Turn boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a full-flavored Mexican masterpiece fast 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 recipe is ideal to have on hand for a quick weeknight dinner that always delivers delicious results!
Why This Recipe Works
Chicken tacos can definitely be healthy and easy! Our recipe uses fresh chicken breasts that simmer in a quick and easy Mexican-flavored red sauce (very similar to ranchero chicken) until perfectly juicy and flavorful. We love it so much that we use the same recipe for our Tinga de Pollo, making it versatile Mexican dish for any time of year.
- Beyond Easy | This shredded chicken taco recipe belongs in our "easy tacos" category even though the flavors are about as authentic as it gets. It's in good company, along with our ground turkey tacos, simple taco meat recipe, and, of course, breakfast tacos. This dish only takes about 10 minutes of prep time and 20-30 minutes on the stovetop.
- Quick Stovetop Recipe | You don't need special equipment to cook the chicken in this recipe. While you can use a slow cooker or even the Instant Pot, we love the simplicity of grabbing a pan and getting on with dinner prep. If you prefer gadgets to pans, we've got Instant Pot and slow cooker instructions for you below.
- Amazing Flavor | For this recipe and those like it, we have perfected the best chicken taco seasoning: salt, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and adobo sauce (Technically not a seasoning, yes; however, it contributes hugely to this part of the recipe.).
- SO Versatile | This Mexican taco dish is great for weeknight dinners, and the leftovers make delicious tostadas or an ideal taco salad for a quick lunch. You can make nachos, burritos, or even quesadillas to stretch leftovers for a whole other weeknight dinner!
And if beef and/or pork are more your thing, serve up a combo platter with shredded beef tacos and authentic carnitas, too!
Shredded Chicken Taco Ingredients
Chicken | Our recipe calls for fresh chicken breasts that cook up moist and juicy with big flavor. If you prefer cooking with chicken thighs, try my chicken fajita recipe instead.
Chicken Taco Seasoning | The seasoning for shredded chicken tacos is more of a sauce than a spice mix. The actual spices in this taco seasoning are what you'll typically find in a traditional taco seasoning: salt, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and onion powder. We include tomato sauce in the "seasoning" to keep the chicken nice and moist and helps to infuse flavor in every single shred. And lastly, adobo sauce. This ingredient adds depth of flavor instantly 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.
Tortillas | The great tortilla debate: corn tortillas vs. flour tortillas? The best tortillas for pulled chicken tacos, in our humble opinion, are warm, flour tortillas, but we equally respect Team Corn. We are fans of corn tortillas for our shrimp tacos! You could also use hard taco shells like we do in baked tacos recipe if that's your crew's preference.
Toppings | The sky is the limit when it comes to your shredded chicken tacos. We like to add beans, veggies/fajita peppers, and cheese. For the spice lovers, pop on a few jalapenos, or you prefer a sweet touch, pineapple on top for the adventurers! Rice or quinoa can round out a taco perfectly.
How to Make Chicken Tacos
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 + Combine | Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it and transfer it to the sauce. Stir to coat.
Warm Tortillas | My favorite way to toast them is over the open flame of a gas burner. On medium-low heat, 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.
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
Serve | Have ready a pile of warmed flour or corn tortillas (Pro-tip: double up those corn tortillas!), pile on the chicken, and top with your favorite taco toppings!
More Chicken Cooking Options
Crockpot | Add the sauce ingredients to your crockpot and stir. Pat the chicken breasts dry to remove excess moisture and add to crockpot. Cover and cook on low 3 hours. Shred and cook for 30 minutes more.
Instant Pot | Add sauce and chicken ingredients to the Instant Pot. Set for 20 minutes of high-pressure cooking and turn release valve to "Sealing." When the pressure cooker is finished, carefully release the pressure nozzle and beware of steam. Remove the lid and shred.
Rotisserie | If you are short on time, there is an easy button for you! You can definitely shred a rotisserie chicken and warm in the sauce over stovetop.
Easy Ways to Shred Chicken
There are lots of different ways you can go about shredding your chicken!
Two Forks | Use one fork to keep the chicken in place and the other to pull it into shreds.
By Hand | If you'd like you can shred the chicken by hand or go the complete opposite direction and let technology do all of the work for you!
Stand Mixer | Fit the mixer with a paddle attachment and add the chicken breasts. Then, turn it on medium-low speed and watch it shred!
What to Serve with Shredded Chicken Tacos
Topping Ideas
Top with avocado cream or cilantro lime dressing. Both options are amazing drizzled on top pulled chicken infused with Mexican flavor.
If simple is more your style, you can serve them Mexican street-taco style with squeeze of fresh lime, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.
Salsa fresca, homemade pico de gallo, chile con queso, or guacamole serve double duty as toppings for your shredded chicken tacos and side dishes for dipping!
Side Dishes and More
Starters | No Tex-Mex meal is complete without a basket of tortilla chips! Your kids will appreciate the cheese quesadillas, and chicken nachos or Mexican corn dip always fan favorites in our house.
Sides: Beans and rice for all, please! Charro beans, Mexican rice, refried beans... You really can't go wrong here.
Drinks | Our favorite cocktail candidates for partying with shredded chicken tacos are peach margaritas or spicy margaritas. A big-time hit among our people is our pineapple margarita! The sweet, citrusy flavors in both the peach and pineapple margs are well-suited to pair with the chicken. The jalapeno in the spicy margarita also goes great with the flavors in this pulled chicken taco recipe.
Storing Leftovers
Store | Refrigerate in airtight container for 3-4 days.
Reheat | Shredded chicken tacos reheat great in the microwave. The sauce keeps the chicken super moist. You can also reheat over medium low in a saucepan, stirring often. Another option for reheating is in the oven in small casserole dish at 350°F covered with foil for about 10-15 minutes.
Freeze | We don't recommend freezing assembled tacos, but freezing the shredded chicken is a great way to preserve leftovers and is an even better make-ahead strategy. Allow to cool completely and transfer to freezer-safe zip top bag or airtight container with little headspace. Freeze for 2-3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
7 More Chicken Taco Recipes You'll Love
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Chicken Birria Tacos
- Chicken Fajita Tacos
- Chicken Flautas
- Tacos de Pollo
- Chicken Taco Casserole
- Chicken Taco Soup
Shredded Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 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...)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and have ready a rimmed baking sheet.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Shred the chicken, add it to the sauce, and stir.
- Wrap in a tortilla, top with desired taco toppings, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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