Grilled Chicken Street Tacos

5 from 3 votes

Chicken street tacos are bold, flavorful, and quick to make—perfect for taco night or easy entertaining.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Marinating Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: tacos

Calories: 90kcal

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic cloves, chipotles in adobo sauce, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, oil, and water. Reserve ⅓ cup of marinade- set aside.
1 tbs soy sauce, 6 garlic cloves, 2 Limes, 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, 2 teaspoon chili powder, ¾ teaspoon cumin, 1 ½ teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, 6 tbs oil, 2 tbs water
Add whole chicken breasts or thighs to a Ziploc bag and pour remaining marinade over them. Close and shake the bag to coat the chicken evenly. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2 lbs chicken
Clean and oil grill*, then heat on med-high until hot. Once the grill is preheated, add the chicken and cook until done. At 4 minutes, flip the chicken, and continue cooking. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, cooking times will vary. Chicken will be done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Start checking for doneness at least the 7-minute mark and every few minutes thereafter.
Once chicken is cooked through, chop into ¼ inch- ½ inch pieces. Add reserved marinade to a non-stick pan along with chicken (you may need to work in batches depending on the size of your pan, so portion out reserved marinade accordingly). Stir and heat until chicken pieces are coated and starting to brown slightly.
Serve in warmed tortillas* topped with diced onion, cilantro, lime, and your favorite salsa.
Tortillas, White Onion, Cilantro, Extra limes cut into wedges, Salsa

Tips and Tricks

Chicken Meat: Thighs are more flavorful due to being slightly more fatty, but I was determined to make a recipe that works great for chicken breast, too, and this does! So use whatever you have on hand!
Stove Top or Oven: If you want to cook the chicken in a fry pan with oil, or bake in the oven, that works too. Just cook to an internal temperature of 165°F, then continue on with the recipe.
Tortillas: I like to warm small corn or flour tortillas in a fry pan with a little oil, just until they are warm and pliable and just starting to brown. The blackened/charred tortillas in the photos look great, but don’t taste very good!
Nutrition Info: This is just an estimate for the chicken meat and marinade. Adjust accordingly for whatever tortillas and toppings you use.