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Chicken Street Tacos

Chicken street tacos in taco stand style—marinated grilled chicken thighs tucked into small corn tortillas with charred flavor and fresh cilantro, onions, and salsa verde. This Mexican street food recipe keeps the toppings simple and finishes with a bright lime squeeze.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
marinating 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 2 lb chicken thighs boneless or bone-in, trimmed
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste; use both together as seasoned mix
Taco toppings
  • 1 small corn tortillas warm before serving
  • 0.5 cup diced onion
  • 0.25 cup cilantro
  • 1 lime wedges for serving
  • 0.5 cup salsa verde for serving

Equipment

  • 1 grill

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Combine lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper, then add chicken thighs and coat well. Marinate for 1-4 hours for best flavor while the chicken absorbs the citrus-spice mixture.
Grill until charred and cooked through
  1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, then grill the marinated chicken thighs for 6-7 minutes per side. Cook until well-charred with grill marks and cooked through.
Rest and chop
  1. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and let it rest briefly, then chop into small pieces. Resting helps keep the chicken juicy for filling street tacos.
Warm tortillas and assemble
  1. Warm small corn tortillas on the grill until pliable and lightly toasted. Keep them warm so they fold easily around the grilled chicken.
Serve street tacos
  1. Fill each tortilla with chopped chicken and top with diced onion, cilantro, and salsa verde. Finish each taco with a squeeze of fresh lime for bright flavor.

Notes

Marinate in the fridge and if you push to the 4-hour end, cover tightly to prevent citrus flavor from drying the surface. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; rewarm chicken in a skillet. Freezing is possible for the chicken only (up to 2 months), then reheat and assemble fresh tortillas. For a gluten-free option, confirm your salsa verde and choose corn tortillas only (no wheat-based tortillas).