My family loves these simple tacos! Thanks to our incredibly delicious butter cilantro sauce, they are quick, easy to make and extra delicious. This is a simple dinner!
These chopped chicken tacos are a mix of two favorite recipes on the blog. First, we make the tender chopped chicken by lightly cooked with onion, garlic, cumin and bay leaves. We then filled the warm tortillas with chicken and drizzled with creamy cilantro sauce (the sauces are the same for these highly rated roasted vegetable tacos).
These chopped chicken tacos are perfect for busy nights. You can even make the chicken and sauce ahead of time. The chopped chicken will be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator until one month, and the sauce will be kept in the refrigerator for about a week.
Key Ingredients
- chicken: You will lightly cook the chicken (thighs or chicken breast) with onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, salt and pepper. You can do this on the stovetop, such as in our stovetop chopped chicken recipe or a slow cooker for chopping chicken in a slow cooker.
- Creamy Coriander Sauce: I love this sauce and think you will, too! You will mix sour cream, lime juice, jalapeno (or more spicy), coriander leaves and half of salt. These tacos are delicious, but I also use it for drizzling rice, adding cereal bowls and more!
- Tortillas: Use your favorite tortillas for these tacos. When I have time, I like to be my own time. Here is my soft flour tortilla recipe and my favorite tortilla recipe.
- Extras: Feel free to add your favorite taco toppings. I like the extra cilantro, tomatoes and crushed Queso mural cheese. You can also consider homemade avocado sauce, Pico de Gallo or these pickled onions!
Easy-to-chopped chicken tacos
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These simple chopped chicken tacos are a mixture of two of our favorite things – tender chopped chicken and our creamy cilantro sauce. You can make chicken and sauce ahead of time. The chicken will be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and a freezer for one month. Keep the sauce in the refrigerator for about a week and sprinkle deliciously on salad, rice bowl and eggs.
Make 4 servings or about 2 cups of chopped chicken
You will need
Chicken Tacos
1½ pounds of boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
4 cloves and garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 sea leaf
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 tortillas or flour tortillas
1 tomato, chopped
Cheese (such as Queso Fresco) service
1 lime, cut into wedges
Creamy Coriander Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Remove 1/2 of the jalapeno, seeds and membranes
1/2 cup packaged coriander leaves and tender stems
Salt seasoning
direction
1Cooked chicken: Mix the chicken, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, cumin and pepper in a large thick-bottomed pan. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Make the heat high, bring to a boil, and then remove any foam or scum floating on the top.
2Adjust the heat so that the water stirs very gently around the chicken. Cook until the chicken is very tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the cutting board and then transfer the chicken to the cutting board when it’s cool enough, chopping the meat with two forks or fingers.
3Reduce cooking liquid: After removing the chicken, boil the remaining liquid in the pan until it is reduced by a third or until its flavor is concentrated. Pour about 1 cup of concentrated cooking liquid onto the chopped chicken and throw away. Use or freeze within 2 to 3 days.
4Make sauce: Add sour cream, lemon juice, jalapeno, coriander and a little salt to the blender. Mix until smooth. Taste and add more lime juice or salt when needed. Refrigerate for up to a week.
5Warm tortillas: Wrap the tortillas with two stacks of aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated.
6Make tacos: Fill each warm tortilla with chicken and tomatoes. Top with cheese and cilantro sauce. Serve extra sauce and lime wedges on the sides.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Double batch chicken: To do a double batch, increase the chicken to 3 pounds and add more water to the pan. Onions, garlic and spices do not need to be changed.
- Skin Chicken: We have made this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and thighs, but the skin still adheres. Both are very good. If you use chicken with skin, remove and discard the skin before chopping the chicken. You may also find that you need to browse some fat from the cooking soup before pouring the chicken over it.
- Remaining cooking liquid: You will have leftovers for cooking liquid. It’s delicious on its own, like a light soup. You can also use it as a soup for other recipes. Or, if you want to keep the chicken for more than a day, add a tablespoon or two to add a little moisture.
- Slow-cooked chicken chopped chicken: Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low until the chicken is cooked and tender for 3 to 4 hours. Chop the chicken and transfer the broth to the pan. Cook the broth until reduced by one third, then spoon the chicken.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
3 small tacos
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Calories
313
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protein
23g
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carbohydrate
22g
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Dietary fiber
3G
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Total sugar
4G
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Total fat
15g
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Saturated fat
6G
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cholesterol
121mg
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sodium
801mg
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
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