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The Best Chicken Skillet Tacos

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Chicken Skillet Tacos are a quick and easy dinner recipe that comes together in 25 minutes or less. Crispy corn tortillas are filled with seasoned chicken tenders, cheese, and an Onion Cilantro Pico. Your mouth is going to have a Fiesta!

Grilled Chicken Skillet Chickens filled with fillings on a cast iron pan and wood cutting board.

I’m an equal opportunity food lover! Except when it comes to Tacos! Tacos are my favorite!

I’ve had my fair share of tacos. Some are better than others. What type of tacos have I had, you may ask?

Lots! (Tacos are my friends!) Ground beef tacos, soft tacos, fish tacos, birria tacos, pork tacos, carne asada, and copy cat tacos like my Copy Cat Cafe Rio Chicken Tacos! All delicious tacos.

A few weeks ago my daughter sent me a photo of a TikTok chicken taco she had made, encouraging me to make them. Who am I to disappoint one of my children? Plus…HELLO…a taco I had not tried!

It was a really simple recipe, almost too simple, to be that good!

Whoa! Was I wrong! Not only are they good…they are GREAT! Possibly the BEST taco I’ve ever had! Of course, I added a few little tweaks, but not many.

I wish I had the words to describe just how amazing these Chicken Tacos are! You’re just going to have your own Taco Night and try them for yourself! Don’t wait for Taco Tuesday! Pick any day of the week for my new favorite taco recipe!

Ingredients for Easy Chicken Tacos

  • 2 pounds chicken tenders – cut into small bit size pieces and chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 6 Tablespoons butter – divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder – Optional, I only use a pinch! (Call me a sissy)
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Blackstone Tequila Lime Seasoning (optional, but highly recommend)
  • 1 teaspoon partially dried cilantro – can be found in the produce section of your market in a small container, or you can use fresh.
  • Cilantro Lime Pico – ½ Cup chopped yellow onion, ½ Cup chopped fresh cilantro, 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 Cups grated cheddar jack cheese – or Mexican blend cheese
  • 20 white corn tortillas
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
  • Favorite Guacamole – I use two avocados, pepper, and garlic salt for this recipe. Nothing fancy!
Ingredients on a white board for chicken skillet tacos.

How To Make Crispy Chicken Tacos

To make assembling the tacos a breeze… I recommend making the onion cilantro Pico a head of time. It can be made hours in advanced and chilled until ready to make the tacos.

TIP: The Pico will last 2–3 days stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

In a small bowl combine finely chopped onion, cilantro, the juice of one lime, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Note you can also add minced fresh jalapeño if you like it spicy!

How to Make Taco Seasoning Mix

In a small bowl add salt, cayenne powder, chili powder, cumin powder, black pepper, dried cilantro (optional), and Black Stone Tequila Lime seasoning (optional). Mix until well combined.

Preparing and Cooking Chicken

Dice chicken into small bit size pieces. I used Chicken tenders, you can use boneless skinless chicken breast, or boneless skinless chicken thighs.

I like to rinse and pat my chicken dry! There are great debates over this, you do you…no judgments here.

Once I have cubed the chicken into bite size pieces, using a sharp knife, I chop the chicken, like I would an onion, until it resembles a very coarse ground chicken.

Cutting chicken tenders on a cutting board with a large knife.

In a large bowl combine chicken and the seasoning mix. Stir well to coat chicken.

Diced Chicken meat in a large glass bowl seasoned with seasonings.

Preheat a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil and 3 Tablespoons butter. Reserve the other half of the butter for later.

Add seasoned chicken. Stir occasionally during cooking, to brown all sides of the chicken.

Raw chicken in a hot skillet being cooked.

Cook until juices run clear and chicken reaches a temperature of 165° F. Chicken should be slightly golden brown. (The smells are incredible!)

Once the chicken is cooked, remove chicken from skillet and place on a paper plate, or in clean bowl.

TIP: To prevent cross contamination, Do NOT use the same bowl the raw chicken was in, unless it has been washed.

Cooking seasoned chicken in a large skillet on the stove.

How To make Skillet Tacos

In the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, yep, this is a one pan meal… over medium-high heat, add remaining butter and a splash of vegetable oil.

TIP: It is not necessary to clean the pan after cooking the chicken…those little bits add flavor! I generally wipe my skillet out halfway through cooking the tacos, once the oil has been used, and add fresh oil and butter. Especially if I’m making a large batch.

Place a corn tortilla in the bottom of the pan. Add a hefty pinch of shredded cheese down the center of the tortilla.

Adding cheese to corn tortillas in a skillet.

Quickly add 3 Tablespoons of the cooked chicken on top of the cheese.

The tortilla should begin to have little bubbles appearing. It’s important to work quickly so you don’t end up with a tostada rather than a taco!

Adding chicken to the skillet tacos during frying.

Once the bubbles begin to appear, fold the tortilla in half, using a cooking spatula.

Press the taco down so that the melted cheese helps hold the tortilla folded in half.

Frying Chicken tacos in a large skillet.

When the edge of the bottom of the tortilla shell begins to turn golden brown and crispy flip the taco over using silicone tongs or cooking spatula.

See the light golden color? That my friends…that is heaven on earth! Frying the tacos in the skillet not only helps melt the cheese, it creates the lightest crispiest taco shell you will ever have! YUM!!

Once both sides of the taco shell are lightly golden, remove with tongs, and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Continue cooking until all the desired tacos have been cooked. (Trust me…make more than you think you could ever possibly eat…because you’re going to eat them and more!)

Tacos in a skillet being cooked once folded in half.

Finishing Touches to Chicken Tacos

At this point you can eat them as is…BUT…if you want the very BEST taco dance party for your taste buds (they are your “buds” after all) open the taco slightly and sprinkle with Cilantro Onion Lime Pico, your favorite guacamole, and sour cream!

Commit and go “All-In”! This combo is absolutely outstanding!!!

Easy Chicken Tacos with guacamole and sour cream on a skillet.

Y’all…these tacos are EPIC! Squeeze a little fresh lime over your tacos, lean over your plate…it’s gonna get a tad messy…and take a glorious bite of the perfect taco!

The flavors are going to smack you over the head so hard, you just may pass out! (Don’t panic! You’ll come to in time for another bite, and another, and another!)

Close up photo of chicken tacos.

You’re going to love these tacos! Love them! The flavors will have you swooning!

This is a dinning experience that should not be missed!

Q & A for Skillet Chicken Tacos

  • Can the chicken be made ahead of time? Yes! Just cook the chicken and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the tacos. Reheat for 2 minutes in your microwave and continue with recipe.
  • Do you recommend any other toppings for the tacos? Truthfully you can add any toppings you want, but the meat is the star of this show and needs to shine! You could add lettuce, tomatoes, and olives.
  • What if you cook up all the tacos and don’t eat them all? Is there a good way to warm them up? Yes! I have reheated them in an air fryer for 3 minutes, at 380° F, flipping them halfway through the cook time.
  • Would this recipe work with steak? YES! They would be wonderful with beef! I love the chicken, and it’s a great change from using beef!
  • Could you use the meat for burritos or quesadillas? Absolutely! This meat with the seasoning is amazing and can be used in multiple recipes!
  • What type of Guacamole do you use? I use a simple recipe for these tacos. 2 avocados, mashed, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Keep it simple, so the flavors are competing with each other.
  • Can I use flour tortillas? You can. Just know you may need to adjust your cook times. I highly recommend giving the corn tortillas a try!

Here are some of our other Favorite Mexican Food Recipes

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! My family cannot stop raving about how good these tacos are!

Happy Nesting!

Photo of Norine and signature.
Yield: 20 tacos

The Best Chicken Skillet Tacos

Easy Chicken Tacos with guacamole and sour cream on a skillet.

Chicken Skillet Tacos are a quick and easy dinner recipe that comes together in about 25 minutes or less. Crispy corn tortillas are filled with seasoned chicken tenders, cheese, and an onion cilantro Pico! Your mouth is going to have a Fiesta!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken tenders, or boneless skinless chicken breast, diced.
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 6 Tablespoons butter - divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder - (optional)
  • 4 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon semi-dried cilantro, or fresh cilantro
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Black Stone Tequila Lime Seasoning (optional)
  • 20 white corn tortilla shells
  • 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
  • 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil for frying

Cilantro Onion Pico

  • ½ cup yellow onion - finely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro - finely chopped
  • 1 lime - juiced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl combine salt, cayenne powder (optional), chili powder, cumin, dried cilantro, pepper, and tequila lime seasoning (optional). Mix until well combined. Set aside.
  2. In another small bowl combine Pico ingredients. Onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. (Note for hotter Pico add minced chopped jalapeño)
  3. In a large bowl place diced chicken. Add seasoning mix. Stir to combine.
  4. Preheat a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add olive oil and half of butter (3 Tablespoons). Add diced seasoned chicken. Cook until juices run clear and meat reaches a temperature of 165° F. About 7–10 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and set aside.
  5. In the same skillet over medium high heat, add remaining butter and a splash of vegetable oil. Add 2-3 corn tortillas. Lay them flat. Working quickly, place a hefty pinch, or two, of grated cheese down the center of each tortilla. Add 2–3 tablespoons of cooked chicken on top of the cheese.
  6. Fold the tortilla in half. Press down with cooking spatula. Cook until bottom is lightly crisp and golden brown. Using tongs carefully flip tortilla over and cook the other side. Once cooked remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate.
  7. Finish taco by topping chicken and cheese with a sprinkle of onion-lime Pico, guacamole, and sour cream.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

2

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 676Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 1344mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 33g

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Susan

Wednesday 5th of April 2023

We Really enjoyed this. Yummy ! A non stick pan worked better than the cast iron cause I tried both. I have 4 tacos left over so I’ll see how they hold out for lunch tomorrow, which will tell me if I could premake them for a party.

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