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Easy Chicken Tacos with a 30 minute shredded chicken in a homemade taco seasoning. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, or busy day.
These chicken tacos come together so quick and easy, making them the perfect weeknight family dinner idea. Our popular Mexican Shredded Chicken is loaded up in tortillas and topped with cheese, sour cream, guacamole and all your other favorite toppings.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Seasoning: Use our homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning blend, included in the recipe card below, or use your favorite store-bought seasoning blend.
Best Chicken To Use
I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. It’s easy, and the method we are using to cook the chicken makes the chicken juicy. You can substitute with chicken thighs though for a mixture of dark and light meats. The method will stay the same.
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
How to Make Chicken Tacos
- In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients to make the chicken taco seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Coat the chicken on both sides with the chicken taco seasoning. Drizzle the olive oil and heat in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chicken and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Pour in the chicken stock. Cover the skillet and let the chicken cook in the broth for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken registers 165 degrees internally and is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet, shred using a fork, then return to the skillet.
- Stir to coat the chicken in the remaining sauce in the skillet. Let sit and keep warm on low heat for about 3-5 minutes, to get good flavor throughout the chicken.
- Serve warm on tortillas with any additional toppings you would enjoy!
Topping Ideas
- Guacamole- this recipe is super simple and comes together quickly.
- Pico de Gallo– a fresco (fresh) salsa made with chunks of tomato, onion and jalapeño.
- Homemade Salsa– a blended salsa that is perfect for pouring over any taco recipe!
- Cheese, crema, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, diced cilantro, diced tomatoes, and lime juice.
Storage
- Storing: Store leftovers in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Cooked chicken can be stored in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: Heat chilled chicken in a skillet over medium low heat until warmed through, approximately 8-10 minutes.
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30 Minute Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Chicken Taco Seasoning
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Mexican Chicken
- 1 Chicken taco seasoning ingredients above
- 2 lbs Chicken boneless skinless breasts or thighs
- 1 cup chicken broth low or no sodium
Chicken Tacos
- tortillas
- shredded cheese
- tomato diced
- guacamole
- sour cream
- cilantro diced
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients to make the chicken taco seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Coat the chicken on both sides with the chicken taco seasoning.
- Drizzle the olive oil and heat in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chicken and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Pour in the chicken stock. Cover the skillet and let the chicken cook in the broth for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken registers 165 degrees internally and is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet, shred using a fork, then return to the skillet.
- Stir to coat the chicken in the remaining sauce in the skillet. Let sit and keep warm on low heat for about 3-5 minutes, to get good flavor throughout the chicken.
- Serve warm on tortillas with any additional toppings you would enjoy!
Video
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by KJandCompany.co
Recipe first published January 29, 2019. Updated May 6, 2024.
I made this last Tuesday. I am also making it tonight and doubling the recipe with a second pan. As my kids have invited some friends over. I did add half of a lime I squirted the juice all over the chicken it was so good everybody loved it we do tacos every Tuesday and we were getting pretty tired of the basic beef tacos so I’m so glad I found this quick and easy recipe thank you so much for sharing this we really really enjoyed it
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thank you!
I made this today in my crockpot and it was very good.
Super easy and delicious. I will make it again and add a little less salt because it was salty.
You got the slow cooker times in the recipe backwards. Tried it both ways – stove top as well as slow cooked, and both came out quite nice. Kids are already asking to add to the rotation.
Is the olive oil part of the chicken taco seasoning or it part of the Mexican chicken ingredients?
Thanks!
It’s part of cooking the chicken. Don’t mix it into the seasoning. Just use the oil to heat in the pan before adding the chicken to cook.
Just made this recipe and turned out to be a huge hit!!! Added cilantro and a couple tablespoons of lime once I shredded the chicken and returned it back to the remaining sauce. Quick, easy, and so SO GOOD!
This recipe was delicious!!! The family loved it .. they thought chicken was moist and flavorful ?. Great dinner .. we will continue to use recipe . Thanks ?
Do you use the entire recipe of seasoning or just enough to coat the chicken?
The amount in the recipe is what I use when I make 2 pounds of chicken.
My husband loved it and it was easy to make. I was even out of avocado, cilantro, salsa, but used the crispy taco shells and made it with Spanish Rice. Will definitely do this again!
So glad you enjoyed Kathy! Thanks!
This is the first time I tried a chicken taco recipe, it is the best chicken taco I ever had ?
Made these tacos for my husband and he said the chicken was the best!! And it was really easy. This method of cooking the chicken kept it really moist. Thank you.
When the lcjicken is covered with the lid, what heat setting should it be on?
Keep the heat to a medium or medium low. You should see a simmering happening with the liquid, but you don’t want it to be aggressively boiling.