Easy Chicken Tacos
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Make easy chicken tacos at home with juicy chicken thighs, a bold spice rub, and all your favorite toppings like pico de gallo, avocado, and lime wedges. This chicken tacos recipe is quick, flavorful, and perfect for weeknight taco night.
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.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Chicken Tacos Recipe
- 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 for Perfect Easy Chicken Tacos Every Time
- Use a cast iron skillet for the best sear and juicy chicken. High, even heat locks in flavor so your easy chicken tacos cook fast and stay tender. Allowing for even cooking and a better sear. For the juiciest chicken taco recipe, use chicken thighs. They stay moist and flavorful compared to breasts, making this the best chicken taco choice for weeknights.
- Grill outdoors. When the weather permits, use an outdoor grill for even more smoky, charred flavors.
- Mix a bigger batch of the homemade spice rub and store it as your go-to chicken taco seasoning. It cuts prep for taco night and guarantees consistent flavor in every chicken tacos recipe. 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. The spice mix doubles as homemade chicken taco seasoning, so you can prep jars in advance for faster taco night.
- Let your meat rest. For the juiciest chicken taco recipe, choose thighs and rest 5 minutes before dicing. The spice rub + cast iron skillet combo keeps every bite tender.
- 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.
How to Make Chicken Tacos at Home
Making chicken tacos at home is simple: season chicken with a quick spice rub, cook in a cast iron skillet, and serve in tortillas with toppings like pico de gallo, avocado, cilantro, and lime. This easy chicken tacos recipe is ready in 30 minutes and works with either chicken thighs or breasts.
Best Sides to Serve with Chicken Tacos
Tools For This Recipe
Cast iron skillet — essential for quick, even heat and that golden sear. Also handy: tongs for flipping, a sharp knife for slicing, and a cutting board for toppings.
Large cast iron skillet
Easy Chicken Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions
How long to cook chicken for tacos? About 4–5 minutes per side in a hot cast iron skillet until 165°F.
How do you make chicken tacos at home? Just season, cook, and serve in tortillas with toppings.
Yes, chicken breasts can be used in this chicken tacos recipe, but thighs make juicier, more flavorful easy chicken tacos.
Keep but optimize: Yes! For quicker prep, try our Instant Pot chicken tacos recipe linked 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.
Classic chicken taco toppings include pico de gallo, avocado, cilantro, cotija cheese, salsa verde, and lime wedges.
Season the chicken with spice rub, cook, and store for 2–3 days. Reheat and assemble tacos just before serving.
Chicken tacos use small tortillas with simple toppings, while burritos are larger, wrapped, and loaded with rice and beans.
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?
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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.
way too much salt but I enjoyed the flavor and had all the the ingredients!
Great spice rub, the chicken was delicious! We cooked it on the grill – the whole family loved it! Thanks for another great recipe!
Made this chicken with my Hospitality Students at a BOCES. We were learning how to cut chicken with a chef knife. We cubed the chicken before cooking, seasoned and then cooked!! Completing and eating Tacos tomorrow.
Thanks!!
I found this recipe for taco night and haven’t looked for another one since. The first time I used it, I thought to myself, this is a lot of seasoning; however, it turned out perfect. I did find it easier to cut the meat into bite-size pieces first ensure it is done the first go around. Overall this recipe is the best!
It’s better if you chop up the meat first then add the spices onto the meat and throw it into the pan on high with 3 table spoons of oil for 6 minutes, but over all it’s a great recipe .
I used chicken breast came out so delicious am adding it to my favorite recipes
This was really tasty
Simple, quick, delicious!! What’s not to love??! Thanks for another keeper!
I can mess up any recipe, but this chicken is awesome. Everyone loved it!
Delicious! We didn’t change a thing and loved it —- even our picky 4 and 2 year olds loved it. Definitely a keeper!
This was honestly so easy I looked like a chef! Thank you for sharing this simple yet delicious recipe
We love this recipe, and it has become a new family staple. I especially love these tacos with a little bit of guacamole or plain avocado for a little creaminess.
These are ABSOLUTELY yummie My Daughter is vegetarian so i made another batch with chick peas instead of chicken, just as yummy
Easy as to make,great recipe
This recipe is sooooo good and easy ! It was a hit !!
Quick, easy, flavorful! Will make again soon!!
Okay, this was AMAZING. That spice rub was so bomb, this week has been unbelievably busy and I was looking for a super quick delicious meal. This was it!! I’m definitely keeping this one for all my busy weeks 🙂
This was AMAZING!!!!! My husband including my 4 little guys gobbled up a double recipe. I made my own pico de gallo and it was just soooo, sooo good!
You went all out! Homemade pico de gallo? So awesome. Thanks, Maggie!