Chicken Tacos
These Chicken Tacos are a family favorite! Tender seasoned chicken cooks up quickly, then slice it up and serve in warm tortillas with your favorite taco toppings. Cook the chicken in a skillet, in the air fryer or on the grill!
My Family Can’t Get Enough of These Chicken Tacos
My family loves tacos for dinner, and we have a few favorite taco recipes in our rotation: Vegetarian Tacos, Instant Pot Chicken Tacos and this Ground Beef Taco Recipe.
But right now? These chicken tacos are the tacos that I’m adding to our weekly meal plan week after week. They check all the boxes for a weeknight dinner staple:
- Quick and Easy. This recipe is as simple as can be. I’m all about easy dinners these days, so we can squeeze more summer fun out of each day. You can have these tacos on your dinner table in 30 minutes.
- Mostly Pantry Staple Ingredients. This is not one of those recipes that requires you to add a dozen items to your grocery list. I typically have to buy chicken and that’s it, unless I want to get all fancy with the toppings. Which I rarely do. Just some shredded lettuce, cheese and a bit of chopped tomato and avocado is all I need. (We typically keep tortillas on hand in the fridge. If I have a bit of extra time to spare I make these Homemade Flour Tortillas. My kids go crazy for them!)
- Family-Friendly. Besides pasta, I can’t think of a more kid-friendly dinner idea than tacos. My kids love these tacos and the fact that they can fill their tortillas just the way they like.
Incredible Chicken Taco Seasoning
These chicken tacos have amazing flavor thanks to a simple, flavorful spice rub that you rub on the chicken before cooking. It’s a variation of my go-to taco seasoning recipe, and it is so good. It has a bit of a spicy-smoky flavor, but mostly it makes the chicken taste perfectly seasoned, vs. spicy-hot.
How to Make Chicken Tacos
Mix up the seasonings. Combine the chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and stir or whisk to blend.
Pound the chicken breasts. This step is well worth the few minutes it takes because it makes the chicken so tender and it helps it to cook through evenly. Place the chicken breasts in a zip-top plastic bag and pound them using a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are an even thickness, about ยฝ-inch thick. Now, you’ll have chicken breasts that will cook through evenly and more quickly since they’re thinner, plus you tenderized them with the pounding, too. It’s a win all around!
Season the chicken. Rub the seasoning mixture over all sides of the chicken breasts.
Cook the chicken. I like to cook it in a skillet; it takes about 5-8 minutes per side over medium heat. Cooking the chicken in the air fryer also works great (see my Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe for cook time and temperature). Or, grill the chicken over medium to medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat so that they stay in the chicken when you slice it –> juicy chicken. Then chop it into bite-size pieces.
Serve it up, in warmed tortillas with the toppings you most enjoy.
Taco Toppings
This is the fun part! Choose from these ideas or get creative with your favorite toppings.
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
- Shredded lettuce
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
- Chopped tomatoes or Pico de Gallo
- Chopped red, white or green onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream
What to Serve with Chicken Tacos
Serve these tacos with your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex side dishes, such as Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, Pinto Beans or Corn Salad. And don’t forget the chips and salsa!
More Favorite Taco Recipes
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Ground Turkey Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos
- Fish Tacos
- Lentil Tacos
Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Chicken Taco Seasoning
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons chili powder
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon paprika
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon black pepper
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, smaller (6-8 ounces each) or thin-sliced chicken breasts are best because they cook through faster
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 small flour tortillas
Topping Ideas
- shredded lettuce, iceberg or romaine
- shredded cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheese
- sliced avocado or guacamole
- chopped tomatoes
- chopped red onion
- chopped fresh cilantro
- pico de gallo, salsa or sour cream
Instructions
- Combine all chicken taco seasoning ingredients (chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper) in a small bowl and stir or whisk to blend.
- Place the chicken breasts in a zip-top plastic bag and pound them using a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are an even thickness, about ยฝ-inch thick.
- Take the chicken out of the bag and rub the seasoning mixture over all sides of the chicken breasts.
- Cook chicken. Skillet method: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through to 165ยฐ F. If the chicken breasts are on the larger side, you can cover the pan to trap the heat to help the center of the chicken to cook through. Alternatively you can grill the chicken on an outdoor grill or oiled grill pan over medium to medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Or air fryer chicken at 400ยฐ for 13-20 minutes, flipping it over halfway through, until the center reaches 165ยฐF.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Then chop it into bite-size pieces.
- Warm the tortillas in a skillet on the stove, or in the microwave between paper towels. Fill tortillas with chicken and your desired toppings. Serve.
Notes
- Nutrition estimate does not include tortillas or toppings since those will vary.
- Store leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
