Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your use of these links is greatly appreciated!
Last updated on April 7th, 2022 at 11:08 pm
We love tacos (and Taco Tuesday!). Ground beef tacos, carne asada, pollo asada, fish, grilled chicken …but this amazing crispy chicken taco is probably my all-time favorite.
Years ago when my husband and I were newlyweds, I came across a great chicken taco recipe that used onions, jalapeños, garlic, and tomatoes as part of the filling. It was good, and I’ve used the recipe many times since, but the rest of it felt a bit flat on soft taco shells.
Years later, I received a Pioneer Woman cookbook. One of the recipes was for crispy chicken tacos fried in oil. The crispiness was great, but the filling didn’t pack enough punch.
Then I had a brilliant idea: Why not put the two recipes together to create some amazing crispy chicken tacos?
My mouth is watering right now just thinking about these babies.
These tacos are a lot of work. But it’s 100% worth it. If you can, it helps to have an extra set of hands to help assemble them.
It starts by making the chicken taco filling …I pre-chop everything and measure out the spices before I start cooking. Things start to move fast with this recipe!
Next, heat up oil in a pot to fry your taco shells. Then, you add in all the extra goodies …cheese, lettuce, your favorite taco sauce, and sour cream (don’t skip the sour cream!).
Will you spend a lot of time in the kitchen? Yes.
Will you have a big mess to clean up at the end? Yes.
Will you be filled with so much happiness and satisfaction of finally having the most amazing homemade cripsy chicken taco? 100% YES.
(You could also make the chicken taco filling for soft tacos, and that’s totally fine and really easy to do. Frying your shells is taking it to the next level.)
Amazing Crispy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 small jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 16 corn tortillas
- 1 cup avocado oil or vegetable oil
- sour cream
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- hot sauce
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
Chicken Filling
- In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook chicken in oil, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
- In the same skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil until hot. Cook onion in oil until tender and translucent. Stir in garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook 1 minute, stirring contantly. Return chicken to skillet. Stir in tomatoes. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occassionally. Remove from the and keep warm.
Taco Assembly
- In a separate skillet, on the backburner, heat 1 cup of avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add a drop of water into the skillet; if hot enough, it will sizzle. Line a deep casserole dish with paper towels (for excess oil from the tacos).
- Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of chicken filling into a tortilla. Grasp the tortilla closed between tongs, then lay it in the hot oil, holding down the top half of the tortilla so it stays closed. Cook until golden brown, then flip the taco to fry the other side. Cook until crispy. Remove taco from the pan, allowing excess oil to drip off one end. Place the taco in the paper towel lined dish.
- While the taco is hot, gently add cheese, hot sauce, sour cream, and top with lettuce. (It helps to have an extra kitchen helper!)
- As soon as all the tacos are fried, eat and enjoy while hot!
Leave a Reply