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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Grilling

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Published: Aug 11, 2020 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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Three hard tacos with chopped chicken, lettuce, and cheese with text on image for Pinterest.
Top of three crunchy tacos with chicken, bottom of bowl of diced chicken with text on image for Pinterest.
Three crunchy hard shell tacos with chicken on a plate with text on image for Pinterest.
Three chopped chicken tacos with text and bottom of chicken breast on grill.
Two photo split of bowl of grilled chopped chicken and bottom of chicken tacos.
Top view of a plate of three hard shell tacos with black bean salad with text on image for Pinterest.

Grilled chicken breast slathered in taco seasoning and chopped into bite-size pieces make for the most delicious grilled chicken tacos dinner. Even better’s it is made in under a half hour! Use hard taco shells that grill while the chicken cooks or use homemade corn tortillas to make them more like authentic street tacos.

Three hard taco shells with chicken, cheese, and lettuce on a plate with Mexican food around it.

I love tacos, and thankfully my family loves Mexican food. We probably eat a Mexican inspired dish at least once a week. Typically, on Tuesday’s which is very predictable since we totally love and play on the “taco Tuesday” theme in my house.

I’ll be the first to admit that for some reason I don’t like chopped chicken in my Mexican dishes. I will only order the chicken if its shredded. The night I made these I wanted chicken tacos, but I didn’t want to turn the stove on in the house. I decided I would make grilled chicken tacos and chop the meat! I’m so glad I made that decision because I’ve been making these Grilled Chicken Tacos ever since.

Chopped grilled chicken in a red bowl with limes and taco in the background.

In this post you will learn the following information.

  • Ingredients
  • Directions
  • FAQs
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Mexican Recipes

Ingredients

Ingredients: shredded cheddar, lettuce, taco seasoning, taco shells, chicken, avocado.
  • Chicken Breast – I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast.
  • Grapeseed Oil – You will want a little to oil the chicken to help create a marinade for the grilled chicken.
  • Taco Seasoning – Homemade or from a packet–it doesn’t matter. Whatever you have on hand!
  • Hard Taco Shells – You can use the crunchy tacos or soft. Whatever you prefer. For authentic Mexican chicken street tacos you can use corn tortillas.
  • Toppings – For this recipe I like to use chopped romaine, chunks of diced avocados, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Directions

Hand with red nail polish massage red seasoning on chicken breast on white plate.

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

While grill is preheating rinse the chicken breast and pat dry with paper towel. Pour grape seed oil over chicken breast. Sprinkle taco seasoning mix over the chicken breast and rub well.

Four chicken breast with grill marks cooking on grill grates under orange fire.

Spray non-stick grill spray on the grates. Place the chicken breast on the grill and cook for 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Flipping half way through the cooking process. Check the internal temperature of the chicken breast to make sure it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.

Grilled chicken breast and hard corn taco shells on top of a lit grill.

During the last 3-5 minutes of cooking place the hard corn taco shells on the grill to heat them.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Begin chopping the chicken into bit size pieces. Assemble tacos in the following order: chopped lettuce, chopped chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, and sour cream.

Top view of chopped chicken breast in a red bowl next to chicken tacos on a plate and guacamole.

FAQs

How do you cut chicken for tacos?

I like to chop the chicken into bite size pieces whenever I grill chicken breast for tacos.

What is a street taco?

Authentic Mexican street tacos are typically smaller tacos that make it easier to eat on the go. They are typically served on two corn tortillas so they don’t tear.

How long can you marinate chicken?

If marinating skinless boneless chicken breast you want to marinate anywhere from 2-24 hours. If you cut the chicken into bite-size pieces 30 minutes – 2 hours is plenty of time.

Three hard shell tacos stuffed with chopped chicken, lettuce, cheese on a white plate.

Tips & Tricks

Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful when making this recipe.

  • Chicken Taco Marinade – I love to marinade the chicken in taco seasoning and grapeseed oil prior to grilling. I will marinade the chicken in a Ziploc baggy the night or morning before grilling. You will notice that this recipe does not require you to marinate this chicken. It still comes out juicy and flavorful. By marinating the chicken prior to cooking you will yield a much more robust and intense flavor.
  • Grill Tortillas – Toward the end of the grilling process of the chicken I’ll place the tortillas on the top portion of my grill or in indirect heat on the grill grates. If they are hard crunchy tacos I place them on the grill. If they soft tortillas I’ll place them in foil to warm on the grill.
  • Cutting Chicken – Whenever I grill chicken for tacos I like to chop the chicken in bite size pieces making it easiest to eat.
  • Leftovers – I love to use leftover chopped grilled chicken for tacos in a salad for the next day! Since it’s already cooked you can eat the chicken at room temperature. Another option is adding the chicken to quesadillas!
Top view of three chicken hard shell tacos with black bean salad on a plate with limes.

Mexican Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite recipes tot go with these chicken street tacos recipe.

  • Black bean corn tomato salad
  • Grilled Mexican Street Corn
  • Classic Guacamole
  • Homemade Salsa Recipe
  • Mexican Rice
  • Mexican Street Corn Salad

If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

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Grilled Chicken Tacos

Grilled chicken breast slathered in taco seasoning and chopped into bite-size pieces make for the most delicious grilled chicken tacos dinner. Even better's it is made in under a half hour! Use hard taco shells that grill while the chicken cooks or use homemade corn tortillas to make them more like authentic street tacos.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 672kcal
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • Grill

Ingredients

  • 3 Chicken Breast boneless, skinless
  • 1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil
  • 2 tablespoon Taco Seasoning
  • Non-stick Cooking Spray
  • 12 Hard Taco Shells
  • ½ cup Lettuce chopped
  • 2 Avocados diced
  • ½ cup Shredded cheddar cheese divided
  • ½ cup Sour Cream divided

Instructions

  • Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
  • While grill is preheating rinse the chicken breast and pat dry with paper towel. Pour grape seed oil over chicken breast. Sprinkle taco seasoning mix over the chicken breast and rub well.
  • Spray non-stick grill spray on the grates.
  • Place the chicken breast on the grill and cook for 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Flipping half way through the cooking process. Check the internal temperature of the chicken breast to make sure it reaches 165 degrees Fareneheit.
  • During the last 3-5 minutes of cooking place the hard corn taco shells on the grill to heat them.
  • Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Begin chopping the chicken into bit size pieces.
  • Assemble tacos in the following order: chopped lettuce, chopped chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, and sour cream.

Notes

  • To simplify dinnertime, marinate the chicken in the oil and taco seasoning the night before. Place chicken, oil, and taco seasoning in a container with lid or plastic Ziploc bag. Remove before you are ready to grill.
  • Prep veggies to go on top of tacos while the chicken is cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1c | Calories: 672kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 1266mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 681IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!

Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!

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About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 10 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aggie

    August 07, 2012 at 7:29 am

    I’m coming to your house for Mexican night! This looks awesome!

    Reply
  2. JulieD

    August 04, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    These look so good!! We LOVE Mexican!

    Reply
    • Katie

      August 06, 2012 at 6:55 am

      Thanks Julie! We love Mexican food, too. I probably cook it at least once a week!

  3. Jessica@AKitchenAddiction

    August 02, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    We were going to do chicken tacos tonight! We’ll definitely have to try this!

    Reply
  4. Cathy @ Noble Pig

    August 02, 2012 at 10:09 am

    Those chunks of avocado in those beautiful tacos are calling my name! I’m not sure why I never thought of putting taco seasoning on chicken…great idea!

    Reply
  5. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel

    August 01, 2012 at 10:18 am

    We had tacos last night but Im ready for more after seeing this!

    Reply
    • Katie

      August 01, 2012 at 7:22 pm

      Thanks Rachel!

  6. Ali @ Gimme Some Oven

    August 01, 2012 at 9:50 am

    Mmmm…I probably make tacos about once a week. One of my all-time fav weeknight meals. These look delish — and love teh chopped chicken! 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie

      August 01, 2012 at 7:22 pm

      Ali–I make Mexican food at least once a week… it can be addicting!

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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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