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Skip the wait and cost – whip up restaurant-quality chicken tacos at home in under 30 minutes for a satisfying crunch and explosion of flavor!
Restaurant-style Tacos
One of the main dishes we have at almost EVERY Mexican family get-togethers is our famous chicken tacos.
Each of us makes it a little differently, but it’s something we always have and expect when we are having Mexican food at a Luna event, along with our famous Beef Empanadas and Red Cheese Enchiladas.
Chicken tacos have become one of our go-to Mexican recipes. It’s definitely our #1 taco recipe, followed closely by Steak Tacos and Pork Tacos. But, who are we kidding?! All tacos are our favorite!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Fast and Flavorful. Get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes! Chicken tacos are a lifesaver for busy weeknights.
- Customizable. Spice it up with your favorite hot sauce or keep it simple with fresh toppings like lettuce and Pico de Gallo and Salsa.
- Family-Friendly Fun. Tacos are a great way to get the whole family involved in meal prep. Let everyone customize their tacos with their favorite toppings, making dinner a fun and interactive experience.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken – Cook up a boneless skinless chicken breast or use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Or purchase a rotisserie chicken and shred it.
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese – other flavors can also be used such as Colby Jack cheese, cotija cheese, sharp cheddar, or Monterey Jack cheese.
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
- salt and black pepper to taste
- vegetable oil – you can also use canola oil or olive oil
- 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- optional toppings – Our favorite toppings include shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, extra cheese, and green onion slices. You can also add fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, sour cream or Greek yogurt, freshly squeezed lime juice, Pico de Gallo, or Homemade Salsa.
Keep Chicken On Hand
Keep shredded chicken in the freezer to make this an easy, quick meal (defrost overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours before making it). We also like using rotisserie chicken whenever we’re in a pinch
How to make chicken tacos
- FILLING. In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups shredded chicken, 1 cup cheese, 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles, salt and pepper, and mix.
- PREP. Fill a large saucepan with about ¾ inch oil. Heat over medium heat to 375°F.
- ASSEMBLE. Add ¼ cup of chicken mixture to the middle of a corn tortilla, then fold like a taco and grab with your tongs. Rock the taco back and forth in the oil until it can lay down without opening, then place into the oil on its side.
- COOK. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side. When both sides are cooked, remove from oil and place on a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
- SERVE. Add your desired toppings to fill the tacos before serving.
PRO TIP: Prevent Cracked Tortillas
Corn tortillas can tear when rolled, especially if they are old.
- To help keep this from happening place the corn tortillas in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel.
- You can also flash fry them in the oil for a second or two on each side, then fill, fold, and re-fry.
We like to use fresh Kroger brand corn tortillas which don’t crack easily and don’t require flash frying first.
Complete the Meal
- Side dishes: Spanish Rice, Canned Refried Beans, Mexican Street Corn
- Toppings: Homemade Salsa, Guacamole, Sweet Salsa Verde, Black Bean Corn Salsa, Avocado Cream Sauce
- Desserts: Arroz con Leche, Tres Leches Cake, Flan, Churro Cheesecake Bars
- More taco recipes: Steak Taco Recipe, Pork Tacos, Carnitas Tacos, Ground Beef Tacos
More collections: Mexican Dinner Ideas, Mexican Chicken Recipes, Easy Dinner Ideas
Chicken Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
- salt and pepper, to taste
- vegetable oil
- 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole, for toppings
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cheese, green chiles, salt, and pepper.
- Fill a large saucepan with about ¾ inch oil. Heat over medium heat to 375 degrees F.
- Add ¼ cup of chicken mixture to the middle of a corn tortilla, then fold like a taco and grab with your tongs. Rock the taco back and forth in the oil until it can lay down without opening, then place into the oil on its side.
- Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side. When both sides are cooked, remove from oil and place on a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Add your desired toppings to fill the tacos before serving.
Video
Notes
- Soft Tacos: Combine the chicken, chiles, salt and pepper and heat in the microwave, then add the cheese. Serve with toppings in soft flour tortillas.
- Rolled Tacos: You can roll these instead of making them in a taco shape—when rolled, they are called flautas.
- Meat: Switch up the chicken for other meats like shredded beef (the same as our Pot Roast recipe) or pork (the same as our Kalua pork recipe).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Fried. Roll the chicken mixture in a flour tortilla and fry to make Chicken Flautas. Be sure to fry them seam side down first, then flip.
Soft. Heat the chicken, salt, and pepper, and green chiles in the microwave. Add the cheese before filling the soft flour tortillas.
These tacos are best served right after being fried, however, you can make the chicken filling up to 48 hours in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Remove any added toppings and keep the chicken tacos in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To reheat. The best way I have found to reheat chicken tacos is in an air fryer. If you don’t have one, I suggest broiling them in the oven on both sides.
These were delicious but after frying it was very difficult to open them enough to add the other toppings. Is there a trick/technique to frying them so they stay open enough to more easily add toppings?
I made these tonight for supper.
But l’m a lazy cook. So l lightly brushed the tortillas with olive oil and then baked them at 400° for 15 minutes. Awesome!
My sweet lady Mrs Kristyn, I have followed you for several years now and have loved all your recipes I have made. I wish I would have wrote to you after each one, but I’m sort of a computer idiot. But this time I had my son help me. I made this recipe last night and it was for sure 10 stars! I started following you when I had no idea what Pinterest was , much less how to use it, I have an email address, but never check it. But I just wanted to let you that I’m silently in the background admiring your work.
Thank you Tonya! Messages like this mean so much and I’m grateful to have you here trying recipes and supporting. Thank YOU!!
Making the tender flavorful moist chicken can be the hardest part. You don’t tell the secret of that.
Here is how I make the shredded chicken: https://lilluna.com/shredded-chicken/
These are really good! We loved them fried!
These were so good! They were even good the next day heated in the air fryer (minus lettuce and tomato of course)
This was a big hit with my kids, and me. Very easy to make.
Yay!! So happy to hear that. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Made your salsa, then used that instead of the tomato sauce to make your Spanish/Mexican rice. Used my deep fryer the kids were so interested in the tacos and toppings (Guac, Sour cream, lettuce, tomato and more salsa) that I forgot about the rice. 🙁
Oh I have done that a time or two… forgotten about a dish cooking! I feel you there. That’s a fun change to swap the salsa for the tomato sauce. I’m sure it would have tasted delicious! Hope the chicken tacos turned out yummy too.
Wow such simply and easy ingredients to pull together. Monday might come again before week is out.
Haha! Yes! We’re all about simple, quick and delicious. No one will be mad if Monday comes around twice in a week, right? 😉
I usually try a new recipe for tacos every Tuesday, but after we had these my whole family asked that these be the tacos we have every week instead. Second time making them tonight and I woke up this morning and my first thought was TACOS!!!! They are SO good!!! Better than any restaurant taco. Definitely add the green chilies. Thank you for the recipe!!!!
Oh that makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad your family enjoys the tacos! Thanks for sharing. 🙂