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Chicken Taco Marinade

Chicken taco marinade with lime, garlic, and toasted-spice flavor that keeps chicken juicy while it char-grills or skillet-cooks. Marinate for at least 2 hours, then grill or pan-sear until you get visible char marks and the chicken hits 165°F.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
marinating 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 33 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken taco marinade
  • 1.5 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts Use boneless thighs for extra tenderness or breasts for a leaner option.
  • 0.25 cup fresh lime juice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 0.5 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
For serving
  • corn tortillas Warm before assembling for best texture.
  • pico de gallo
  • avocado
  • cilantro
  • lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Make the marinade
  1. Whisk fresh lime juice, olive oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, onion powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and fresh cilantro, chopped together until evenly combined and fragrant.
Marinate
  1. Coat the boneless chicken thighs or breasts with the marinade, then marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Cook the chicken
  1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and cook until char marks appear, about 6-7 minutes.
  2. Flip the chicken and continue cooking until it reaches 165°F and the second side shows char marks, about 6-7 minutes.
Rest and slice
  1. Rest the cooked chicken for 5 minutes, keeping it loosely covered to hold in juices.
  2. Slice the chicken thinly against the grain so the pieces stay tender and are easy to pile onto tortillas.
Serve
  1. Serve the sliced chicken in warm corn tortillas and top with pico de gallo, avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.

Notes

For the juiciest taco chicken, keep the chicken refrigerated while marinating and discard any marinade that touched raw chicken. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze cooked sliced chicken up to 2 months. For a lower-sodium option, reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon and add extra lime juice to keep the flavor bright.