Shredded Chicken Tacos
Posted: 04/21/21
Updated: 03/31/22
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These shredded chicken tacos are just perfect! Quick and easy to make, we like them even better than the Mexican restaurant. Easy to adapt to different diets and delicious loaded up with toppings!
What Makes These Tacos So Good
- They’re a total crowd-pleaser! Seriously. When I made these for my family, I got a resounding, “Mommy? I’ll be on your app for these tacos. I love these tacos.” from my 5-year-old. Even my husband weighed in with a, “Wow, these tacos are good…. whatever you did to them.” So there you go. Officially kid-tested, family-approved.
- Shredded chicken tacos are super easy to make, and they’ve got so much flavor. Seasoned salsa chicken, fresh pico, crisp shredded lettuce, tangy sour cream… My mouth is watering just thinking about them!
- If you’re a meal prepper, these are a great make ahead option for easy lunches! Refrigerate the prepared chicken in an airtight container (separate from the other ingredients) up to 5 days, or freeze it up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, just reheat the chicken (on the stovetop or in the microwave – you can add a little broth to keep it hydrated) then construct your tacos.
- Feel free to add your favorite toppings, or leave off anything listed on the recipe card that you’re not a fan of. Shredded chicken tacos are super easy to customize! You can even serve them deconstructed as a taco bar and then everyone can build their own!
Key Ingredients
Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are perfect in this recipe. They’re super convenient and a great lean protein that fit almost any diet. If you’d like to save a little time, you could also use rotisserie chicken – just skip the boiling step and go straight to shredding it!
Salsa – Salsa (or tomato sauce) with a little seasoning makes an easy but incredible sauce for the chicken! Maybe the best thing about this recipe is the way the chicken soaks up all the flavors of the salsa to give you this super rich, super delicious shredded chicken. If you like a lot of heat, absolutely choose a hot salsa. You can also use a peach-mango salsa for a slightly sweeter shredded chicken taco.
Chef’s Tips
- I used the two-fork method to shred the chicken breasts in this recipe, but there’s actually 5 different but easy ways to shred chicken. You can read about them here. Use whichever method works best for you!
- Careful not to over-boil the chicken, especially if you’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which tend to dry out a little more easily than chicken thighs.
- Want a little more on your plate than just shredded chicken tacos? Serve them with cilantro lime brown rice (or cilantro lime cauliflower rice if you’re keto) and corn salsa for a total meal. You could top them with some creamy avocado salsa, too!
- I used flour tortillas here, but this recipe would totally work in corn tortillas, in lettuce cups, or even on tortilla chips for shredded chicken nachos. Let us know which vessel you try!
Other Mexican Recipes You’ll Love
- Mexican Tortilla Wrap Hack (TikTok Hack)
- 25 Delicious Mexican Chicken Recipes
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Sheet Pan Vegetarian Fajitas
- Corn Salsa
- Mexican Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- Chelada (Mexican Beer Cocktail with Lime)
Shredded Chicken Tacos
These shredded chicken tacos are just perfect! Quick and easy to make, we like them even better than the Mexican restaurant. Easy to adapt to different diets and delicious loaded up with toppings!
tacos
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into halves
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup salsa or tomato sauce
To Serve
- 8-10 flour tortillas
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- Monterey or Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 avocado diced or thinly sliced
- fresh cilantro chopped
- shredded romaine or other lettuce
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Bowl & 2 forks (or other preferred shredding method)
- medium saucepan
- Large skillet
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Place chicken breasts in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to boil, then simmer until chicken is no longer pink, approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to bowl. Allow to cool, then shred with 2 forks.
- In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, cumin, chili powder, and salsa (or tomato sauce). Combine, then bring mixture to boil.
- Reduce heat to low. Simmer until chicken is hot and flavors have blended, approximately 3 minutes.
To Serve
- Warm tortillas in large skillet or over open flame (see Notes).
- Brush 1 tablespoon sour cream on top of tortillas, then fill with shredded chicken.
- Top with shredded romaine, avocado, and pico. Finish with sprinkle of shredded cheese.
Notes
- Warming Tortillas: To warm tortillas on an open flame, use this method.
- Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten free tortillas, and watch for added starches in the shredded cheese.
- Make it Paleo: Use paleo tortillas or lettuce cups, dairy-free sour cream, and vegan cheese.
- Make it Lower Carb: Use low carb tortillas.
- Make it Keto: Instead of tortillas, use cheese wraps, egg thins, or lettuce cups. Make sure your tomato sauce (or salsa) has as few carbs as possible and zero added sugars. Skip the pico de gallo to save a few carbs and use fresh shredded cheese and full-fat sour cream.
- Slow Cooker Method: Use 1 cup salsa instead of ¾ cup and skip the water and avocado oil. Combine chicken, spices, and salsa in slow cooker. Cover and cook 5 hours on low or 3 hours on high. Shred chicken, then stir and cook uncovered another 30 minutes on high or 60 minutes on low. Assemble tacos with desired toppings and enjoy.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1taco, Calories: 322kcal, Protein: 28g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 965mg, Potassium: 691mg, Total Carbs: 23g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Net Carbs: 20g, Vitamin A: 468IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 2mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Thanks for the shredded chicken tacos.