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.
1 1/2lbschicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
1 1/2tbsplime juice
1/2tbspcanola oil, or olive oil
1/2tspsalt
1/2tspchili powder
1/2tsppaprika
1/2tspcumin
1/4tsponion powder
1/4tspgarlic powder
1/4tspblack 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.