Chili lime chicken tacos make for a quick, simple, and tasty meal. We have tacos at least a couple of times a month for an easy dinner. Who doesn’t like Taco Tuesday? 🙂
I have only used this chili lime chicken for tacos, but you could definitely use it for enchiladas, fajitas, bowls, or even over a salad.
Elements
Lime: The bright, fresh flavor of lime is perfect with chicken and the bold spices. If you only have bottled lime juice, it will work. However, if I have fresh lime available, I like to use both the zest and the juice to enhance the flavor.
Olive Oil: Combines with lime juice for the base of the marinade.
Garlic: Adds great flavor.
Cumin & Chili Powder: These two spices are found in all of my Mexican-inspired recipes.
Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper adds a lot of heat. Use sparingly or omit if you don’t want the chicken overly spicy.
Salt & Pepper: Enhances the flavors.
Canola Oil: Used to cook the chicken.
Chicken Breast: I used one medium-sized chicken breast. Chicken thighs are also an excellent choice.
Flour Tortillas: Both flour and corn tortillas work great.
Avocado: We love fresh avocado with tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas. Guacamole would also be delicious.
Mexican Cheese: Cheese is never the wrong choice! Use whatever you like.
Salsa: Salsa or chopped fresh tomatoes are great on tacos.
Cilantro: I love the fresh flavor of cilantro.
Preparation
Start by prepping the chicken. You want the chicken to sit in the lime and spice marinade for a while. A quick 15-minute marinade is enough to impart flavor into the meat. If you have the time, you can go up to two hours.
Heat a skillet with the canola oil. I use my stainless steel skillet. Drain the marinade from the meat before cooking the chicken. Try to get the majority of the liquid drained away before adding the chicken to the skillet. With too much liquid, the meat will boil instead of sautéing.
Sprinkle the chicken with additional chili powder and cumin. If you are really feeling spicy, add more cayenne pepper.
Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
Serve immediately in tortilla shells with avocado, cheese, salsa, and cilantro. I like a side of Mexican roasted vegetables.
Chili Lime Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 small lime juice and zest
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ cayenne pepper
- salt & black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast chopped into small pieces
- ⅛ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- flour tortillas warmed
- fresh avocado thinly sliced
- Mexican cheese
- salsa
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Place all ingredients listed above the chicken in a bowl and stir to combine. Add chopped chicken to the bowl and stir to combine. Allow the chicken to sit in the marinade mixture for up to 2 hours.
- Drain the marinade from chicken. Heat oil in skillet and add chicken. Sprinkle with remaining chili powder and cumin. Sauté the chicken, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
- Layer the warmed tortilla with chicken, tomato or salsa.