Turn boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a full-flavored Mexican Masterpiece in a jiff with this super easy Shredded Chicken Tacos Recipe! Juicy, shredded chicken breasts take a turn in a quick-fix Mexican red sauce. Then, the chicken gets loaded up in a toasty tortilla and topped off with your favorite taco toppings.
This is a great recipe to have on hand any time you need a tried-and-true, quick-fix dinner on the table fast!
This Mexican shredded chicken is great for more than just tacos. Use it for a burrito, quesadilla, or enchilada filling or even as a topper for nachos or taco salad!
Love taco night? Trade in the chicken for beef next time and make these authentic Carne Asada Tacos!
HOW TO MAKE SHREDDED CHICKEN TACOS
This is one seriously easy dinner to whip up! While your chicken is baking in the oven, you'll make your sauce. Then, as soon as the chicken has cooled, shred it and add it right into the sauce! All that's left is to wrap it in a tortilla and top with your favorite taco toppings.
- Cook the Chicken | Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, allowing the oil and seasoning to stick. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub all over to adhere. Transfer the chicken to a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 375°F.
- Make the Sauce | Add tomato sauce, adobo, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and onion powder to a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Shred and Combine | Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it and transfer it to the sauce. Stir to coat.
- Serve | Have ready a pile of warmed corn or flour tortillas, pile on the chicken, and top with your favorite taco toppings!
If you love this recipe, you'll definitely want to check out our Easy Taco Salad!
HOW TO SHRED CHICKEN FOR TACOS
There are lots of different ways you can go about shredding your chicken! You can use two forks, using one fork to keep the chicken in place and the other to pull it into shreds.
You can also shred the chicken by hand if you'd like, or go the complete opposite direction and let technology do all of the work for you!
If you have a stand mixer, fit it with a paddle attachment and add the chicken breasts right in. Then, just turn it on medium-low speed and watch it shred!
SHREDDED CHICKEN TACO INGREDIENTS
This recipe comes down to four simple parts:
- The Chicken
- The Sauce
- The Tortillas
- The Toppings
THE CHICKEN
When it comes to the chicken, you have options. My go-to method for cooking chicken breasts is always in the oven. This fool-proof chicken recipe results in juicy, perfectly cooked chicken breasts every single time!
You could also poach the chicken, cook it in your pressure cooker, slow cooker, or even skip the cooking altogether and grab yourself a rotisserie chicken!
This recipe is also an excellent way to use up any chicken leftovers!
HOW TO SEASON SHREDDED CHICKEN FOR TACO
The seasoning for shredded chicken tacos is more of a sauce than a spice mix. It consists mostly of tomato sauce, spices, and chipotles.
The addition of the tomato sauce helps to keep the chicken nice and moist, and helps to infuse flavor in every single shred of the chicken!
You'll find the mix of spices in these Shredded Chicken Tacos is very similar to what you'd find in a taco seasoning. All you need is salt, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and onion powder.
Lastly, the adobo sauce. This ingredient adds depth of flavor in an instant and gives the tacos a nice smoky vibe. If you like your Mexican food spicy, feel free to add up to a tablespoon of chipotle sauce.
WHERE DO I FIND CHIPOTLE SAUCE?
Chipotle Sauce is usually found in the international aisle of your grocery store with the other Mexican ingredients. It often comes in a can and can also be found in a jar.
If you can't find the sauce on its lonesome, grab a small can of chipotles in adobo. You can use the sauce inside and leave the peppers behind!
ABOUT THE TORTILLAS
Feel free to use flour or corn tortillas for these Shredded Chicken Tacos. Typically, when corn tortillas are served, they are doubled up, so if you plan to use small corn tortillas, buy extra!
Like it crunchy? You can also serve this Mexican shredded chicken inside of a crispy taco shell!
HOW TO WARM TORTILLAS FOR TACOS
You'd be surprised at what a toasty tortilla can do for a taco! My favorite way to toast them is over the open flame of a gas burner.
All you have to do is turn the heat on medium-low, place a tortilla directly on a clean grate right over the flame and watch for bubbles. As soon as you see the tortilla begin to puff up, use kitchen tongs to turn it over and watch for more puffing on the other side. As soon as the second side begins to puff up, they're done. The whole process should take no more than a minute or so.
Take care to pay attention. You can't walk away during this process, or the edges of your tortillas will catch fire and burn.
If you don't have a gas burner or you're fearful about cooking directly over a flame, you can use a small, non-stick sauté pan over medium heat to toast your tortillas!
SHREDDED CHICKEN TACO TOPPINGS
Finish off your chicken tacos with any combination of your favorite toppings!
- Shredded Lettuce
- Grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream or Mexican Crema
- Taco Sauce or Salsa
- Guacamole or Diced Avocado
- Diced Tomatoes or Pico de Gallo
- Thinly Sliced Jalapeños
6 MORE MEXICAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Chicken Fajita Casserole | With shredded chicken, colorful veggies, and loads of melty cheese, it's safe to consider this dinner a must-make.
- Tinga de Pollo | This is an easy spin on a Mexican classic, and you won't believe just how simple it is.
- Tacos de Pollo | Chicken tacos served fajita-style!
- Chicken Taco Casserole | Healthy and comfort food collide in this delicious gluten-free casserole recipe.
- Chicken Flautas | Handheld, crispy, and entirely addictive, this is how you make authentic Mexican flautas!
- Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos | If you love letting the slow cooker do all the work for you, try this shredded chicken taco recipe next.
Chicken Fajita Casserole
Tinga de Pollo
Tacos de Pollo (Chicken Tacos Recipe)
Chicken Taco Casserole
Flautas de Pollo (Chicken Flautas Recipe)
Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos
This easy Shredded Chicken Taco Recipe features juicy, shredded chicken breasts that take a turn in a quick-fix Mexican red sauce. The chicken gets loaded up in a tortilla and topped off with your favorite taco toppings. You’ll find this Mexican shredded chicken is also great as a burrito, quesadilla, or enchilada filling, and it also works great as a topper for nachos or taco salad!
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon avocado or canola oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt, separated
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 (8-ounce) cans of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from chipotles in adobo)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 8 flour or corn tortillas
- Desired taco toppings (lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, etc...)
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and have ready a rimmed baking sheet.
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Place the chicken on a work surface, pat it dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture, drizzle with oil, and season with 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and the black pepper. Rub the spices all over to adhere.
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Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
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While the chicken is baking, in a small saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, adobo sauce, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and a ¼ teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then, remove from the heat and set aside.
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Shred the chicken, add it to the sauce, and stir.
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Wrap in a tortilla, top with desired taco toppings, serve, and enjoy!
