The road to authentic Tacos de Pollo is shorter than the drive to your favorite Mexican restaurant -- guaranteed. These 30-minute Mexican Tacos de Pollo make Mexican food at home quick and easy!
Simply cut boneless, skinless chicken thighs into strips, toss them with taco seasoning, and throw them in a pan! Once the chicken finishes cooking, add the peppers and onions and call it dinner! Serve your tacos fajita-style, wrapped in tortillas, piled high with flavorful strips of juicy chicken and your favorite taco toppings!
Want more taco night inspiration? You'll love our slow cooker Pulled Pork Tacos, crispy Mexican Potato Tacos, and, of course, beefy Tacos al Carbon!
HOW TO SEASON TACOS DE POLLO
To season Tacos de Pollo you'll want to start with Mexican spices. Common spices used in Mexican recipes are cumin, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. And, of course, salt and pepper. These are the basic spices that make up standard taco seasoning.
CAN TACO SEASONING BE USED ON CHICKEN?
As mentioned above, the spices that are used to make up taco seasoning are commonly found throughout Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, and it works on way more than just ground beef! Taco seasoning tastes just as delicious on chicken. Feel free to use store-bought or Homemade Taco Seasoning to season the chicken!
HOW TO COOK CHICKEN FOR TACOS
There are many ways to cook chicken for Tacos de Pollo.
For example, you could slow cook chicken breasts with a Ranchero sauce in your crock-pot, just as we did for these savory Shredded Chicken Tacos, simmer it on the stovetop like in our Tinga de Pollo recipe...or, you could take a major shortcut, and use this recipe!
For a quick and easy weeknight meal, we used a traditional chicken fajitas recipe for inspiration. Only rather than cooking on the grill, we cooked the chicken fast on the stovetop using boneless, skinless chicken thighs! Chicken thighs are much more forgiving than chicken breasts and are much more likely to stay tender and juicy after being subjected to high heat and fast cooking methods.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and cut them into strips.
- Drizzle the chicken strips with oil and taco seasoning. Then, toss to combine.
- Add oil to a pan and heat it up.
- Sear the strips of chicken, turning once, until cooked through -- about 7-8 minutes.
HOW MUCH CHICKEN DO I NEED FOR TACOS?
Because tacos are typically just as much about the toppings as they are the meat, they're a pretty great way to stretch a protein. You'll only need about a ¼ pound of chicken per person.
HOW TO MAKE TACOS DE POLLO
- Prep and cook the chicken on the stovetop.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and add sliced bell peppers and onions.
- Sauté the peppers and onion until softened.
- Use flour or corn tortillas to assemble your tacos. Add the cooked chicken, then top with peppers, onions, and other desired toppings!
CHICKEN TACO TOPPINGS
As mentioned earlier, tacos are just as much about the toppings as they are about the protein. These particular Tacos de Pollo come with a built-in set of instructions for cooking peppers and onions! However, if you don't care for them, simply omit those ingredients altogether and sub in any of the following Chicken Taco Toppings:
- Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Cotija Cheese
- Shredded Lettuce or Cabbage
- Guacamole or Diced Avocado
- Chopped Tomatoes or Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream or Mexican Crema
- Salsa or Hot Sauce
- Fresh or Pickled Jalapeños
- Chopped Onions
- Chopped Cilantro
- Lime Wedges For Squeezing
WHAT GOES GOOD WITH TACOS DE POLLO?
Rice and beans are traditionally served alongside Tacos de Pollo, and you can't go wrong with that classic combo. However, if you'd like to spice up taco night a bit, try making a special sauce to go on top of them like this Chipotle Sauce!
Of course, other staples like salsa and guacamole should never be left off of the list, and if you want to serve something on the healthier side, Mexican Bean Salad is a great option.
Velveeta Cheese Dip
Chipotle Sauce
Easy Spanish Rice Recipe
Mexican Bean Salad
Canned Black Beans | Mexican Black Beans
Charro Beans
5 MORE MEXICAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Chicken Flautas
- Healthy Taco Salad
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Taco Casserole
- Southwest Chicken Salad Tacos
These 30-minute Mexican Chicken Tacos make Mexican food at home quick and easy! Serve fajita-style with flavorful strips of juicy chicken and taco toppings!
- 4 tablespoons canola or avocado oil separated
- 1 - 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- ½ a yellow onion cut into ¼" rings
- ½ a red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼" rings
- ½ a green bell pepper stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼" rings
- Generous pinch of Kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Flour or Corn Tortillas
- Shredded Cheese Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Cotjia
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
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Pat the chicken dry. With a sharp knife, cut into ¼" strips. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle over taco seasoning. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated with the spices.
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Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil has come to temperature, add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes. Turn each strip and cook for 3-4 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pan, and set aside.
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Reduce the heat to medium. If the skillet appears dry, add the last tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onions and peppers. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and black pepper, and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
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Remove from the heat. Add the chicken back to the skillet, toss to combine and serve.
Jayne says
Love Taco Tuesday. Thanks for giving me so new topping ideas. Will be adding to the dinner table next week!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
Can't go wrong with a good taco!! Can you believe that I have never made a taco at home before?? This needs to change, because your tacos are making me drool!!
Pamela says
These are so flavorful and perfect for a weeknight where I’m strapped for time! A recipe saver, thank you, will be making again and again!
Anita says
These are so good and super easy to make at home. We ran out of tortillas, so had to sub with pita bread, but they are still super delicious. 🙂
Katie says
Made this for the family and it was a hit!