The Best Chicken Tacos Recipe Ever
on May 22, 2017, Updated Oct 01, 2024
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Introducing the Best Chicken Tacos recipe ever—they taste like they just came off a food truck! Chicken thighs, plus a simple onion and cilantro topping, make this our all-time favorite easy chicken taco recipe.
These are the BEST tacos and are one of my family’s favorite recipes. Made with some delicious, full-of-flavor chicken meat and a simple onion and cilantro topping on corn tortillas and topped with a squeeze of lime before eating—and that’s a wrap for Taco Tuesday!
Keeping them simple makes them taste like they are straight off a food truck (you might also call them street tacos). They aren’t fussy, but they are so flavorful. You could add a bit of avocado or a sprinkle of cotija cheese, but they aren’t really needed. Keep it simple, friends! Round out the meal with some black beans and cilantro lime rice and you’ll be one happy camper.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Full of Flavor: This flavorful chicken is marinated in a delicious blend of spices and lime juice.
- Low Cost: It’s budget-friendly; using chicken thighs as the main protein makes this recipe affordable without compromising on taste.
- Great Leftovers: Leftover chicken can be used in salads, quesadillas, or burrito bowls. Just store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Please Everyone: Use your family’s favorite toppings to create a taco bar!
Recipe Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – use boneless skinless chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand
- Seasonings – garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, paprika and cilantro
- Limes – don’t skip the fresh lime juice!
- Olive Oil
- Red or Sweet Onion – green onions would also be good!
- Jalapeño
- Small Corn Tortillas – use flour tortillas if preferred
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make the Best Chicken Tacos
- Combine spices, lime juice, and oil. Add the chicken and marinate.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the chicken.
- While the chicken cooks, combine all the topping ingredients.
- Chop the chicken, place it in warm tortillas, and add toppings. Squeeze lime juice over it just before eating.
Recipe FAQs
There are so many options for taco side dishes. I like to serve a Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice, fresh pico de gallo, or refried beans. They are quick, easy, and delish!
Now, this is a great question. I firmly believe in the power of warming the tortillas in the skillet so they get a little toasty and maybe even a little crisp around the edges. It’s a MUST; you must try it out if you’ve never heated yours up. I also like to double-layer my tortillas so they keep all the toppings in better without tortilla breakage. Finally, a sprinkle of lime is absolutely necessary to bring everything together and really add a kick of freshness.
You can literally put whatever you want inside tacos—that’s the beauty of these little customizable wraps! For this recipe, I kept things simple and added some chopped onion, cilantro, and jalapeno with a little lime juice, salt, and pepper. It was divine! You can also add cheese, sour cream, and other veggies.
This recipe makes 4 servings, and I get one pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Feel free to adjust the amount of chicken you purchase depending on how many people you’re serving (and if you have too much, it does make great leftovers!).
Expert Tips
- Two tortillas aren’t a must, but they help to keep everything in. When you just use one tortilla, it seems to break and fall apart.
- If you don’t want the topping to be too spicy, you can remove the seeds from the jalapeno or omit it altogether.
- The lime for serving isn’t optional; it really makes the dish!
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs stay moist better than chicken breasts, and they’re less expensive, which is always a win.
What to Serve With the Best Chicken Tacos Ever
Because these chicken tacos are so simple and easy to make, feel free to add a side of chips, salsa, and guacamole, plus some fun drinks. I recommend some fresh homemade lemonade for this recipe!
You’ll feel like you’re eating out while sitting in your own kitchen.
More Chicken Recipes to Consider
Chicken Recipes
Kung Pow Chicken
From Scratch Recipes
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
From Scratch Recipes
Chicken Divan Recipe
From Scratch Recipes
Chicken Brine
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
The Best Chicken Tacos Ever
Equipment
- shallow baking dish I love using these because they double as little dishes and small serving dishes!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the topping:
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red or sweet onion
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 finely chopped jalapeño
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lime, cut into 8 pieces
- 16 small corn tortillas for serving
Instructions
- In a large zipper-topped plastic baggie or in shallow dish, add the chicken, all of the spices, lime juice, and oil. Close the bag and use your hands to mix everything together. If you are using a shallow dish, use tongs to work the spices evenly into the chicken. You can let this rest for up to a half-hour or work with it right away. I like to let it rest a minute to increase the flavor.
- Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add the chicken. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes. If you have an extra-large chicken thigh, you’ll need to cook them longer, so turn down the heat to medium and cook them until no longer pink (could take up to 25 minutes or 12 minutes per side).
- While the chicken cooks, stir together the chicken taco topping by placing the chopped onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and the juice of one lime in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
- While the chicken rests, wipe your skillet clean with a warm rag or paper towels, and place the skillet back on the heat over medium-high to high heat. Place two tortillas (still stacked together) on the skillet and cook until the underside starts to char. Flip over and cook the other side (so the middle of each tortilla won’t be cooked against the skillet but it will get warm all the way though). Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Chop the rested chicken into small pieces.
- To serve, place 1/8 of the chopped chicken in each set of tortillas (still two stacked together) and top with 1/8 of your onion mixture. Serve each taco with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the taco just before serving.
Video
Notes
- Two tortillas aren’t a must, but they help keep everything in. When you use just one tortilla, it seems to break and fall apart.
- If you don’t want the topping too spicy, you can remove the seeds from the jalapeño or leave it out altogether.
- The lime for serving isn’t optional; it makes the dish!
- You can also bake or grill the chicken for this recipe.
This is a really nice rub as is, but I also tried a batch with chipotle powder in place of chili powder, which added a nice kick to it.
I garnished mine with pickled manzano peppers & onions, cilantro, lime juice, and crumbled cotija cheese.
LOVE the suggestions, thank you!