These chicken street tacos are the perfect quick and easy lunch. I had some leftover chicken thighs I made in the Dutch oven the other night, so that saved me a bit of time there. That chicken tasted amazing both times I ate it!
Preheat a skillet over medium heat, and drizzle a little olive oil in there. When it’s nice and hot, lightly toast a few street taco tortillas (they are just smaller tortillas) on both sides. Get them just browned a little and set them to the side. These are the ones I chose, and they were so delicious.
Next, drizzle a little more olive oil in the hot skillet and toss your shredded chicken in there. You want to cook this until it’s a nice crispy brown. I love dark meat because it’s always more juicy, even the next day. That’s also why I prefer to cook my chicken in the Dutch oven for recipes like this. It’s so tender and juicy already. So when you crisp it up in a skillet, you get the best of both worlds.
It’s the same concept as carnitas basically, juicy and crispy. I’ve got an amazing carnitas recipe I’ll be sharing before long! But anyway, back to the chicken. You want to cook it long enough to be nice and crispy, but not dried out.
While that is cooking, preheat your oven to 450° with a large cast iron skillet inside. I have a nice 12 inch one I used. It fit 3 street tacos in there at once. When the skillet in the oven gets good and hot, pull it out and let the oven finish preheating. You don’t want this skillet piping hot while you assemble your tacos in it. You just want it hot and oiled lightly. I never put food in a cold cast iron skillet.
Go ahead and assemble your tacos with the chicken first, then your choice of shredded cheeses, pico de gallo, or whatever your flavor is. I used sriracha, and shredded cheddar and pepper jack. Don’t put any toppings like sour cream, ranch, or anything else creamy like that on yet. I don’t toast those toppings.
Pop that skillet in your preheated oven for about 2 minutes. You want everything sizzling and the cheese melted nicely. Depending on your preference, you can get that cheese nice and toasty too. When you’re happy, pull it out and add your final toppings. I used this amazing Garlic Smashed Buffalo Sauce and a little cracked pepper. Twisted Ranch also makes a kickass cheesy smoked bacon flavor.
Serve them up and enjoy. I think tacos are relatively healthy. Compared to many other things, these are a nice balance of macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat). Add in some pico and you got veggies too. These things really hit the spot for a quick, late lunch today!
Skillet Chicken Street Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 street taco tortillas
- 1 1/2 cup precooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- your choice of taco toppings
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat, and drizzle a little olive oil in there. When it's nice and hot, lightly toast the street taco tortillas on both sides.
- Preheat your oven to 450° with a large cast iron skillet inside.
- Next, drizzle a little more olive oil in the hot skillet and toss your shredded chicken in there. Cook this until it's a nice crispy brown, but not dried out.
- Pull the hot skillet out and assemble your tacos in it starting with the chicken first, then your choice of shredded cheeses, pico de gallo, or whatever your flavor is.
- Pop that skillet in your preheated oven for about 2 minutes. You want everything sizzling and the cheese melted nicely.
- Serve and enjoy!