Easy Chicken Tacos
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With a simple spice rub, the chicken is cooked quickly on the stovetop! Serve with pico de gallo, avocado + lime wedges!
Featured Comment
I think this will be my go-to weeknight meal for the next few weeks. No, wait, months probably. Because, guys, we just brought home a little baby corgi brother for Butters. So to say my hands will be full with these two little buggers is clearly an understatement.
reasons to make easy chicken tacos
- Truly the easiest weeknight chicken tacos ever (also great for lazy weekends)
- Includes a simple make-ahead spice rub using pantry ingredients already on hand (chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and garlic powder), no marinade involved here
- So customizable – can be served in warm tortillas as tacos or burritos, and leftovers can be served as bowls, quesadillas or salads – the sky is the limit!
tips and tricks for success
- Use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets retain heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking and a better sear.
- Grill outdoors. When the weather permits, use an outdoor grill for even more smoky, charred flavors.
- Make ahead of time. The spice rub can be mixed, prepped and stored in an airtight container ahead of time, cutting prep time even more. Season the chicken with the spice mixture when ready to cook.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to dicing into bite-size pieces, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Use flour or corn tortillas. Tacos are traditionally made with corn tortillas but small flour or corn tortillas can be used depending on personal preference.
- Double up the tortilla. Street tacos are typically served on two tortillas, known as la copia or “the copy”. This practice helps keep the filling together, and if the first tortilla breaks, the back up tortilla can be used for the rest of the filling.
- Serve with your favorite toppings. Serve with pico de gallo, salsa verde, guacamole, avocado, cilantro, cotija cheese or lime.
what to serve with chicken tacos
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Easy Chicken Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Yes! We have a recipe for that here.
Yes, we have a recipe for that here.
Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Easy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 12 mini flour tortillas, warmed
- 1 cup pico de gallo, homemade or store-bought
- 1 avocado, halved, peeled, seeded and diced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Season chicken with chili powder mixture.
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
- Serve chicken in tortillas, topped with pico de gallo, avocado, cilantro and lime.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
My family loved this quick and easy recipe. Even my 5- year old, who eats absolutely nothing, loved them! It will definitely be a “go to” on weeknights!
Being stuck home for almost 3 months due to the outbreak in NY, we have grown tired of making the same old food. I had boneless chicken and no idea what to do with it. I googled chicken recipe ideas and this came up.
Wasn’t planning on making tacos but I am so glad I did!! I used boneless chicken breasts and sliced them very thin and cooked them after letting them sit in the spice rub for a couple hours. I didn’t have fresh pico but salsa was good as well. My younger son even tried them and ate 2 tacos himself, which is highly unusual because he eats almost nothing new even though we try! These will be made again and again! Thank you!
Made this tonight on my Blackstone Griddle. It was so easy since I could cook it all at once. I took another reviewer’s idea and cut the chicken up before cooking it. Simple and delicious recipe. My son doesn’t like avocado so he added shredded cheese. My family loved it! This will be my new chicken taco recipe now. Thank you so much.
I don’t write reviews very often, but I felt like I needed to because these tacos were THAT good! I did use chicken breasts instead of thighs and my husband grilled the chicken and tortillas. My husband, kids, and I loved them. This will be our go to recipe from now on!
I know when I come across your recipes on Pinterest, that it’ll be good!
They were great. Will make again.
Super tasty! I will definitely make this again. I like your
tortilla shells they look way better than mine did!
This was a fabulous Saturday night taco and a few beers
Covid-19 date night! Thanks
Haven’t tried these yet but they look fantastic. My question is how do you warm your taco shells. I noticed the char marks on them which look great. In the oven or in a fry pan?
the best way to warm tortillas is to put them directly over your burner. I have a gas stove and I just pop those bad boys on for a couple seconds each side. Let the flame toast them so you get a nice little char
Wow! These tacos were “Damn Delicious”!! Not only do we live in So California where good Mexican food is prevalent, but my college-age boys are 1/2 Hispanic and very picky about their taco meat. I have bought similar pre-marinated taco meat at the Hispanic market that wasn’t very good. I could tell by reading the recipe and reviews that these were going to be good. I made them tonight and my sons gave them their seal of approval and gobbled up a double batch. I loved them too. I diced the chicken first and then coated them in the seasoning in a bowl and let it sit for about 20 mins. I think dicing the chicken first really allows all the pieces to be well-coated in seasoning. We ate them with corn tortillas that I lightly warm/lightly brown in an ungreased skillet with avaocado and homemade pico de gallo. Mmmm! This will now be my go-to taco recipe. Thank you!
Trying to figure out how to “char” tortillas on an electric stove, and noticed you said you don’t grease the skillet. Is there an advantage to not using oil to do this?
Amazingly good chicken tacos! I like to add some cilantro lime ranch dressing to the mix and I fry my tortillas in oil to get a bit of crunch, which is my personal preference. Thank you for the recipe!
So quick and easy! Love this recipe! My kids love it too! So thankful this website and these incredible recipes!
Omg! This chicken taco recipe is very very delicious! Definitely be making again!
Very tasty!
Better than I expected! Super flavorful
Thanks for that recipe it was soo yummy . I saw the recipe today and I thought hmm why i dont try to cook that dish for today’s dinner. I will definitely keep that receipt and do it time to time.
Absolutely delicious. Spice rub was perfect and everyone loved these tacos. Definitely a recipe to keep.
Thanks!
This is my go-to website for recipes that I know I’ll love. I have made several of Chungah’s recipes and they are always a hit. I made these chicken tacos tonight and they were delicious. I was tempted to use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs because I already had the breasts on hand, but I’m glad I went ahead and got the thighs because they were so much more tender and perfect for these tacos. The recipe was quick and easy, just like the name states. My household is pretty wimpy when it comes to spicy foods so I only used 1/4 tsp of chili powder and it was just right for us.
Easy to make and so damn delicious!!!
Just made them! So good! Fast and easy. Great meal during quarantine
Yum!!! Very easy and delicious.
I’ve never done a spice rub before, so I just had a question if anyone could answer it. Sorry I am 24, and a mom of a 2 year old, and have been living with my boyfriend for 4 years. I’m trying to be a good mom and wife and make new recipes to try and find some staples everyone loves to make for years to come. Basically just trying to make our own little family traditions. But anyways, for the spice rub would I rub that onto the chicken, sprinkle it on the chicken, coat the chicken or would like dicing the chicken before I cook it and tossing it in the spice rub be better? Sorry I know it’s a dumb question but I just want it to be right.
Shana, you could do any of those things and it will turn out fine. I prefer to dice the chicken first just because it cooks faster that way and everyone is always hungry at dinner time.