredients like onions, cilantro, and lime, making it delicious and easy to eat.
YES, you can use taco seasoning on chicken! Just use a store bought or homemade pre-seasoned taco mix.
For tacos, chicken thighs are often the best choice. They’re more forgiving and stay juicy and tender during cooking. Chicken breasts can also be used, but they might be a bit drier.
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