Just 20 minutes to get these chicken tacos on the table! Juicy, flavorful, and absolutely mindless in the best way.
Ridiculously Good Chicken Tacos with Green Sauce
This Is My Favorite Chicken Taco, And You Can Make It With Your Eyes Closed.
We have a lot of amazing chicken taco recipes on Pinch of Yum (this one in particular is a fave!), but I often find myself wanting a good, basic chicken taco recipe for a Tuesday night that is easy enough that I don’t have to look at a recipe.
I want to fully turn my brain off, go into full autopilot mode, and get these chicken tacos on the table 20 minutes later. (And ideal if they can also be some of my favorite, most delicious tacos I’ve ever made.)
And that is how I arrived here, at what is probably our new house favorite chicken taco. This is where I live now. The chicken for these tacos is juicy, flavorful, and usually eaten right off the cutting board. Just absolutely mindless in the best possible way.
You only need to remember three things:
- Taco seasoning
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
These three miracle workers give us flavor, flavor, and more flavor. The chicken gets a nice burnished-like exterior, almost looking like you grilled it. And once the chicken is done, you’re home free! Add some green sauce, tuck into a tortilla, build a rice bowl or burrito, and life just got so good.
I usually finish it with cilantro and onions, but this would also be awesome with some pickled onions and/or a simple green salad on the side!
Don’t skip the green sauce, except if you’re out of time in which case this can still be delicious with a favorite store-bought salsa (think: Mateo’s or Trader Joe’s guacasalsa). Or, for an even faster homemade sauce: this little 2 minute avocado dip!
House favorite. Extra lime squeezies. Life is good!
Welcome To My House! Let’s Make Chicken Tacos.
These Chicken Tacos In A Nutshell
1
Season the Chicken.
Three primary ingredients: taco seasoning, garlic, and a shot of soy sauce! I’m showing the taco seasoning on the chicken first in this picture, but I’ve come to realize that mixing works best if you start with the wet stuff (oil and soy sauce) and then finish with a quick toss in the dry spices! Doesn’t get quite so clumpy.
2
Cook the Chicken.
I like to air fry it – 400 degrees for 11 minutes. Alternate methods below if you don’t have an air fryer! And if you’re looking for one – here’s my pick! (affiliate link)
3
Make a Green Sauce.
Not essential, but this is the kind of sauce that makes life worth living. This is the blender I used to make it in the video! (affiliate link)
4
Cut Up The Chicken.
Just give it a good rough chop into little bite-sized pieces, like how it is at Chipotle. While you have the cutting board out, go ahead and chop some cilantro and onions, too!
5
You’re Done! Yum!
Holy smokes. I can eat a lot of these.
Ridiculously Good Chicken Tacos with Green Sauce
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
Description
Just 20 minutes to get these chicken tacos on the table! Juicy, flavorful, and absolutely mindless in the best way.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chicken Tacos
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated (or 1 tsp of garlic paste, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2–3 tablespoons taco seasoning (I use Siete brand)
Avocado Aji Verde
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 3–ounce chunk of cotjia cheese
- 1 big handful of cilantro stems and leaves (roughly 1/2 cup)
- 1 clove garlic
- juice of 1–2 limes (2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons water (more as needed)
Extras
- Tortillas
- Limes, cilantro, and onion for topping
Instructions
- Season the Chicken: Trim the fat off the chicken thighs if you want (I do). Toss the chicken thighs with soy sauce, oil, and garlic. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and give it a quick mix.
- Cook the Chicken: Place the chicken in the basket of an air fryer (alternate cooking instructions in the notes). Air fry at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes – at this point it should be very crusty, golden, juicy, and delicious.
- Make the Sauce: While the chicken is cooking, blitz up the sauce in a small food processor or blender. If it’s too thick, add more water. If it’s too thin, add a bit more avocado or mayo.
- Chop the Chicken: When the chicken is done, let it stand for a few minutes and then roughly chop or pull it into bite-sized pieces. Squeeze some lime juice over it. *chef’s kiss*
- You’re Done! Yum! A dollop of sauce into a tortilla, a big pile of that juicy chicken, and finish with cilantro and diced onion (and probably more sauce)! It is a dream come true.
Notes
Oven Instructions: Bake at 425 degrees for 20 mins! If using chicken breasts, slice them in half if they’re thick, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cook chicken to 165 degrees.
Once you put the chicken in the air fryer (or on a sheet pan), if the surface looks like there’s not enough seasoning coverage, just sprinkle with a little bit more taco seasoning and oil to evenly coat the surface, or brush on some of the extra flavor paste from the bowl. Not necessary for flavor, but it’ll make it look nice and pretty for ya!
I usually cook mine in the air fryer for 11 minutes at 400 degrees – that seems to be the sweet spot for my air fryer, but each one will vary slightly. You want the chicken to be cooked to an internal temp of 165 degrees. Here’s my go-to meat thermometer that I use almost every time I make chicken to make sure I’m on the mark!
Every taco seasoning is different so you may need to experiment to find the best one for you! Many have a starchy element like cornstarch which helps create that crisped, golden exterior on the chicken. Some are sweeter, spicier, saltier, etc. I use the Siete taco seasoning (mild) almost every time, and it’s mild enough for my girls, and also delicious enough that me and my husband also really love it. It’s the goat for us!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: chicken tacos, easy chicken tacos, best chicken tacos, air fryer chicken
Frequently Asked Questions For These Chicken Tacos
What tortillas are you using in the pictures?
These are La Tortilla Factory yellow corn-flour blend! I warm them in a dry cast iron skillet first to make them nice and soft and flexible.
Can you sub in Greek yogurt for mayo?
Yes! The sauce will be a bit more tangy – different but great! I’d use a full fat Greek yogurt if you can!
What could I sub in for cilantro?
The green parts of some green onions!
Would the sauce work without Cotija cheese? (dairy-free)
Yes! Absolutely. Have done it many times. Just add a bit of salt to make up for the missing flavor!
Can you use chicken breasts?
I haven’t tried it (yet) but it should work! You might get a slightly different exterior as the chicken won’t have as much fat to create the golden crispiness of the chicken thighs.
How can I cook the chicken without an air fryer?
For chicken thighs, bake them at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes! (Remember: goal is 165 degrees and a golden lovely exterior.) Pan-frying or grilling will also work!
What air fryer do you use?
I love the Ninja Pro XL! (affiliate link)
Three Top-Rated Taco Recipes
Filed Under: 5 Ingredients Air Fryer Avocado Dairy-Free Dinner Lime Meat and Chicken Quick and Easy Recipes SOS Series Tacos
October 1, 2024
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Is there a sub for avocado? (I’m allergic) thanks!
Not the author of this recipe but I make a very similar sauce without avocado and it’s delicious! All the same ingredients except I use parmesan cheese and I add aji amarillo sauce (a spicy pepper sauce) for a kick.
I would just omit it!
Just a heads up that the recipe card says 400° and the photo (step 2) in the blog post says 425°.
Thanks for the heads up! It should be 400. Updated. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your great recipes without asking the reader to say something in order to keep on receiving the recipes. You are selfless and such a wonderful cook. Thank you very much.
Thanks so much for this recipe! What is the mini processor you use in this video? It looks amazing!
This is the blender!
Just made this tonight and my very suspicious of new recipes family all loved it! Super easy and fast and so so good!
Oh my yumminess!! How amazing is this combo of delish chicken and the green sauce! I used feta instead of the cojita cheese because that’s what I had at home. Hands down will be making this again.
Also! I think this chicken and sauce would make a delish chicken rice bowl! I adore your recipes and love knowing they always turn out!
Lastly, this sauce 🤤
Yay! Glad you loved it!
This was the best chicken! I whipped it up in no time.
My 3 kids devoured it and wanted more. Next time I will double the recipe. 😋
Glad to hear it, Yvonne!
Delicious and so easy! And fast. Yum!
I made these chicken tacos tonight for dinner and they were divine! I will leave out the tacos next time; I find they are always so messy and, IMHO don’t add anything. The sauce and chicken were really delicious and so fast that I kept thinking I had forgotten to do something!! My chicken didn’t crisp up in the oven and I am leaning towards getting an air fryer to make things even simpler (hard to imagine!). Thank you for a great recipe that delivers what you promise!
Glad to hear it, Judi!
Is it 400 or 425 degrees? The recipe says one thing and the photo instructions say another.
We’ve updated the post now – should be 400!
Delicious! I just got an air fryer. What a great recipe! Used homemade taco seasoning. Had to sub Parmesan for the cojita (used about 1/3 cup). That sauce is just delicious. Combined with the chicken-a match made in heaven!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Kim!
Delicious! Will be making this again (soon).
Made this for dinner tonight. The chicken is fabulous and so easy! It will definitely enter weeknight taco rotation, but that green sauce is fantastic!
Yummy! but my favorite is!!!
https://pinchofyum.com/red-chile-chicken-tacos-with-creamy-corn
Do you flip the chicken over halfway thru?
No flipping necessary!
My oven has air fry function. Could you use that for this recipe? Would it be the same length of time?
So easy and so good!
I made these tonight but paired them with your jalapeño ranch slaw sauce (because I recently made your instant pot Hawaiian chicken tacos) and it was amazing!
Love that idea!
I substituted shredded Mexican cheese blend because my grocery store was out of cotija. This was still delicious and required minimal prep. Thank you!
This was excellent! Truly couldn’t have been easier to make and tasted like a great restaurant or food truck taco! My 18 month old devoured it and so did we!
Love to hear that, Julia!
Delicious and so easy! Less than 45 minutes to prep/make both the chicken and the sauce AND clean everything up.
I ended up subbing greek yogurt for the mayo and a bit more avocado/salt to balance the tartness. 400 for 11 min was perfect for my air fryer and it came out looking like I grilled it.
Thank you Lindsey 🙂