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Chicken Skillet Tacos are a quick and easy dinner recipe that comes together in 25 minutes or less. Crispy corn tortillas are filled with seasoned chicken tenders, cheese, and an onion Cilantro Pico. Your mouth is going to have a Fiesta!

I’m an equal-opportunity food lover! Except when it comes to tacos! Tacos are my favorite!

I’ve had my fair share of tacos. Some are better than others. What type of tacos have I had, you may ask?

Lots! (Tacos are my friends!) Ground beef tacos, soft tacos, fish tacos, birria tacos, pork tacos, carne asada, and copy cat tacos like my Copy Cat Cafe Rio Chicken Tacos! All delicious tacos.

A few weeks ago, my daughter sent me a photo of a TikTok chicken taco she had made, encouraging me to make it. Who am I to disappoint one of my children? Plus…HELLO…a taco I have not tried!

It was a really simple recipe, almost too simple to be that good!

Whoa! Was I wrong? Not only are they good…they are GREAT! Possibly the BEST taco I’ve ever had! Of course, I added a few little tweaks, but not many.

I wish I had words to describe just how amazing these chicken tacos are! You’re just going to have your own Taco Night and try them for yourself! Don’t wait for Taco Tuesday! Pick any day of the week for my new favorite taco recipe!

Ingredients for Easy Chicken Tacos

• 2 pounds chicken tenders – cut into small bite sized pieces and chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 6 Tablespoons butter – divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder – Optional, I only use a pinch! (Call me a sissy)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Blackstone Tequila Lime Seasoning (optional, but highly recommend)
• 1 teaspoon of partially dried cilantro can be found in the produce section of your market in a small container, or you can use fresh.
• Cilantro Lime Pico – ½ Cup chopped yellow onion, ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste
• 3 Cups grated cheddar jack cheese – or Mexican blend cheese
• 20 white corn tortillas
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
• Favorite Guacamole – I use two avocados, pepper, and garlic salt for this recipe. Nothing fancy!

How To Make Crispy Chicken Tacos

To make assembling the tacos a breeze… I recommend making the onion cilantro Pico ahead of time. It can be made hours in advance and chilled until ready to make the tacos.

TIP: The Pico will last 2–3 days stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

In a small bowl, combine the finely chopped onion, cilantro, the juice of one lime, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Note you can also add minced fresh jalapeño if you like it spicy!

How to Make Taco Seasoning Mix

In a small bowl, add salt, cayenne powder, chili powder, cumin powder, black pepper, dried cilantro (optional), and Black Stone Tequila Lime seasoning (optional). Mix until well combined.

Preparing and Cooking Chicken

Dice the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. I used chicken tenders. You can use boneless skinless chicken breast, or boneless skinless chicken thighs.

I like to rinse and pat my chicken dry! There are great debates over this, you do you…no judgments here.

Once I have cubed the chicken into bite-sized pieces, using a sharp knife, I chop the chicken, like I would an onion, until it resembles a very coarse ground chicken.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken and the seasoning mix. Stir well to coat the chicken.

Preheat a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and 3 Tablespoons of butter. Reserve the other half of the butter for later.

Add the seasoned chicken. Stir occasionally during cooking, to brown all sides of the chicken.

Cook until the juices run clear, and the chicken reaches a temperature of 165° F. Chicken should be slightly golden brown. (The smell is incredible!)

Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the skillet and place it on a paper plate, or in a clean bowl.

TIP: To prevent cross contamination, do NOT use the same bowl the raw chicken was in, unless it has been washed.

How to make Skillet Tacos

In the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, yep, this is a one-pan meal… over medium-high heat, add the remaining butter and a splash of vegetable oil.

TIP: It is not necessary to clean the pan after cooking the chicken…those little bits add flavor! I generally wipe my skillet out halfway through cooking the tacos, once the oil has been used, and add fresh oil and butter. Especially if I’m making a large batch.

Place a corn tortilla on the bottom of the pan. Add a hefty pinch of shredded cheese down the center of the tortilla.

Quickly add 3 tablespoons of the cooked chicken on top of the cheese.

The tortilla should begin to have little bubbles appearing. It’s important to work quickly so you don’t end up with a tostada rather than a taco!

Once the bubbles begin to appear, fold the tortilla in half, using a cooking spatula.

Press the taco down so that the melted cheese helps hold the tortilla folded in half.

When the edge of the bottom of the tortilla shell begins to turn golden brown and crispy, flip the taco over using silicone tongs or cooking spatula.

See the light golden color? That, my friends…that is heaven on earth! Frying the tacos in the skillet not only helps melt the cheese, it creates the lightest, crispiest taco shell you will ever have! YUM!!

Once both sides of the taco shell are lightly golden, remove with tongs, and place on a paper-towel-lined plate.

Continue cooking until all the desired tacos have been cooked. (Trust me…make more than you think you could ever possibly eat…because you’re going to eat them and more!)

Finishing Touches for Chicken Tacos

At this point, you can eat them as is…BUT…if you want the very BEST taco dance party for your taste buds (they are your “buds” after all), open the taco slightly and sprinkle with Cilantro Onion Lime Pico, your favorite guacamole, and sour cream!

Commit and go “All-In”! This combo is absolutely outstanding!!!

Y’all…these tacos are EPIC! Squeeze a little fresh lime over your tacos, lean over your plate…it’s going to get a tad messy…and take a glorious bite of the perfect taco!

The flavors are going to smack you over the head so hard, you just may pass out! (Don’t panic! You’ll come to in time for another bite, and another, and another!)

You’re going to love these tacos! Love them! The flavors will have you swooning!

This is a dining experience that should not be missed!

Helpful Hints for Skillet Chicken Tacos

• Chicken Tips: You can make the chicken ahead of time. Cook the chicken, per the directions, and place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the tacos. Reheat for 2 minutes in your microwave and continue with the recipe.
• Toppings for the Tacos: Truthfully, you can add any toppings you want, but the meat is the star of this show and needs to shine! You could add lettuce, tomatoes, and olives.
• Warming up the leftover tacos: I reheated them in an air fryer for 3 minutes, at 380° F, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.
• Guacamole Tips: I use a simple recipe for these tacos. 2 avocados, mashed garlic salt and pepper to taste. Keep it simple, so the flavors compete with each other.

Here are some of our other favorite Mexican Food Recipes

• Easy Spanish Rice Recipe
• Instant Pot Pork Chili Verde
• Chili Relleno Casserole Recipe
• Homemade Taquitos
• Easy Tamale Casserole
• Instant Pot and Stove Top Charro Beans from Soulfully Made

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! My family cannot stop raving about how good these tacos are!

Happy Nesting!

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