You know what day it is, so forks down and hands up! Chicken Street Tacos are a perfect have-it-your-way meal for Taco Tuesday. Smoky, marinated chicken thighs cocooned in a warm, soft tortilla topped with an endless combination of toppings… what could be better? Healthy, easy, handheld, and certified finger-lickin’ good, street tacos aren’t just for lunch runs or closing time anymore.

Three chicken street style tacos on a blue plate surrounded by bowls of garnishes and a bowl of cooked chicken slices.

Jump to:

Taking it to the Street (Taco)
How to Make Chicken Street Tacos
What Are the Best Toppings for Chicken Street Tacos?
What’s the Best Way to Warm Corn Tortillas?
Can I Use Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Instead of Thighs?
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Tips for Making This Recipe Perfectly
More Taco Recipes
Chicken Street Tacos
Ratings

I don’t need to tell you how much we love tacos in this house. We love them as much as you love tacos at your house. We love them as much as the whole world loves tacos.

Aside from the obligatory Friday Fish Fry for Catholics, does any other day of the week have a more universally-designated, ubiquitous food? The answer is no. Don’t @me on this. I almost named this blog “Tons of Tacos,” but thought it might be wiser to branch out.

Oven roasted Chicken Street Tacos are both classy and classic. They’re leveled up tacos. Oh, they’re definitely street food, but more “lunch rush,” less “stumbling out of a bar at 2am.” And they’re 100% family friendly certified. Don’t get me wrong – I love every taco recipe I’ve ever shared with you. I have eaten them all. A lot. A lot, a lot. But let’s be honest, I’ve got a family to feed and not all of them are as…adventurous as I am.

If you have kids (or picky adults) then you know how hard it can be not only to cook to the most sensitive tastebud, but also to train someone’s palate on the sly.

We all know someone whose entire diet consists of “beige food” and will only eat a taco if it’s ground beef in a taco shell, maybe with some cheese. And it’s possible that my oldest child is one of those people more often than not. But it is also 100% tru that this kid took one bite of his taco and said it was, and I quote “the best chicken I’ve ever had in my whole life.”

Take that, Roy Choi!

Three chicken street tacos arranged on a concrete background surrounded by corn tortillas and various garnishes.

Taking it to the Street (Taco)

Believe it or not, street tacos aren’t a relatively new concept that cropped up with the advent of the food truck. When tacos originally made their way north from Mexico during the 1800s, they were literal street food – sold on the go, to people on the go.

It wasn’t until the mid-to-late 20th century that the concept of holding a crunchy taco over a plate and watching half of it fall out of the bottom became popular. Though why, we may never know (thanks Taco Bell?).

Street tacos were historically viewed as a lower class of food for using less-desired cuts of meat, like offal – and even insects – (frankly, ingredients we think of as adventurous today), but boy were they efficient: small portions of well-seasoned protein in a fresh corn tortilla, all easily delivered to your gullet by your hand. And let’s be real, no matter what they were stuffed with, if tacos weren’t delicious, they never would have caught on.

If fast-casual is truly the “now” wave of dining, then nothing is more fast – and more casual – than grabbing a few small tacos from a street vendor, customizing them to your satisfaction, and plopping down on a park bench to enjoy.

I, myself, am just going to recreate them at home (thanks kids!) while raising a glass to our neighbors to the south for introducing us to well-balanced spice blends, corn tortillas, and the combination of those two things. Salud!

How to Make Chicken Street Tacos

Juicy, oven-baked chicken thighs soaked in a smoky, spicy marinade form the base for these delectable Chicken Street Tacos. Customize your portions by serving on small, warm corn tortillas and topping with anything from avocado to cilantro, or queso fresco to pico de gallo… anything ending in ‘o’ really (but save the Oreos for dessert).

Need a different visual? View this post as a story, or scroll to the recipe card for the video!

A collage showing the ingredients for chicken taco marinade and chicken thighs covered in the marinade.

Make a batch of DIY taco seasoning: combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, coriander, oregano, and red pepper flakes in lidded jar. Secure the lid, then shake to combine.
TIP: this seasoning stores well, so if you make tacos frequently, scale up the batch for future recipes. A recipe portion of this taco seasoning is ¼ cup.
Whisk the taco seasoning with olive oil, lime juice, and minced garlic. It will be thick, like a paste.
Coat boneless skinless chicken thighs with the marinade; this is a job for your (clean!) hands.
Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 2 hours and up to 12.

A collage showing how to slice cooked chicken for tacos, and how to build a chicken street taco.

Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper; bake at 425°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Place the chicken onto a cutting board, rest for 5 minutes, then cut against the grain into ½″ strips.
Layer the chicken into warmed corn tortillas and season with lime juice.
Top with your favorite taco toppings, and then NOM!

A blue bowl of sliced grilled taco chicken surrounded by bowls of garnishes and a stack of corn torillas.

What Are the Best Toppings for Chicken Street Tacos?

Toppings aren’t just for looks (although a well-dressed taco does look tastier). Choose taco toppings that will complement or enhance the protein. For these chicken tacos, we recommend toppings that are either creamy or acidic – both of which are great contrasts to the spice and heat.

Avocado
Lime juice
Pico de gallo
Queso fresco or cojita cheese
Pickled red onions or pickled radishes
Sour cream

What’s the Best Way to Warm Corn Tortillas?

Corn tortillas are best served fresh (life-changing, I promise) and warmed with dry heat on the stove. The preferred method for warming them is to heat up a cast iron skillet (or stainless steel if you have no cast iron, but cast iron is also life-changing, so consider getting one) over medium heat and warm the tortilla for 15-30 seconds max on each side. Prep a bowl or basket with a very slightly damp towel and wrap your tortillas to cover and keep warm until serving

If you don’t have fresh corn tortillas (and are feeling daring, and have a gas stove), give this method a whirl: use a pastry brush to lightly wet the tortilla on both sides and use tongs to hold directly over the open flame on your stovetop until cooked to your liking, again, 30 seconds per side max. You may get some toasty spots, just don’t let them get crunchy!

Remember: Corn tortillas and flour tortillas behave very differently because of gluten, or the lack thereof, so always cook with your hands, eyes, and nose.

Can I Use Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Instead of Thighs?

Yes, but with caution (driven by personal preference). We do not care for baked or oven roasted chicken breast. A marinade definitely helps, but the cooked texture can still be dry and stringy. So if you go for breast instead of thigh meat, but sure to pound the chicken to an even thickness (both for tenderizing and even cooking), then grill instead of roasting.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store the chicken: in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat the chicken: in a skillet over medium high heat in a splash of olive oil for 2-3 minutes, or in a microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.
Freeze the chicken: freeze the raw chicken in the marinade in a gallon zip back for up to 2 months; defrost in the fridge overnight and bake as directed.

Side view, several chicken street tacos on a concrete background surrounded by garnishes and corn tortillas.

Tips for Making This Recipe Perfectly

When it comes to marinade, trust your taste to determine the time. Regardless of how long you let the chicken marinate, you will still get a healthy dose of the seasonings baked on. Chicken thighs can stand a long marinade, up to 12 hours.
Use. Fresh. Veggies. Not only do they taste better, but you’re going to get much more diverse and balanced textures.
Don’t cheat yourself on the tortillas – fresh corn tortillas are absolute winners. Also, size matters, and for Street Tacos, smaller is better.
Double layer the tortillas. Street tacos are small because they’re meant to be portable, but that portability can can issues – like breakage and leakage. Insulate yourself against that eventuality (literally) by layering two tacos togethers.
Don’t skip the lime juice. Trust me on this one!

More Taco Recipes

Side view, three chicken street tacos with avocado and pico de gallo on a blue plate.

Did you make these Chicken Street Tacos? I’d love to know how they turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.

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Comments

5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

Chicken Street Tacos