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Easy chicken tacos recipe made with tender and juicy diced chicken and topped with avocado, onions, and lime juice.
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4.73 from 415 votes

Easy Chicken Tacos

The best chicken tacos made with a quick and easy marinade and cooked in a skillet. Great for fast weeknight meals!
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8 servings (3 tacos each)
Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Ingredients

For the marinade

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder*
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)

For the tacos

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 24 corn tortillas (or flour tortillas)
  • pico de gallo or your favorite salsa (optional)
  • queso fresco or your favorite cheese (optional)

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, baking dish or freezer bag, add all the ingredients for the marinade. Mix together to fully combine.
  • Add chicken thighs to marinade and toss together to coat. Cover chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken to the skillet with tongs and cook 5-7 minutes per side, until fully cooked through. Discard the used marinade.
  • Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. While chicken is resting, warm up the corn tortillas on a hot griddle or in the microwave.
  • Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and serve in warm tortillas with salsa and cheese.

Video

Notes

The longest I recommend marinating the chicken in the mixture is up to 2 hours. Since it's made with lime juice and vinegar, the texture of the chicken can start to change if you leave it in any longer. If you want to prep it beforehand and let it marinate overnight, I recommend making the marinade without the vinegar and lime juice. Then 2 hours before cooking, you can add in those two ingredients.
*If you don't have ancho chili powder, use more regular chili powder.

Nutrition

Serving: 3tacos | Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 565mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2.3mg