This chicken taco marinade is so easy and flavorful, it makes the perfect chicken tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more! This chicken can be prepared in bulk and frozen for super easy meals that don't sacrifice flavor, you can celebrate taco tuesday every week! I like to make this recipe using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you could substitute breasts if desired. I'm usually one to choose chicken breasts over thighs, but for this kind of taco filling, I love the juiciness and meatier texture of the thighs.
My recommendation for cooking this chicken is to use a grill or smoker, but it can also be cooked low and slow in the oven, which achieves a similar texture to smoked chicken, but without the added smoky flavor.
If you want to meal-prep this chicken for the freezer, you have two options. Either freezing the raw chicken in the marinade and cooking it after, or cooking the chicken and freezing cooked meat that's ready to use. Cooking the meat just before eating it will be a little higher quality, but the convenience of the pre-cooked meat makes throwing together a meal a snap. Both options are a great way to save time in the kitchen on taco night! Note, this is the same marinade as my Tri-Tip Street Tacos, so it's easy to prep both at once!
Use this chicken in:
How to make the chicken taco marinade:
(See the full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.)
- Measure out and mix together all the marinade ingredients: lime juice, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper.
- Trim the excess fat from boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and double-check the meat for pieces of bone are you go. You can sub boneless skinless chicken breasts if desired, but chicken thighs will make more authentic tacos.
- Toss the chicken in the marinade and transfer it to an airtight container (Tupperware or a zip bag) and let it marinate in the fridge for at least two hours, up to overnight.
How to use this chicken in tacos, burritos, and more:
- After the chicken has marinated, you can cook it on the grill, in the oven, or in a smoker. The chicken pictured in this recipe was prepared in a smoker, and I used a meat thermometer to decide when to remove the chicken. Smoking over an open flame makes super delicious chicken!
- After cooking, chop the chicken into small pieces as shown.
- Once the chicken in ready, follow the instructions for my Chicken Street Tacos, or Chicken Burritos! The taco recipe has my favorite toppings, which are street taco style and include diced white onion, cilantro, and lime wedges. The burritos are similar to Chipotle and include cilantro lime rice, diced white onion, and cheese. Don't forget to warm up your tortillas, warm tortillas make a huge difference! This chicken is also delicious in quesadillas, nachos, burrito bowls, in hard taco shells, and whatever you can think of! Serve it with your favorite taco toppings! Some more pairing ideas to consider are: pico de gallo, hot sauce, red onion, black beans, Mexican rice, avocados, fresh garlic, and refried beans.
Key Tips - Marinated Chicken for Tacos
Prepare in bulk and freeze for later!
- My favorite way to prepare this meal is prepping the meat in bulk in my smoker! Cooking low and slow in the smoker results in super tender and juicy meat. A similar result can be achieved by cooking low and slow in the oven, just without the added smoky flavor. Grilling is another great option for these thighs!
- The meat can also be frozen raw in the marinade, then cooked after defrosting. I recommend placing the chicken in the freezer just after it's packaged in the marinade. To prepare from frozen, just thaw the package and store in the refrigerator at least 6 hours before cooking, to give the meat time to marinate.
- To reheat precooked leftover chicken, defrost it then warm it in a pan over medium heat, mixing occasionally, until warmed through. Add a splash of water or oil if the chicken seems too dry as it's reheating.
Use in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more!
- This is great chicken to use in many classic Mexican dishes. See the links in the recipe to my chicken taco & burrito recipes!
- Some other ideas for using this chicken are burritos, quesadillas, flautas, crunch wraps, tostadas, and loaded nachos.
Save the marinade and brush on more as the chicken cooks.
- To get the most flavor out of the marinade, save what's left over in the container and brush it onto the chicken as it cooks! Just make sure you don't do this right at the end, so the marinade has enough time to reach a food-safe temperature before you remove it from heat.
- Do NOT toss the chicken in excess marinade after cooking, unless you set the marinade aside before it came into contact with raw chicken.
Freeze after vacuum sealing for best results.
- A vacuum sealer is definitely a bit of an investment, but if you plan on frequently meal prepping meats in the freezer, it's a tool you will quickly fall in love with. Vacuum sealing keeps the meat super fresh in the freezer and prevents freezer burn completely.
- I recommend this vacuum sealer, which is one of the cheaper options among the name brands. I also love these vacuum bags!
Dietary Restrictions - Marinated Chicken for Tacos
This dish is naturally Dairy-Free.
Just make sure to skip the cheese and sour cream when using this chicken!
This dish is naturally Gluten-Free.
Just make sure to serve this with corn tortillas!
A Note On Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. One pound of raw boneless, skinless chicken thigh results in about 12 oz of cooked meat. I've listed one serving as 3 oz of cooked chicken, but many people may prefer to have more than one serving per meal.
Marinated Chicken for Tacos & More
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or sub chicken breasts
For Marinade:
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
To prepare:
- Combine all ingredients of the marinade and mix. Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and place in a zip bag or airtight container with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cooking, I typically marinate mine overnight.
To smoke or bake:
- Preheat a smoker or oven to 250 °F. If using an oven, place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil (if available, if not just a rimmed baking sheet will do). If using a smoker, place directly on the grill grates. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, and the internal temp reaches 165 °F, about 1 to 2 hours. If desired, brush on excess marinade mixture partway through. [If substituting chicken breasts, cook times may be longer]
To grill:
- Preheat your grill to ~350 °F. Grill, flipping once, until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temp reaches 165 °F, about 10-15 minutes. If desired, brush on excess marinade after flipping. [If substituting chicken breasts, cook times may be longer]
To serve:
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then slice it into small pieces. Use in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or as desired. See my recipes for Cheesy Chicken Street Tacos, Chicken Street Tacos, or Chicken Burritos for ideas on how to use this chicken!
To prepare in bulk for freezer:
- To freeze before cooking: Place the chicken and the marinade mixture in a zip bag or vacuum bag and seal with as little air as possible. Place in the freezer before allowing any time to marinate.
- To freeze after cooking: Let the chicken cool completely after slicing into small pieces. Place in a zip bag or vacuum bag and seal with as little air as possible, then put in the freezer.
To prepare from frozen - uncooked:
- Defrost the chicken at least 3 hours before you plan to cook it, giving it time to marinate. I suggest moving from the freezer to fridge the night before you plan to cook it. Follow the rest of the instructions as written.
To prepare from frozen - precooked:
- Defrost the cooked chicken, then warm in a pan over medium heat, mixing occasionally, until warmed through. Add a splash of water or oil if the chicken seems too dry as it's reheating.
Notes
Nutrition
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Kylie Perrotti says
This looks fantastic!
Jacqueline Schell says
Thanks so much Kylie!
Lira says
Just what I was looking for, thanks so much! The flavor is incredible!!
Minh says
amazing!
Malik says
Just what I was looking for, thanks! I marinated for two hours and cooked them on the grill, came out great.
Kate says
This is so addicting, I think I've made it 4 times already. Ive been making taco salad bowls for lunches and this is so much better than the meat I was using before.
Danielle says
So incredibly delicious! Don't change a thing and you won't regret it!
Jacqueline Schell says
Thanks so much for leaving a review, I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Jen says
We’ve made this twice in the last week. One of the best chicken marinades I’ve had! We refrigerate it overnight to really let it all soak in.
Amy says
Could the chicken and marinade be used in a slow cooker?
Jacqueline Schell says
Hello! I have never prepared this recipe in a slow cooker but I think that it could work! You may need to mix in a little bit of water or chicken broth to make sure the chicken pieces stay submerged as they cook.
If you give it a try I’d love to hear how it goes, and I’m sure other readers would appreciate it as well!
Chase says
the best chicken taco marinade that I have tried!