Charred and Tender grilled chicken spiced with a special blend of homemade taco seasoning can be grilled or cooked on the stove-top. It’s delicious in tacos, burritos, on salads, or for meal-prep!
Perfectly charred and crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, this really is the BEST Mexican spiced grilled chicken. It’s seasoned with my favorite blend of homemade taco seasoning. With the addition of garlic, lime, and olive oil, you’ve got yourself delicious chicken that’s great for tacos, burrito bowls, salads, wraps and just about anything else.
A batch of perfectly grilled chicken can go a long way. I like to season a few pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts and keep them in zip seal bags in the fridge and freezer. When needed, just pop a bag out of the fridge or freezer and grill on an outdoor grill or right in a pan on the stove top. Use it to make tacos, wraps, on a salad or rice.
Just like Chipotle, 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 this recipe but be sure not to over-cook them. 
The Best Grilled Chicken For Tacos, Burritos, or Salads
Ingredients
- 1 pound Boneless, Skinless chicken thighs or breasts we prefer thighs
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon corn starch optional
Instructions
- Add the chicken, garlic, olive oil, lime, spices, and cornstarch to a large bowl or zip-seal bag.
- Place in fridge and let marinate for at least 15-30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Place chicken on a grill or pan heated to medium-high heat. Let chicken cook until it is no longer pink on the inside, about 6-7 minutes per side (or until it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).
- Serve chicken in tacos, burritos, on salads or rice.
Awesome recipe!! However I have one question, when do I cut up/shred the chicken or thighs? Before or after marinating .. Or after I the thighs/breasts in the skillet?? Any insight here would be very helpful 🙂
Thanks!
Cory
You would cut them after they are cooked 🙂
The ratios are WAY off, far too much chili powder. Made a batch and it was inedibly hot.
What type of chili powder did you use? You may have used traditional “chili” powder which is more like cayenne pepper and is very spicy. The chili powder we use is the American blend which is more subtle.
Ben, I think your uterus is the issue
Sexist much, John S?
I have LOVED using this on chicken for tacos… but it’s also SUPER good on Shrimp!!! (I only marinate for about 1-2 hours and leave out the lime since it will begin to cook the shrimp). Thanks for this recipe 🙂
Yum! we love it on shrimp too 😀
This is probably my favorite recipe for grilled chicken, especially to use in tacos and taco bowls. It’s great as is, but I’ve also made it with a couple modifications:
– Pound the chicken out to 1/2″ for even cooking
– Smoked paprika instead of regular paprika
– Combination of Ancho chili powder/Chipotle chili powder/Hot Mexican chili powder (1/3 each). This gives it a bit more of a kick and a better flavor than just straight chili powder.
The grill should be well preheated on high to get a good char on the outside (the best part!)
Great spice mix – chicken turned out great!! Marinated two chicken breasts for two hours, grilled in a grill pan. Along with chicken, I served roasted veggies (sweet potato, zucchini, onion, bell pepper) tossed in cumin, chili powder and olive oil. Did a yogurt, lime, cilantro crema on side. Wonderful tacos!
I am making this tonight for chicken burritos. I will be pan frying it so shouls I add some olive oil to the pan or just spray with cooking spray?
Thanks
You can’t go wrong either way but I would use a little olive oil.
This recipe is delicious!! We eat this at least once a week in my house, sometimes twice! I always use boneless skinless thighs, and I do not add the cornstarch, although I often add just a little (1 tsp) agave. I love to put it on the BBQ or on the stove top, and whenever I bring it to a group they love it. My 9-year-old loves this in quesadillas or soft tacos, but sometimes we just eat the plain chicken so fast after it’s cooked and it barely makes it to the plate! It’s safe to say we are obsessed! Thanks for providing a simple yet amazingly delicious new way to have chicken.
I don’t review a ton of recipes but this one deserves a lot of love! Amazing in every way! I followed The recipe exactly as written and pan seared the chicken in my cast iron skillet since it’s too chilly to grill and it tasted restaurant quality!
Perfect!!
I have used this recipe several times while making chipotle bowls and Mexican stuffed peppers. This is truly a no-fail recipe. Comes out delicious everytime!
Excellent and simple! Made recipe with chicken thighs and made no modifications. Marinated for 6 hours and the chicken was so flavorful. Next time I might try using smoked paprika as the previous reviewer suggested.
I too am in love with the Costco chicken taco kit, and I was absolutely enthralled when I saw that they were selling the sauce by itself in the two-pack jars. I tried another chicken recipe which didn’t even come close. But this one nailed it. I could have eaten the chicken by itself, which I admit I did a little bit through some nibbling. But anyway the only changes I made were to mix regular paprika with smoked paprika to give it a little smoky flavor, I used avocado oil instead of olive and I added one tablespoon of it to the marinade in addition to what I used to grill the chicken. I had to add a little bit of water just to get it to pour into the bag but I cleaned up more than a tablespoon. I was running short on time and was afraid I would not get a good marinade, so I used my needler to poke holes in the chicken, not enough to really thin it or anything, I’ve just found that it really helps food absorb the marinade. This was the first time I used my cast iron indoor grilling pan. One side is flat and the other side has the grill lines, and it worked just as well as grilling outside which I am not a master of, and the girl is always kind of disgusting. The only problem was
that I did cook at a very high heat to get a nice char and it was a little smoky, so make sure you have your fan on and maybe a couple windows open. But anyway this was definitely a winner. Thank you
This was absolutely amazing chicken!! Next time I’m going to add a bit more lime juice but that’s just me.. seriously so good. We had chicken breasts with tortillas and homemade refried beans! Delish!!
I agree with more lime. Must be a Jodi thing
I love this recipe. I share this with anyone who asks because its my go to for chicken street tacos, nachos, burritos, and anything else that calls for a Mexican style seasoned chicken. Thanks!
When do you dice up the chicken?
After it’s cooked.
I am making grilled chicken burritos for an event tomorrow. My chicken thighs are already marinating!
I understand how to make the taco seasoning, but what I don’t know, is how much to use/ lb and when is added? Before frying, before, during or after grilling? Is anything else used when grilling? Liquid of any kind? Thank you so much, I’m very excited to try this.
Taco seasoning is added at different times depending on the recipe. Some recipes require adding it before marinating and some while cooking. Are you cooking this chicken? or beef?