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–+ servings
Close up of a shredded chicken taco with sour cream

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!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Yield:8 tacos

Equipment

  • Large saucepan
  • Bowl & 2 forks (or other preferred shredding method)
  • medium saucepan
  • Large skillet

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

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.
    Boiled chicken in saucepan of water
  • Transfer chicken to bowl. Allow to cool, then shred with 2 forks.
    Shredded chicken in glass bowl 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.
    Shredded chicken in tomato sauce
  • 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

Serving Size: 1taco | Calories: 322cal | 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
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik