Simple chicken tacos that are ready in under 20 minutes! Juicy seasoned chicken thighs combined toppings and the ultimate homemade taco sauce.
If you love Mexican-inspired dishes as much as we do then try our other recipes, like our Chicken Chipotle Bowls!
CHICKEN TACOS
These chicken tacos are so easy to make and irresistibly good! The chicken is made with a flavorful marinate and combined with fresh pico de gallo, avocado, pickled onions and topped with the BEST homemade taco sauce! This taco recipe is so quick and easy, it makes for the perfect weeknight dinner.
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Chicken– We use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but chicken breast also works great! You can do any other chicken, such as our Chipotle chicken recipe or even use shredded chicken.
- Chicken Taco Marinade– To season this chicken, we use oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and cumin. This chicken taco marinade gives you juicy and flavorful chicken that is perfect for tacos.
- Tortillas– Flour or corn tortillas can be used for this recipe, whatever your preference is.
- Taco Sauce– Our homemade taco sauce totally elevates these tacos! We use sour cream, mayo, lime juice, and taco seasoning.
- Pico de Gallo– You cannot have tacos with out homemade pico de gallo! For the pico we use tomatoes, jalapenos, red onion, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TACOS
Have these juicy chicken tacos ready in under 20 minutes!
- In a bowl, add the chicken and the marinade and mix until well combined.
- Cook the chicken with the desired method. (We use the air fryer method in this recipe!)
- While the chicken is cooking, prep all the desired toppings for your tacos.
- In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the taco sauce.
- Once the chicken is cooked, cube into small bite size pieces.
- Assemble the chicken tacos and serve.
STORING & REHEATING
Leftover chicken taco meat is great!
- Store– Just store the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheating– Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet until reheated.
CHICKEN COOKING METHODS
No matter what method you use, you want to make sure the internal temperature of your chicken reaches 165°F.
- Air Fryer– Add the marinated chicken to the air fryer basket and air fryer at 400°F for 18-20 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.
- Skillet– Heat a skillet with oil on medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs to the skillet and cook until crispy. Flip and finish cooking until cooked through.
- Grill– Clean the grill grates and preheat. Once the grill is hot, grill the chicken thighs on medium high heat for about 6-7 minutes, flipping and cooking an addition 7-8 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Oven– Preheat the oven at 400°F and add the chicken thighs to a baking dish or a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for about 28-30 minutes or until cooked through.
SERVING IDEAS
Elevate taco Tuesdays with these delicious chicken tacos by pairing it with the right sides! Pair with:
| Buffet Style– Add all the toppings into bowls and have a buffet style dinner! This is a great party idea or even just for a weeknight dinner. |
TACO TOPPINGS
The choice of toppings is endless for your tacos! Here are some topping ideas:
- Pico de Gallo
- Avocado
- Pickled Onions
- Feta Cheese
- Guacamole
- Chipotle Corn Salsa
- Peach Salsa
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Salsa Verde
- Salsa
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Best Chicken Tacos Recipe
The BEST chicken tacos recipe made in under 20 minutes! Juicy chicken combined with crispy tortillas, veggies and sour cream, is the perfect dinner.
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Servings 12 -16 small tacos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 12-16 small taco tortillas
- pickled onions optional
- feta Cheese optional
Chicken Taco Marinade-
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Pico de Gallo-
- 2 small plum tomatoes chopped
- 1 Tbsp canned jalapenos finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp chopped red onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped
- ¼ tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper or to taste
Taco Sauce-
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp mayo
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and cumin until well combined.
- Add the chicken thighs to the air fryer basket and air fry at 400F for 16-18 minutes, or until crispy and cooked through. (You can use any cooking method you desire to cook the chicken.)
- Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together cubed tomatoes, chopped jalapenos, chopped onion, minced garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, mayo, lime juice, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, allow to sit at room temp for 4-5 minutes. Cube into small bite size pieces.
- Assemble the chicken tacos and serve.
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