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    Home » Recipes » Chicken

    Nov 7, 2020 · Modified: Jun 10, 2023 by Melinda O'Malley Keckler · This post may contain affiliate links · this blog generates income via ads.

    Chicken Street Tacos

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Chicken Street Tacos make a delicious taco night dinner that's ready to eat in under an hour. The tender chicken is simmered in a skillet on the stove and seasoned with familiar Mexican spices then topped with crunchy cabbage, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve using small street taco-sized tortillas for an easy grab-and-go meal!

    Note: Some links in the recipe are paid links, Amazon Associates. This means I make a small commission when you click and shop. Your cost is always the same and I only link to and recommend ingredients that I use.

    Small chicken tacos in a serving rack with lime, cilantro and salsa on the side.
    Such great flavor abounds in these tacos! But the bright color and crispy crunch from the cabbage is an added bonus.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients to Have on Hand
    • Cook in a Skillet on the Stove
    • Step-by-Step: Chicken Street Tacos
    • Serving Options for the Taco Filling
    • Chicken Taco Seasoning
    • Top Tips and FAQ
    • Serving Street Tacos
    • More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
    • More Chicken Recipes
    • Rate the Recipe
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    Ingredients to Have on Hand

    Chicken Street Tacos are easy to make and include many ingredients that are easy to keep on hand in the pantry.

    • chicken breasts
    • canned whole-kernel corn
    • small can of sliced olives
    • small can of diced green chilies
    • cumin
    • chili powder
    • Cheddar cheese or Cotija cheese (optional)
    • red cabbage
    • cilantro
    • limes

    Scroll down to the recipe card for details on quantities for each ingredient.

    Red cabbage, limes and cilantro in small bowls on a counter.
    This dinner recipe includes gorgeous bright colors and bright flavors thanks to red cabbage, cilantro and lime.

    Cook in a Skillet on the Stove

    Chicken Street Tacos come together quickly, which is why this is one of my favorite recipes. Tacos can be a lot of work, all the chopping of the ingredients takes time.

    But since most all of the ingredients in this recipe are stirred together in the skillet, and several ingredients come from a can, there's much less prep work involved.

    Hint: If you are making this on a work night, rinse and chop the cilantro and red cabbage in the morning, cover and store in the refrigerator until you get home.

    Step-by-Step: Chicken Street Tacos

    Onions and garlic in a cast iron skillet on the stove.
    Garlic and onions turn softened and fragrant while they cook in the skillet.
    Diced chicken in a cast iron skillet with onion and garlic.
    Add the diced chicken and simmer until it's nearly full cooked.

    Time needed: 30 minutes

    With three easy steps, this chicken dinner recipe goes from the stovetop to the dinner table. Perfect for a busy work night!

    1. Stovetop

      Add olive oil to a medium-sized skilled. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Add diced chicken, chopped garlic and diced onion. Cook until the chicken is nearly done and the onions and garlic are fragrant and begin to soften.

    2. Add Ingredients

      Add canned and drained sliced olives, green chilis, drained corn, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Don't cover the skillet, you'll want most of the moisture to evaporate.

    3. Simmer

      Let the mixture simmer for about 15-20 minutes with no lid, or until most of the moisture is gone. (A little moisture is OK.) Remove from heat, as an option, stir in cheddar cheese, cover and keep warm until you are ready to serve.

    Chicken, olives, corns and seasonings mixed in a cast iron skillet.
    The flavor and texture of each ingredient blends to create a simply wonderful dinner recipe.

    Serving Options for the Taco Filling

    This is a versatile chicken taco filling and it's delicious in more than simply street taco tortillas.

    For chicken street tacos: Allow for about three street tacos per person, and plan to double up the tortillas for each taco. Fill each tortilla with the skillet chicken taco mixture and top with shredded cabbage, lime juice and cilantro.

    For chicken taco salad: Arrange your favorite salad greens on a serving plate, top with 1 cup of chicken street taco mixture per person. Add shredded cabbage on top, a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro, and a few street taco tortillas on the side.

    For chicken nachos: Spread contents from 1, 16-ounce bag of corn tortilla chips on a large baking sheet and place in a 375° oven for 10 minutes or until the chips are warm. Top with chicken taco mixture, shredded cabbage, a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro. This is a hearty and delicious way to serve nachos for dinner.

    Olives, green chilies, corn, spices and chicken cooking in a cast iron skillet.
    The filling for Chicken Street Tacos is surprisingly versatile.

    Chicken Taco Seasoning

    Any taco recipe is enhanced with spicy seasoning. Here's all you need to create a perfectly balanced seasoning for chicken street tacos:

    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

    Top Tips and FAQ

    Can I substitute another meat for the chicken?

    Ground turkey or lean ground beef are equally delicious.

    What's the difference between a taco and a street taco?

    Street tacos are smaller, about the size of the palm of our hand. Street taco corn (and flour) tortillas are sold in almost all grocery stores.

    Serving Street Tacos

    Historically, street tacos by design are meant to be served and eaten in a casual setting, perhaps served by a street vendor and enjoyed curbside. They are meant to be casual, not fussy or complicated.

    When it comes to serving street tacos, I highly using a taco holder. Many restaurants serve tacos this way and for good reason, it helps keep all the delicious ingredients stacked up together, instead of spilling out onto the plate or on our hands.

    Plus, with a taco holder, everything looks great on the plate.

    When using street taco-sized tortillas, it's best to serve two per taco, per person. This ensures there's an extra tortilla at the ready if any of the filling ingredients spill out and helps provide a sturdy "holder" for each taco.

    Chicken Street Tacos on a plate with lime and cilantro.
    Fresh, spicy and delicious. These tacos will be a family favorite.

    More Mexican-Inspired Recipes

    Whether it's tacos or any recipe that includes our favorite Mexican flavors and spices, you can't beat having a side of homemade guacamole or Mexican Fried Rice. For another main dish option, try Tamale Casserole. It's filling and delicious and my family thinks it tastes exactly like homemade tamales wrapped in corn husks.

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    Rate the Recipe

    Be sure to give a star rating to the recipes you make from the Crinkled Cookbook. I always love hearing from you. Sharing is great too! Use the buttons after the recipe to text it with just one click or send it to family and friends on Pinterest and Facebook. Enjoy.

    Recipe

    Small chicken tacos in a serving rack with lime, cilantro and salsa on the side.

    Chicken Street Tacos

    This is a delicious dinner recipe that's ready to eat in under an hour. The chicken is simmered in a skillet and all you need to add are a few pantry staples and street taco tortillas.
    5 from 80 votes
    Print Rate Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 450kcal
    Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

    Ingredients 

    • 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts about three breasts
    • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 3-5 cloves
    • 1 onion diced
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 2.25 ounce can sliced olives drained
    • 1 4 ounce can diced green chilies
    • 1 15.25 ounce can whole kernel corn drained
    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
    • 1 cup Cheddar cheese shredded, or use Cotija cheese
    • 2 limes cut into wedges
    • 1 cup red cabbage, grated
    • ¾ cup fresh cilantro chopped
    • 20-30 street taco tortillas (corn or flour)

    Instructions

    Cook Filling

    • Place a large skillet on the stove, add olive oil. Heat over medium-high until the oil starts to shimmer. Add diced chicken, chopped garlic and diced onion. Cook until the chicken is nearly done and the onions and garlic are fragrant and begin to soften. Add olives, green chilis, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
      Don't cover the skillet. Let the mixture simmer for about 15-20 minutes with no lid, or until most of the moisture is gone. (A little moisture is OK.) Remove from heat, stir in cheese (optional), cover and keep warm until you are ready to serve.

    Warm the Street Taco Tortillas

    • Wrap the tortillas in paper towels or use a tortilla warmer and heat them in the microwave. Check every 30 seconds or until the tortillas are warm and pliable.
      As an option, heat the oven to 325° F, stack the tortillas and wrap in foil. Heat for about 15 minutes while the chicken filling is cooking.

    Serve

    • Use the skillet chicken taco mixture to fill street taco tortillas - or any size tortilla, or top a bed a salad greens for taco salad, or serve as nachos and top a baking sheet filled with corn tortilla chips.
    • Sprinkle grated red cabbage on each serving, add a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro. As an option, serve with your favorite tomato salsa on the side.

    Variations

    • For skillet chicken street tacos: Allow for about three street tacos per person, and I like to double up the tortillas. Fill each tortilla with the skillet chicken taco mixture and top with shredded cabbage, lime juice and cilantro.
    • For skillet chicken taco salad: Arrange your favorite salad greens on a serving plate, top with 1 cup of skillet chicken taco mixture per serving, add shredded cabbage, a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro.
    • For skillet chicken nachos: Spread contents from 1, 16 ounce bag of corn tortilla chips on a large baking sheet and place in a 375° oven for 10 minutes or until the chips are warm. Top with chicken taco mixture, shredded cabbage, a squeeze of lime juice and cilantro.

    Notes

    Since there are so many variations to this recipe, the nutritional information here was calculated using only the ingredients for Chicken Street Tacos, and does not include nutrition details for tortillas, tortilla chips or salad greens. The nutritional details are based on approximately a one-cup serving of the chicken taco filling per person. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 450kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 39gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1181mgPotassium: 841mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 827IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 220mgIron: 2mg

    Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database and are offered here only as a guideline for informational purposes.

    Tried this recipe? Or pin for later.Mention @crinkledcookbook or tag #crinkledcookbook

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    1. Michelle says

      January 21, 2022 at 3:06 pm

      5 stars
      We added lime as well and it was delicious. Such an easy weeknight dinner!

      Reply
    2. nancy says

      December 03, 2021 at 10:58 am

      5 stars
      Flavorful chicken taco!!! Taco Tuesdays will be awesome!

      Reply
    3. Jeannie says

      December 02, 2021 at 9:09 pm

      5 stars
      These turned out great, very filling and easy too. Perfect for our dinner nights.

      Reply
    4. Kyle says

      March 22, 2021 at 2:01 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious, very tangy with added lime as we did. Highly recommend using two mini tortillas per taco (gives it a more authentic feel!).

      Reply
      • Melinda O'Malley Keckler says

        March 22, 2021 at 4:32 pm

        I love those limes too! And using two street taco tortillas IS a game-changer with this recipe. Thanks!!

        Reply

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    Hello there, my friends! It's so great to have you here. My name is Melinda and I absolutely love home cooking. I've been creating delicious recipes for my family for over 30 years. Fun fact about me, I used to work as a TV journalist. Stick around, explore the Crinkled Cookbook, and make great meals at home!

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