Taco Chicken

Taco Chicken can be cooked on the grill, smoker, stove top or in your oven. The taco seasoning on this chicken is a blend of spices that make this Taco Chicken perfect for any meal.

Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

Taco chicken makes the perfect meal with a side of refried beans or Mexican Rice.

It is a fast and easy recipe that will leave you with perfectly seasoned Taco Chicken. Try it in tacos, enchiladas, salads (this chicken is used in my Tex-Mex BBQ Chicken Salad), quesadillas, fajitas, burritos or any other Mexican dish you can dream of.

The Taco Seasoning for the Chicken

This Taco Chicken is seasoned with things you have in your cupboard. The taste is pretty mild but in my opinion is perfect for Mexican dishes because the flavor doesn’t overpower the other ingredients. You can add as much of this seasoning as you want to your chicken and can adapt any of the flavors to your liking. Do you want more heat? Add more chili powder and more cayenne pepper? Are you a fan of more garlic flavor, add more garlic powder. Cumin? Add more if you are a cumin lover!

The Taco Chicken seasoning is made up of: salt, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. I then use some lime juice and oil to cover the chicken with so the seasoning will stick on the chicken while cooking!

Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

The spice blend is super simple but amazing.

Marinating the Chicken

You can marinate the chicken in this Taco Seasoning, but to be honest most of the time I don’t!

I put the chicken in a zip top bag and add some lime juice, and canola oil (or olive oil) and then I toss in my chicken, the seasoning and squish it all around so the chicken gets covered!

You can let it marinate at this point for a good 30 minutes if you want, or get straight to cooking, which is what I always do!

Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

Grilling, Smoking, Stove Top or Oven

You can cook your Taco Chicken any way you like! I love mine grilled or on the smoker, but your Stove Top will work great (I do it this way in the winter, or when the weather is bad), or bake it in the oven.

Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

Grilling Taco Chicken

Heat your grill on medium heat and grill the chicken for about 5-8 minutes on one side and then another 5-8 minutes on the other side. The chicken is done with the thickest part of chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Smoking Taco Chicken

Heat your smoker to 400 degrees. Cook the chicken for 20-30 minutes (mine varies every time I smoke it), turning it part way through. The chicken is done with the thickest part of chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Stove Top Taco Chicken

Heat a skillet over medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of canola oil or olive oil. Place the chicken breasts in the hot skillet, cooking on one side for about 8-10 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook it again for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees internal temperature in the thickest part of chicken.

Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

Oven Baked Taco Chicken

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease the baking sheet. Place your chicken on the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. I do not flip my chicken at all when I bake it in the oven, but you can if you choose to. Check the internal temperature of the chicken at 20 minutes. The chicken is done with the thickest part of chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

What to serve with the Taco Chicken

I love my Tex-Mex BBQ Chicken Salad with this Taco Chicken. It is one of my all-time favorite salads!

Tex-Mex BBQ Chicken Salad | The Butcher's Wife

The possibilities are endless when it comes to this chicken. It is delicious on its own with some Mexican sides like refried beans, or Mexican Rice. You can also try it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas, salads or nachos!

Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

For some other yummy Mexican dishes try my Mexican Chicken Marinade (this is a marinade that needs a good 2 hours to marinate), or my Chicken Fajitas!

For a slow cooker chicken try my Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken!



Taco Chicken | The Butcher's Wife

Taco Chicken

Taco Chicken can be cooked on the grill, smoker, stove top or in your oven. The taco seasoning on this chicken is a blend of spices that make this Taco Chicken perfect for any Mexican inspired meal.
This Taco Chicken recipe is for 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts. This feeds about 4 people depending on serving size.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
  • 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tbsp canola oil, or olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

Instructions

  • Make sure your chicken is pounded out to an even thickness, if needed.
  • Mix the salt, chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper together. Adjust the seasonings as needed to your liking.
  • Take your chicken breasts and put them in a zip top bag. Pour your lime juice and oil in the zip top bag. Seal the zip top bag and squish the chicken breasts around in the bag to help the juice and seasonings cover the chicken evenly.
    ** You can let this chicken marinate for 30 minutes, but I usually just put it straight on the smoker or grill.
  • Heat your grill on medium heat or your smoker on 400°. Place the chicken on the grill or smoker.
    FOR THE GRILL: Let the chicken cook on one side for 5-8 minutes, and then flip it and let it cook on the other side for 5-8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°
    FOR THE SMOKER: Place your chicken on the smoker at 400° and let it smoke for 20-30 minutes. Flip it half way through the smoking time. It will be done when the internal temperature reaches 165°
    ***See my blog post above for the digital meat thermometer I use!
    ****See notes or blog post above for cooking the chicken on the stove top or in your oven.
  • Take your chicken off the heat and slice it up! Enjoy on it's own or in any Mexican dish!°

Notes

You can adjust the seasonings to your liking.  Add more chili powder or cayenne for more heat.  Add more salt if you like things a bit more salty.  
If you chose to cook this chicken on your stove top, heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil over medium-low heat.  Cook the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 
For oven baked Taco Chicken, line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease your baking sheet) and bake the chicken at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Check the internal temperature of the chicken.  It is done when it reaches 165 degrees.  Bake longer if needed.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 638mg | Potassium: 655mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 254IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

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