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’ve made this recipe at least 5 times now for family and friends and each time has been so delicious! I like to use thinly sliced chicken breast and they always come out juicy and not dry with this rub. I 100% recommend this!!!
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.
Best Sides to Serve with Chicken Tacos
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Easy Chicken Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts?
Yes, chicken breasts can be used in this chicken tacos recipe, but thighs make juicier, more flavorful easy chicken tacos.
Can I make chicken tacos in the Instant Pot?
Yes, we have a recipe for that here.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Easy Chicken Tacos
With a simple spice rub, the chicken is cooked quickly on the stovetop! Serve with pico de gallo, avocado + lime wedges!
Video
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this tonight to put on nachos and it was perfection. My oldest (5) was picking at the chicken faster than I could put it on the chips. Thank you!
don’t use any of those too high in Omega 6 oils! Coconut oil or butter is safer/best for our bodies. Otherwise, I love your recipes! Omega 6s cause extreme inflammation.
Do you seriously think 1 Tablespoon of Canola oil is going to cause “extreme inflammation.” Your comment is ridiculous.
Yes it does. Why not use avocado oil instead? It won’t cause inflammation.
I use olive oil rather than canola. A hit every time!
So tasty! Will fix again for sure!
These were delicious!!! I will definitely be making these again!
Delicious! Good flavor and very easy prep. I will use again.
My husband stated that these are the best tacos he has ever had !! AMAZING ( and unbelievably easy ). Will take this on our camping trip for an excellent dinner. Thank you.
This was absolutely delicious! I will make this again.
Sooo good
Amazing. So easy to make. We used chicken tenderloins and cut them into bite size pieces after cooking them up. Super fresh snd so tasty!! My whole family raved about how delicious the chicken was. Squeezing the lime on the top of the tacos was definitely a key for all of us. I also added some finely sliced red onions for me, shredded Mexican cheese and cut up small grape tomatoes since my youngest doesn’t like pico de gallo .
These chicken tacos are fantastic. I didn’t change a thing and the whole family loved them. This will be my go to recipe from now on.
Made these with chicken thighs. Let the dry rub sit for about 2 hours, then put them on the grill which added great flavor. Everyone loved the flavor and complimented on the recipe. Will definitely make this again. We used a bunch of other “toppings” for the tacos, including a red cabbage slaw, corn salsa, crema, cotija, cilantro, guac, cheese, and made a taco bar so everyone could make their own. It was a hit!
Been looking for a better and easier chicken taco recipe and I found it here. Thank you
I used chicken breasts because that’s what I had on hand. It was delicious! I’ll never use ground beef for tacos again!
Most of the recipes I’ve tried from this site are winners with the family.
The easy chicken tacos recipe was not among them.
Realizing that fast and easy recipes can sacrifice flavor for convenience, these types of recipes can be more challenging to pull off.
This particular recipe uses few ingredients as fillers for the taco. So, it leaves the tacos with shallow flavors. And despite all the spices used for the meat, our family found the chickens rather bland.
pretty darn good
So delicious! I was a bit sceptical, but so, so good! Put the tortillas on the cast iron pan for about 30 seconds each side. So much better than the microwave. Will definitely be a staple.
awsome
This recipe was so good. My dad hates any new recipe I make but he loved this one!
Did this with chicken breast and cod. I cut the breasts before cooking to make sure that they cooked quickly without drying out.
I added 1 teaspoon of Trader Joes Citrus Garlic seasoning and I used ancho chili powder. Seriously so good on the chicken and the cod. Served with Mexican cauliflower rice.
So easy and tasty! 15/10. Will definitely make them again. I diced red pepper and red onion and topped with microgreens since I didn’t have any of the suggested toppings on hand.
Made your recipe yesterday. My family said they were the best they ever had.