Easy Chicken Tacos with Pickled Onions

Easy chicken tacos with pickled onions are a quick and easy, healthy weeknight dinner. Maybe it’s the Californian in me, but I love Mexican food, and these chicken tacos are a great weekday meal when time is short. You can make these even faster by using rotisserie chicken and making the pickled onion slaw.

We always have corn tortillas and salsa in the fridge and beans in the pantry for quick meals. Tacos in Mexico, or at a taco truck here in L.A., tend to be much more simple than the extravaganzas you often see in Mexican restaurants, loaded with ground meat, shredded cheese, lettuce and heaps of guacamole. We often serve our tacos with cabbage or onion slaw instead of lettuce. Serve the chicken tacos in warm corn tortillas with pickled onion and cilantro slaw , cojito or other fresh Mexican cheese, and avocado.

Ingredients for quick chicken tacos

• 1 1/4 pounds chicken thighs or breast fat removed and sliced into strips
• 1 teaspoon chili powder or more if you like it spicier.
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

How to make chicken tacos

• Mix seasonings together in a medium sized bowl. Toss chicken strips. Set aside while preparing the slaw.
• Heat a skillet over a medium high heat and quickly stir-fry chicken strips until cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes.
• Serve in warm corn tortillas with pickled onion slaw , Cojito or other fresh Mexican cheese and avocado. Serves 4, 2 tacos each.

Ingredients for pickled onion slaw

• 1 medium  red onion  peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 head cabbage  shredded or thinly sliced, about 4 cups
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds lightly toasted

How to make pickled onion slaw

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Drop sliced onions into water. Boil for 1 minute. Drain and immediately plunge drained onions into ice cold water to stop them from cooking.
• In a large bowl, whisk together, juices, oil, sugar, salt and pepper.
• Toss cabbage, green and red onions and cilantro with dressing to coat. Refrigerate.

Looking for more Mexican dishes?

Guacamole

Tacos al Carbon

Enchilada Casserole

Mexican Chicken Soup

Cilantro Rice

Turkey Enchiladas

Easy Chicken Tacos

Cynthia

Easy chicken tacos with pickled onion slaw.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4 servings

Calories 474 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Easy Chicken Tacos

• 1 1/4 pounds chicken thighs or breast, fat removed and sliced into strips
• 1 teaspoon chili powder or more if you like it spicier.
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Pickled Onion Slaw

• 1 medium  red onion  peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 head cabbage  shredded or thinly sliced, about 4 cups
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds lightly toasted

Instructions

 

Easy Chicken Tacos

• Mix seasonings together in a medium sized bowl. Toss chicken strips. Set aside while preparing the slaw.
• Heat a skillet over a medium high heat and quickly stir-fry chicken strips until cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes.
• Serve in warm corn tortillas with Pickled Onion and Cilantro Slaw , Cojito or other fresh Mexican cheese and avocado. Serves 4, 2 tacos each. Serve with Black Beans and Cilantro Rice

Pickled Onion Slaw

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Drop sliced onions into water. Boil for 1 minute. Drain and immediately plunge drained onions into ice cold water to stop them from cooking.
• In a large bowl, whisk together, juices, oil, sugar, salt and pepper.
• Toss cabbage, green and red onions and cilantro with dressing to coat. Refrigerate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 474kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 25gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 139mgSodium: 1015mgPotassium: 634mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 619IUVitamin C: 58mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 3mg

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