Grilled Chicken Tacos

These grilled chicken tacos are just like authentic Mexican street tacos!  Chicken breasts marinated in citrus and spices are perfectly grilled on the BBQ then sliced and served on fresh corn tortillas.

Well hello, taco lovers. Have I got something for you.

I don’t like to discriminate between tacos because I love them all equally, but these grilled chicken tacos really are something special. Most taco nights we do up something like out lentils tacos – a little more North American style with all the shredded lettuce and tomatoes and cheese because they are total comfort food around here, but we also crave something a little more authentic sometimes.

Are you familiar with Mexican street tacos??? These guys are smaller snack-sized versions of tacos without all the extras – just a corn tortilla, the filling, and topped with a little onion, tomato and cilantro and some salsa. These grilled chicken tacos are a little more like those.

The chicken is marinated in spiced up citrus juice marinade then grilled on the BBQ ending up with tender, juicy and flavorful chicken.

Chicken taco marinade

For the best chicken tacos, you are going to want to start by marinating your chicken to infuse it with flavour.

This chicken street taco marinade is amazing, to say the least!  The flavour of the orange and lime juices along with the chilli powder, garlic and cumin is pretty true to an authentic Mexican street taco marinade and it is so quick and easy to make.

You want to marinate the chicken for a minimum of 3o minutes and up to 2 hours for the best effect.  Be careful not to over marinate the chicken though – acidic marinades like this one can actually toughen up the chicken if left on for too long.

Perfectly grilled chicken breasts

This grilled chicken taco recipe uses a method that will give you perfectly grilled chicken breasts!

This involves flattening the chicken breasts so that they are a uniform thickness which ensures that the breasts cook evenly, and cooking them at a nice low temperature so that they don’t dry out.

How to make grilled chicken tacos

Start by putting the orange juice, lime juice, oil, garlic, tabasco, chilli powder, cumin and salt in a blender and blending until the mixture is smooth.

Put your chicken breasts in a large sealable plastic bag then pour in the marinade and rub the breasts around until they are evenly covered.  Make sure that the bag is sealed (with the air removed) then place it on a flat surface and using a tool like a wooden rolling pin pound on the thickest parts of the breasts until they have been flattened to the same thickness as the thinnest part of the chicken.

Place the bag of flattened marinated chicken in the fridge and let it marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

When you are ready to grill, heat your BBQ to 350.

Place the chicken breasts on the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, turning once, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165℉.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the grill and allow it rest for 5-10 minutes BEFORE you slice it!  Letting the chicken rest before slicing helps it to retain its moisture and keeps it from drying out after it has been sliced.

Slice the chicken breasts, then serve on small corn tortillas with the toppings of your choice.

Street taco toppings

Authentic street tacos are served with just the grilled meat and then topped with a nice homemade salsa and perhaps a bit of pico de gallo.

If you want to dress them up a bit other great toppings include:

• Avocado salsa verde
• Gaucamole
• cotija cheese

Dietary Considerations and Accommodations

This recipe for grilled chicken tacos is suitable for the following diets:

• clean eating
• low carb and keto friendly
• paleo
• gluten free, dairy free, and allergy friendly

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More recipes you’ll love!

If you like these grilled chicken tacos, you might want to check out some of our other awesome Mexican inspired recipes:

• Chicken tinga tacos
• Bang bang shrimp tacos
• Breakfast tostadas

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5 from 4 votes

Grilled Chicken Tacos

authentic Mexican street taco style grilled chicken tacos

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword grilled chicken tacos, Mexican street tacos

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Marinate 2 hours

Servings 12 tacos

Calories 134kcal

Author Courtney

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 4 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp tabasco
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 3⁄4 tsp ground cumin
• 12 corn tortillas
• cilantro
• pico de gallo

Instructions

• Add the oil, orange juice, lime juice, garlic cloves, tabasco, chili powder, cumin and sea salt to a high spend blender and blend until smooth to make the marinade.
• Place the chicken breasts in a large, sealable plastic bag and add the marinade rub the chicken around to coat with the marinade then using a rolling pin or similiar heavy item pound the chicken breasts until they are of equal thickness all over.
• Place the chicken in the fridge and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Heat your grill to 350℉.
• When the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes a side or the internal temperature of the chicken is 165.
• Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for a few minutes before thinly slicing for the tacos.
• Serve with your favourite toppings and salsa.