Quick 20 minute grilled chicken tacos topped with pico de gallo and creamy cilantro sauce. These spicy tacos are perfect for weeknight dinners and are sure to please the entire family.

Easy 20 Minute Chicken TacosWe have tacos at least once a week because of how easy they are to make and how flavorful they are. The spicy meat, fresh zesty toppings, and sauces make tacos the ultimate dinner.  These spicy grilled chicken tacos with pico de gallo and creamy cilantro sauce are our absolute favorite tacos. The combo of flavors dances on the taste buds and will keep you coming back for more. The entire family loves them and they can be prepared and served or you can serve them as a taco bar and have everyone customize their own tacos.Easy 20 Minute Chicken Tacos

All good tacos begin with a batch of freshly cooked chicken. These tacos are made with my favorite grilled taco chicken. I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs rather than breasts because they are always tender and won’t dry out. Chicken breasts will also work for the tacos but be sure not to over-cook them or they will dry out.Easy 20 Minute Chicken Tacos

The secret to making tacos is simplicity. Traditional street tacos are served on corn tortillas and topped with just chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, salsa and a squeeze of fresh lime. No cheese, avocado, sour cream or any of that other stuff. But who are we kidding? I honestly NEED my favorite sour-cream cilantro sauce on my tacos. The creaminess of the sauce compliments the spicy chicken and zesty pico perfectly. You can top the tacos off with your favorite salsa, sour-cream or my quick creamy cilantro sauce (recipe in notes)

You can have these yummy tacos with just the pico and sour-cream or cilantro sauce, or you can load them up American style and add chopped romaine lettuce, avocado or guacamole, or cheese. Don’t forget a squeeze of fresh lime and enjoy these tasty grilled chicken tacos any way you like!
Easy 20 Minute Chicken Tacos

4.79 from 108 votes

Easy 20 Minute Chicken Tacos

Quick 20 minute grilled chicken tacos topped with pico de gallo and creamy cilantro sauce.  These spicy tacos are perfect for weeknight dinners and are sure to please the entire family.
Prep5 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Total20 minutes
Servings 8 tacos

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless skinless, or chicken breasts
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice , optional
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika, optional
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder, or onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 small corn or flour tortillas

Pico de Gallo

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped tomato
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 finely chopped jalapeño, deseeded
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • pinch salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Add the chicken, garlic, olive oil, lime, and spices, to a large bowl or zip-seal bag and stir or shake to combine.
  • Heat a large pan to medium-high heat. Cook chicken 6-7 minutes per side or until it is no longer pink and the internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove from heat and cool for at least 5 minutes. Slice or chop into small cubes.
  • While the chicken is cooking, combine the chopped tomato, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl. Char tortillas on the stovetop over the flame until lightly charred (this step is optional).
  • Assemble tacos by placing about 1/4 cup of chicken into each tortilla. Top with a few tablespoons of the onion-tomato mixture and a drizzle of cilantro sauce (*optional, see recipe in notes)

Video

Notes

To customize tacos, feel free to add sliced avocados or guacamole, chopped tomatoes, corn, shredded cheese
To make cilantro sauce: combine 1/4 cup mayo or sour cream, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco, Calories: 112kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 214mg, Potassium: 195mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g, Vitamin A: 485IU, Vitamin C: 3.1mg, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 0.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken, grilled,, quick, recipe, spicy, tacos
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Easy 20 Minute Chicken TacosEasy 20 Minute Chicken Tacos



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93 Comments

  1. My daughter made these for our family and they were fantastic!

      1. I’ve made they 3 time already for me and the wife. We love them! We use Hatch red chile powder and gives them a little kick. I do cube them before cooking so more seasoning though out the chicken

  2. I LOVE this chicken recipe! It’s the best chicken recipe I’ve ever had. It tasted amazing and it was so easy to make. We use it in other ways too. Not just the taco/tortillas.

  3. Love this recipe, and the cilantro sauce great flavor and so easy.

  4. These taste so good! We used chicken breasts and they turned out really well.