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!
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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.
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
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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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
Ground turkey or lean ground beef are equally delicious.
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.
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.
More Chicken Recipes
Rate the Recipe
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Recipe
Michelle says
We added lime as well and it was delicious. Such an easy weeknight dinner!
nancy says
Flavorful chicken taco!!! Taco Tuesdays will be awesome!
Jeannie says
These turned out great, very filling and easy too. Perfect for our dinner nights.
Kyle says
Delicious, very tangy with added lime as we did. Highly recommend using two mini tortillas per taco (gives it a more authentic feel!).
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
I love those limes too! And using two street taco tortillas IS a game-changer with this recipe. Thanks!!