The Best Chicken Tacos Ever
on May 22, 2017, Updated Jul 19, 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 tacos are super simple—they’re made with some delicious, full-of-flavor chicken meat and a simple onion and cilantro topping on corn tortillas. Give the whole thing a squeeze of lime before you eat it, and that’s a wrap!
Keeping them simple makes them taste like they are straight off a food truck (you might also call them a 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
- This flavorful chicken is marinated in a delicious blend of spices and lime juice.
- It’s budget-friendly; using chicken thighs as the main protein makes this recipe affordable without compromising on taste.
- Leftover chicken can be used in salads, quesadillas, or burrito bowls.
Recipe Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Seasonings – garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, paprika and cilantro
- Limes
- Olive Oil
- Red or Sweet Onion
- Jalapeño
- Small Corn Tortillas
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 and add the chicken.
- While the chicken cooks, combine all the topping ingredients.
- Chop the chicken, place it in a tortilla, 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 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.
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 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. Here’s a hilarious article from Epicurious about their love of them.
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
Shredded Chicken Tacos
From Scratch Recipes
Chicken Marinade
Chicken Recipes
Chicken Meatballs
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
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
- 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.
Absolutely delicious! We actually served these at a wedding dinner. Thanks for the recipe!!
Congratulations on the wedding!! That’s so exciting and such a compliment that you would choose this to serve. Thank you!!!
Could this be cooked in a crockpot?
Want to try this but am allergic to Jalapeños. Is there anything I could substitute for the jalapeños? This looks delish. Thanks!
You could use another pepper like Anaheim or just skip them!
Followed this recipe completely. Super easy and a great refreshing change to a packet of taco seasoning. I highly recommend making!
Thank you! I have been using this recipe for years and still love it!
My go to always!!
This really was the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time. I am not a cilantro person but this combination was amazing. I made no changes to the recipe except I fried my shells in oil the second time I made it and for me that was the missing piece. But this is going on my rotation! Thank you for an EPIC recipe.
I used the recipe for the chicken today. I thought I didn’t have chili powder so I added cajun seasoning then saw the chili powder and added that too. I only used the juice from half a lime as it was all I had. I also added maybe a 1/4 tsp of sugar to cut the lime. The marinade was delicious on the chicken. Thanks.
I made this for my husband and me for dinner last night. Had more chicken than a pound, so just adjusted spices accordingly, and have some left over. Grilled it for about 10 minutes–love the extra flavor that grilling gives the chicken! Skipped the squeeze of lime at the end, since the topping was so juicy, but DON’T DO IT! I regretted it because I thought the taco was dry…so next taco I will definitely add the lime juice at the end. Truly the best chicken tacos I’ve ever made!
Thanks for leaving a comment Kathy!
I made these for Cinco de Mayo. I had a left over basil pesto chicken breast that I made the other night. I shredded it and added some taco seasoning. I warmed the chicken breast up and added some lime juice. I made the salsa and did the street tacos on my stove top grill. My husband loved them! I did too! And I don’t even like cilantro! Will make them again!!!!
OMG YOU DON’T LIKE CILANTRO……………………..WHAT IS LIFE WITHOUT CILANTRO,…….. CILANTRO IS A GIFT FROM THE GOD’S, LIKE BASIL. AS I AM ITALIAN / MEXICAN, I GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS……….OMG CILANTRO/ LIME AND TEQUILA FOREVER……………………..VIVA MEXICO! OH YA, AND I REALLY LIKE THIS RECIPE,SO ITS MEXICAN APPROVED !
¡LOS MEXICANOS MANDAN, LOS DEMAS BABEAN, SOLO HAY DOS CLASES DE PERSONAS EN ESTE MUNDO, LOS MEXICANOS Y LA GENTE QUE QUIERE SERLO !
Made the chicken last evening and want to re-heat tonight for a family gathering. Do you have suggestion on best method to re-heat?
I just reheat it with a little water in the a skillet, when the water is evaporated it’s warmed up nicely without sticking or drying out.
Making this a week in advance for a surprise party. Can I freeze and reheat in a crockpot?
Yes, it reheats very well! You might just want to add a little chicken broth or something to the slow cooker so it doesn’t dry it out.