These delicious chipotle marinated chicken tacos have the perfect balance of spice, acid, and umami, making them a family and guest favorite.
Our whole family loves tacos. But regular taco packet seasoning on ground beef kinda gets old after a while. So I set out to create a yummy chicken tacos recipe to switch up flavors and protein a bit.
Our chicken fresh from my hubby’s smoker
.The resulting chicken tacos recipe was a hit the very first time I made it (this isn’t always the case–sometimes my recipes need several trial runs and multiple tweaks before they’re just right).
One caveat: it wasn’t a hit with our kids–at this time. None of them like anything even remotely spicy. So when I make these, I marinate a few chicken breasts in olive oil and regular mild taco seasoning for the kids.
What to Serve with the Ultimate Chicken Tacos
Typically, when we have tacos, we just have tacos. I don’t usually make any sides to go with them because we stuff veggies and everything for a rounded meal into the taco. That said, you can serve them with a side of beans or rice (if you’re doing Trim Healthy Mama, keep in mind that these items might move your dish from a light S to an SH or XO). Cauliflower rice also works well as a side.
How I Eat These Chicken Tacos
My favorite way to eat these tacos is Chipotle burrito style. Hot tortilla (I warm them in a microwave with a tortilla warmer like this one) on plate, add some meat, cauliflower rice (I cook my cauli rice with salt, a bit of butter, and some cilantro in it for this meal), a few black beans (you can have up to 1/4 cup occasionally in an FP or S setting), some shredded cheese or on plan queso (I make mine with this recipe), sometimes a little salsa, olives, and a little sour cream.
My favorite way to eat the chicken for these tacos is smoked in my husband’s propane smoker!
Ultimate Chicken Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
For Marinade
- ½ medium red onion, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, whole with skins removed
- 1 can
(7 ounces) chipotle sauce OR ¼ cup chipotle chili powder (for Whole30 option) - 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon mineral salt
- 1 teaspoon
Frontier Co-Op Chipotle Smoked Red Jalapeño powder OR regular chili powder, optional - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon
liquid smoke, optional
Other Stuff
- 6 chicken breasts
- 10 low carb tortillas (or lettuce for Whole30 or GF option)
- toppings/add-ins of choice
Instructions
- Add all marinade ingredients to the jar of a food processor. Pulse until thoroughly blended. If it gets stuck, you can drizzle in more olive oil a little bit at a time until it moves along enough to blend well. The marinade should be pretty thick, not runny.
- Add the marinade and chicken breasts to a gallon size zip bag. Press out excess air and zip the bag shut. Squish the contents around so the marinade covers all the chicken. Pop in the fridge and allow to marinate 5 hours or overnight.
- Cook the chicken as desired–on a grill, in a smoker, in a skillet, in the oven, etc. until the internal temperature reads 165° F.
- Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes then cut into ½-inch chunks or strips.
- Serve in tortillas with toppings and add-ins of choice such as shredded cheese, tomatoes, cauliflower rice (or real rice for an XO), olives, lettuce, sour cream, and so on.
Made these for a gathering and everyone loved them. Perfect blend of flavors!
VERY GOOD.
Loved these, TJ! ?