Description
This smoky and Crispy Sheet Pan Baked Chicken Taco Meat creates tender bites of chicken thigh with the use of lime, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and more savory spices that are perfect to wrap up in tortillas.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon garlic (about 3 cloves), minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
For serving
- 12 six-inch corn tortillas, heated
- Chopped salsa (tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to taste)
- Additional toppings, like sour cream, hot sauce, lettuce, or diced tomatoes, optional
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large (gallon) resealable bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken in the bag. Work the chicken a bit so that it is all evenly covered.
- Add the cilantro to the bag, and seal the top of the bag, removing as much air from the bag as you can. Rub the marinade all over the chicken.
- Place the bag in the the fridge, and let the chicken marinade for 1 to 6 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush a rimmed large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, and place it on the baking sheet, spacing it evenly apart.
- Roast in the hot oven, until the bottom and sides are golden and crisp, and the thickest parts of the chicken are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
- Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes before slicing into strips.
- Serve in warm tortillas with your toppings of choice.
Notes
- You can use boneless skinless chicken leg and thigh meat for this recipe — just adjust the cooking time as needed (the smaller cuts of meat will cook faster).
- Don’t overcook your chicken. Check for doneness with an cheap instant read thermometer. Avoiding overcooking the chicken is the key to not drying it out.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: dinner
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex, Mexican