These simple yet flavorful chicken tacos are easy to make and filled with super juicy and delicious chicken! Perfect for weeknight meals and makes great leftovers!
If there’s a recipe that I make at least once a week, it’s definitely these easy chicken tacos. Hands down, without a doubt, no lie, some version of this chicken taco recipe is on my plate every week. And that doesn’t even include leftovers!
I clearly have a chicken taco addiction. Or more like a juicy marinated chicken thighs addiction. And get ready, friend, because after you make this recipe, you will too! Here’s how you make THE BEST chicken tacos ever!
What cut of chicken do you recommend for the best chicken tacos?
For the juiciest chicken tacos that you can make easily and quickly at home, I highly recommend using chicken thighs. They have a good white meat to dark meat ratio, which makes them a little fattier than chicken breasts and way more moist and juicy.
To cut down on excess fat, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Once you’ve got the right cut of meat, you’re about halfway done to having the most flavorful weeknight meal ever. The next step is going to require some patience, but the end result is totally worth it. You’re going to marinate the chicken for… 30 minutes! That’s it!
The marinade is made olive oil, white wine vinegar and dried spices that are common in most kitchens (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder). Once the marinade is mixed together, simply add the chicken thighs to the marinade, toss them together to coat, cover the marinated chicken and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
How to make chicken tacos
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken thighs to the skillet with tongs and cook 5-7 minutes per side, until fully cooked through. Discard the used marinade.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. While chicken is resting, warm up the corn tortillas on a hot griddle or in the microwave.
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and serve in warm tortillas with your favorite toppings.
What toppings can I eat with these chicken tacos?
I served these tacos with some Mexican pico de gallo and queso fresco, but you can basically use any salsa and cheese combination that you like. Here are a few more ideas for toppings if you’re looking for some inspiration.
- diced avocados or guacamole (like this easy guacamole recipe)
- your favorite salsa (my fave is this toasted red chile salsa)
- sour cream or this chipotle lime crema made from Greek yogurt!
- pickled jalapenos for all my spice lovers out there
- some queso like easy mexican queso dip! wouldn’t that be amazing on a taco?
Basically anything you want to put on a taco is fair game. I always end up overfilling my tacos with things because I want everything on them! But don’t worry, I actually have the best solution for those times when you’re eating a taco and some of the filling falls out the ends. Just place an empty tortilla underneath on your plate so when you go to take a bite and filling falls out, it lands on the empty tortilla! And voila, you’ve got another taco! Genius, right?
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know in the comments below and leave me a rating if you make these chicken tacos!
INGREDIENTS
For the marinade
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder*
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 limes, juiced (about 4 tablespoons)
For the tacos
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 24 corn tortillas
- pico de gallo or your favorite salsa (optional)
- queso fresco or your favorite cheese (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, baking dish or freezer bag, add all the ingredients for the marinade. Mix together to fully combine.
- Add chicken thighs to marinade and toss together to coat. Cover chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken to the skillet with tongs and cook 5-7 minutes per side, until fully cooked through. Discard the used marinade.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. While chicken is resting, warm up the corn tortillas on a hot griddle or in the microwave.
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and serve in warm tortillas with salsa and cheese.
NOTES
Nutritional information does not include optional salsa and cheese toppings.
Kristen Kennedy says
Isabel, these chicken tacos are delicious!! I marinated the chicken (I chose to use breast meat) in a Ziploc bag for easier clean up and grilled it over charcoal. I layered the meat on a carb-free cauli-rice bowl for my lunches, and put together some tacos for my kid’s lunches. He’s a super-picky 8 year old, and he declared your chicken “ohmygodsoyummy,” so thank you, thank you, thank you!
Isabel says
That makes me so happy, Kristen! I’m so glad everyone, including your 8-year-old, loved it! Cheers!
Christie says
WOW!! Yes, that’s the first thing out of my mouth when I “taste tested” the chicken before building the tacos. Soooo much flavor! Hands down the BEST tacos I’ve ever had because the chicken was that great. I can’t believe I’ve never tried to make chicken tacos. I guess because when you think chicken taco, you think of that nasty shredded chicken they give you at eating places? Idk, but I’m already looking forward to making these again! I made mine with chicken tenderloins (what I had on hand) and avocado crema. Sooooo good!!
Isabel says
I’m so happy you loved it, Christie! Thank you so much 🙂
Jade says
This was the best chicken recipe ever! It tasted so authentic, it was better than any of the Mexican restaurants in my city!
Lauren V. says
I can’t stop making these.
Mmmayumi says
Thank you, thank you! I came across this recipe in search of tasty chicken tacos and you did not disappoint. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 🙂
FYI for other readers, I used chicken breast and it was still tasty (although presumably less moist and flavorful). I also didn’t have white wine vinegar so I used half mirin/half white vinegar.
Irene Lucas says
Great recipe!!
Isabel says
Thank you, Irene! So happy you liked it!
Susie J says
This chicken recipe was soooooo delicious and best of all super easy. Loved the flavor and my 3 year old ate it too, which is a big win in my book.
Victoria says
Wow! This marinade is out of this world! I was missing a couple ingredients but the chicken still turned out very flavorful. I baked mine because I’ve had no luck pan cooking chicken. Thanks for the recipe. I will make this again and again!
Megan says
I’ve made this at least half a dozen times now, and we love it! This is now our go-to chicken taco recipe forever!
Isabel says
I’m so happy you’re loving it! Thanks, Megan! 🙂
Isabel Herrera Hagar says
What a great idea about putting a tortilla on the plate to catch anything that drops out of your taco. Then you have another taco. I’ve got some ready made KFC my husband did’t quite like so I’m going to make it into tacos. Since it’s already cooked I won’t leave it in the marinade too long. I’ll top the tacos with aguacate salsa and white cheese. Maybe my husband will like that better. —Isabel*
MICHELE MIHALICK says
This looks like the type of recipe I am looking for! I am having a taco bar for about 100 guests for my son’s graduation party. I am having both ground beef and chicken. Can I make this recipe ahead of time and freeze like I am doing with the ground beef?
Isabel says
I’ve never made such a large amount of food before, but I think it should work! Just make it like normal, cover or transfer to large zip-top storage bags and freeze. Then take them out a day or two beforehand and let them thaw in the fridge. Heat them up in the oven and serve!
Sarah Gallen says
Hi fellow blogger – I love the recipe and your pictures are great!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Sarah Gallen
Wander Lust Meals
Steve says
Amazing chicken. We served with pico de gala, fresh guac, chipotle lime crema, purple cabbage and cilantro. Absolute keeper. Marinated for 2 hours and grilled checken over fire. New go to tacos for sure
Nenu says
had everything but 2 ingredients in my kitchen so I went for it. Just an FYI but I ALWAYS order/make Asada taco because I never ate a chicken taco I LOVED they were always aight. And GIRRRRLLL!!! These were literally the BEST chicken tacos I’ve ever had!!! & I’m from LA where we eat tacos almost everyday haha still shocked that I made something that tast so good I feel so accomplished, THANK YOU!!
Maria Fernandez says
Wow!!! This is amazing! I made a test recipe since I plan to make this for 5 de Mayo for a party I am hosting. The taste exceeded my expectations! I used red wine vinegar because I didn’t have white and I didn’t have fresh limes so I used real lime juice from the bottle. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Amy Kraabel says
My son is deathly allergic to wheat, so I am always looking for yummy easy gluten free recipes for him that actually taste good. This one is AMAZING! I have never tried to make tacos from scratch. This recipe was so easy to follow, and I had most of the ingredients already in my kitchen, which is great. After I cooked the meat and was slicing it up, I couldn’t stop nibbling on the chicken – it was SO good! Only left the meat to marinade for about 30-40 minutes – it was perfect. AND topped with the pico de gallo was a perfect adder!! Thank you so much!!
John Salazar says
These are the boom! Ive made them a few times with a few small tweaks for flavor, but they always turn out great.
Ginger Pesmark says
I am planning on making these for my daughter ms first holy communion party. We are having 60+ people so i wanted to know if I could make them a day before and then reheat them?
Isabel says
Hi Ginger, I’m so honored to hear that you’re going to make on such a special day. Thank you! Yes, you can make them the day before and reheat them the next. I would either reheat them in a few skillets on the stovetop or on a few baking sheets in the oven – either in the oven at about 350 degrees for 5 minutes, or maybe a quick 2-3 minutes under the broiler. Just make sure not to overcook it too so as not to dry out the chicken. Luckily, if you’re using chicken thighs, the meat will still be pretty juicy. Let me know how it goes!
LB says
Enjoyed this chicken taco recipe. The marinade made the chicken tasty and moist.
S. Williams says
Is it okay to marinate it longer. I am making this for a large part and want to prep the night before. What are your thoughts on marinating the chicken longer?!
Isabel says
The longest I recommend marinating the chicken in the mixture is up to 2 hours. Since it’s made with lime juice and vinegar, the texture of the chicken can start to change if you leave it in any longer. If you want to prep it beforehand and let it marinate overnight, I recommend making the marinade without the vinegar and lime juice. Then 2 hours beforehand, you can add in those two ingredients. I hope that helps!
Nancy says
Making this for a baby shower!!!!!
My new favorite recipe !!!!