The Best Chicken Tacos Ever
on Aug 24, 2021, Updated Sep 25, 2023
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Introducing the best chicken tacos ever. An easy chicken taco recipe made with chicken thighs, plus a simple onion & cilantro topping. This is our all-time favorite chicken taco recipe. They taste like they just came off a food truck!
Everyone in your family will love this recipe — they’ll gobble it up, AND it only takes a few minutes. You’ll be the star of dinner!
Table of Contents
An Easy Chicken Tacos Recipe
These tacos are super simple in the fact that they are only made with some chicken meat (that is super delicious and full of flavor) and a simple onion and cilantro topping on corn tortillas. Give the whole thing a squeeze of lime before you eat them, and that’s a wrap! I feel like keeping them simple is what makes them taste like they are straight off of a food truck (you might also call them a street taco), because you’ll just pick them up and eat two. They aren’t fussy, they don’t have a lot of layers, and they are so full of flavor. You could add a bit of avocado or a sprinkle of cotija cheese, but those aren’t really needed. Keep it simple, friends!
Why chicken thighs are awesome for tacos:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs are the moist and flavor-packed version of their chicken breast counterparts. They don’t dry out, and I LOVE using them.
- They tend to be a lot less expensive than chicken breasts, which is always a win.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs do have a bit more fat on them, but you can trim any visible fat before using and they’ll still be moist when cooked.
- Here’s a hilarious article from Epicurious about their love of all things chicken thighs, if you need further convincing.
- Instant Pot Lovers: Here’s my favorite Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat recipe for you. SO good.
Have I convinced you yet to try them? Seriously, just get a pound (for a couple of bucks) to make this recipe, and that will be enough to get you on team chicken thigh. So easy to use and full of flavor!
Tips and tricks for making the best chicken tacos:
- The two tortillas aren’t a must, but it helps to keep everything in. When you just use one tortilla they seem to break and fall apart.
- If you don’t want the topping too spicy, you can remove the seeds from the jalapeno or omit it all together.
- The lime for serving isn’t optional; it really makes the dish!
Because these chicken tacos are so simple and easy to make, feel free to add a side of chips and salsa and guacamole plus some fun drinks (I recommend some fresh homemade lemonade for this recipe)! You’re going to feel like you are eating out while sitting in your own kitchen.
How much chicken do I need for tacos?
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!).
Frequently Asked Questions
So many options for taco side dishes. I like to serve cilantro lime rice, fresh pico de Gallo or refried beans. Quick, easy, and so 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, and you have to try it out if you’ve never heated yours up. I also like to double layer my tortillas so it keeps 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.
Um, totally! You’ve usually got some sort of protein and veggie, and these tacos use corn tortillas, which are slightly healthier than flour. They’re packed with all sorts of wholesome goodness, so go ahead and add this to your “healthy meals” roster.
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 any other veggies you like.
More taco recipes:
- Navajo Taco Recipe
- Knock-Your-Socks-Off Pulled Pork Tacos
- Instant Pot Ground Turkey and Lentil Taco Filling
- Grilled Chicken Tacos
- Crispy Sheet Pan Baked Chicken Taco Meat
If you’ve tried my favorite chicken taco recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation
The Best Chicken Tacos Ever
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 bite-sized 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
- The two tortillas aren’t a must, but it helps to keep everything in. When you just use one tortilla, they seem to break and fall apart.
- If you don’t want the topping too spicy, you can remove the seeds from the jalapeño or omit it all together.
- The lime for serving isn’t optional; it really makes the dish!
- You can also bake or grill the chicken for this recipe.
Nutrition
This chicken taco recipe hitting the spot? You might also like these chicken recipes:
- Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
- Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- The Best Chicken Tostada Recipe
- The Best Baked Chicken Legs
- Grilled Chicken Tacos
- Crispy Sheet Pan Baked Chicken Taco Meat
- Crunchy Baked Chicken Tacos
- Baja Fish Tacos
I can’t wait for you to make these Best Chicken Tacos Ever, try boneless skinless chicken thighs (if you aren’t already using them), and to thank me after you make this awesome meal. Enjoy, from my kitchen to yours!
Omg thank you for finally giving a realistic amount of time for chicken to cook in a pan. Mine always takes way longer than the “2-3 minutes on each side” that all these other recipes say.
Right? I know what you are taking about! lol, I made these last night too 🙂
Made this tonight and it was so flavorful! I doubled the spices and added it to cubed acorn squash that had been roasted. Then sautéed in a cast iron pan. I called it “vegan chicken!” 😂
That sounds really good! Thank you for sharing!
I do not normally comment on any recipes I try but OH MY GOSH!!!!! Let me preface by saying I’m not an amazing cook. I CAN cook, but far from amazing. I felt like a chef in a 5 star restaurant serving this chicken taco recipe. Amazing doesn’t even describe it. This should explain it better. I bought a 3.6 pound pack of chicken. We have a large family but also planned on having leftovers for my lunch. It ended up being just 3 of us eating last night. We ate all but one cup of the chicken. My husband and son were blown away with how delicious it was. I could easily eat this 4 time a week. Thank you for posting this mind blowing yummy recipe. AND for having exact measurements on EVERYTHING! Us not so amazing cooks need this more than you know!!! 🙂
Best comment ever!! Thank you for taking the time do write that out Pamela, it made my day!
This turned out amazing! My entire family loved it. We used small flour tortillas instead of corn. The topping is a must try!
I tried this recipe, and it was excellent, but I have questions I want to ask; how can I reach you?
Made a batch 5x the amount suggested for our Sunday church gathering, and it turned out delicious! I marinaded it a bit longer than suggested, and we just cooked the thighs in vegetable oil outside on a griddle. Definitely adding this recipe to our favorites! 🙂
Question: I don’t have chicken thigh on hand, but I have ground chicken. Do you think it will work similar if i did the rest the same?
Please advise.
I’d probably skip it with the ground chicken, I think chicken breast would be a better second option.
Hi, is really just salt in the topping “to taste” enough salt for this recipe? Would you kindly confirm that no salt is needed to salt the chicken? Because I don’t see it in the ingredients list, and asked once before without a reply, thanks!
Sorry I missed you the first time, the chicken has a 1/2 teaspoon salt in it, but you can for sure adjust that to taste if you’d like. Enjoy, this is one of my favorite recipes.
Hello, it looks from the recipe that you cook the chicken in a dry heated pan? Or are the chicken thighs covered in water? Thank you.
You just add a little oil to the pan first!
Question: no salt in the marinade? Only pepper? Thanks