Easy Chicken Tacos

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Ready in just 30 minutes, these grilled chicken tacos are perfect for those busy week nights when you’re short on time but want to get a healthy dinner on the table!

A lighter alternative to greasy ground beef, these healthy chicken tacos are loaded with classic Mexican flavors from real ingredients that you can feel good about feeding to your family!

How to make chicken tacos:

In a large bowl or measuring cup combine lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, cumin, chiles in adobo, chili powder, garlic powder, a large pinch of salt and pepper.

Add chicken tenders to a bowl and pour marinade over the chicken.

Nestle chicken into the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.

While the chicken is marinating, combine all slaw ingredients except broccoli slaw in a large bowl. Then fold in broccoli slaw, cover and let the flavors marry in the fridge until ready to serve.

Heat a grill to medium high heat or heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Allow excess marinade to drip off chicken and then place on grill or in pan.

Cook each side for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until a nice golden brown crust forms and the chicken is cooked through. You may need to cook in 2 batches depending on the size of your pan. 

Allow chicken to rest for 3-4 minutes and then slice into bite size pieces.

To assemble, place sliced chicken in the center of a tortilla then top it with a heaping spoonful of chipotle slaw, homemade pico de gallo, crumbled queso fresco and fresh cilantro.

Serve with fresh lime wedges and enjoy!

Why you’re going to love this recipe:

• It’s such a welcomed break from the classic ground beef tacos! Everyone loves a classic taco now and then, but week after week it can start to get boring real quick. Keep things interesting with this flavor forward, super simple family dinner!
• It’s quick and easy! No fancy kitchen gadgets required. No cooking experience needed. Stir the marinade ingredients together, then cook the chicken and assemble the tacos. It really is THAT easy!
• The flavors are fantastic! The combination of the acid from the lime, the sweetness from the honey, the spice from the chiles in adobo and the from the oil combine to make literally the most flavorful marinade you’ve ever tasted! Pile it high on a flour tortilla with crunchy slaw and fresh Pico de Gallo and your mouth is going to FREAK out.
• You can grill them or cook them up in a pan on the stove! If you’re in the mood to fire up the grill, these chicken tenders will taste great with a char-broil. If you’d rather stay inside, they’ll cook up just as tasty on your stove top. Our family makes this recipe at least twice a month all year round!

Tips for making the best chicken tacos:

• 30 minutes is the sweet spot for this marinade! 15 minutes is long enough to impart the delicious flavor of the marinade. 30 minutes is ideal to get the most flavorful chicken. And one hour is the maximum that I would let these tacos marinate. The lime juice will slowly start to cook the chicken if it marinates too long – potentially giving the chicken a rubbery texture.
• Careful not to overcook the chicken! You want to cook the chicken to 165 degrees internally and until you no longer see any pink in the middle. Because we are working with chicken tenders which are considerably smaller than a full chicken breast, they really only need to cook for a few minutes on each side.
• Let the chicken rest for at least a few minutes! This will ensure that you have the juiciest chicken possible. If you slice the chicken right away you will lose all the juices and it will end up dry and sad. No one wants dry, sad chicken.
• Keep the toppings simple! To allow the flavor of the chicken to really shine through, don’t drown the tacos in cheese and sour cream. A simple Chipotle Slaw and an easy Pico de Gallo along with a bit of queso fresco is all you need to add a little freshness (and just a hint of spice) these easy chicken tacos!

Other Mexican favorites you will love:

• Mexican Breakfast Casserole
• Slow Cooker Beer Braised Pork Carnitas
• Vegetarian Southwest Salad
• Shredded Chicken Tostadas
• Southwest Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
• Easy 5 Minute Chipotle Slaw

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This post was originally published in April of 2017. It was updated in June of 2019 to include process shots, step-by-step instructions and tips for making the best chicken tacos every single time!