Make Soft Chicken Tacos
Soft chicken tacos are healthy, delicious comfort food. Made with a shredded chicken filling, soft wholesome tortillas, and fillings of your choice, soft chicken tacos are an easy meal to throw together on any weeknight. Read on for instructions on how to make them.
Contents
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination
- Salt, pepper, and taco seasoning to taste
- 8 flour or corn tortillas
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Lettuce, shredded
- Tomatoes, diced
- Salsa
- Sour cream
Steps
Cooking the Chicken
- Prepare the chicken. Remove the breasts or thighs from their packaging, and discard the plastic. Rinse the chicken on both sides with cold water. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels and set it on a plate.
- You can use chicken breasts, thighs, legs, or any other part of a chicken for this recipe. The chicken can be either boneless or bone-in.
- Wash your hands frequently with warm soapy water when handling raw chicken.
- Season the chicken. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Use as much or as little as you like. You can Make Taco Seasoning Mix if you're feeling adventurous.
- Brown the chicken. Pour about a tablespoon of oil into a skillet. Place it on a burner and turn the heat to medium. When the oil is hot, place the chicken inside the skillet. Let it brown on one side for 3 minutes, then flip the chicken pieces to brown on the other side.
- If the chicken piece you're cooking have skin on, brown each side until the skin gets golden and crispy.
- Turn down the heat a little if the chicken starts to burn.
- Finish cooking the chicken. Place a lid over the skillet and turn the heat to medium low. Cook the chicken until its internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. When you cut into the chicken it should look white, rather than pink. When it's ready, remove it from heat and set it on a cutting board.
- You can test to make sure the chicken is finished cooking with a meat thermometer.
- Don't overcook the chicken or it will get too dry.
- Shred the chicken. Use two forks to shred the chicken meat. Discard the bones and skin (unless you want to use the skin in the tacos). Place the chicken meat in a bowl. Taste a piece of meat, and add more taco seasoning if necessary.
Preparing the Tortillas
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. You can use a nonstick skillet or a steel one; the tortillas won't stick either way. If you want the tortillas to taste rich, add a pat of butter or a teaspoon of oil to the skillet and heat it thoroughly.
- Line the skillet with tortillas. Place as many tortillas as you can fit in the skillet without them overlapping.
- Warm the tortillas on both sides. Cook the tortillas on the first side until they begin to bubble and pop, then use a pair of tongs to flip them to the other side. Cook until they are lightly brown and fragrant, but not crispy. Remove them to a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with a dishcloth to keep them warm while you cook the remaining tortillas.
- You can warm the tortillas in the microwave instead of in a skillet.
- Be sure to remove the tortillas from the pan before they get crispy; otherwise, you'll have crispy tacos, not soft tacos.
- You may need to add more oil or butter to the pan to evenly brown all of the tortillas.
Assembling the Tacos
- Spoon chicken into the center of a tortilla. Add as much or as little chicken as you want; it's a matter of personal preference.
- Scatter toppings over the chicken. Fill the tortilla with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Assemble all of the tacos by filling tortillas with chicken, then topping with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.
- Serve with salsa and sour cream. Have each person add their own condiments to their tacos.
- Finished.
Tips
- Purchase pre-shredded Cheddar cheese and pre-shredded lettuce for easy prep when making these tacos.
- You can use a large can of cooked chicken, drained, if desired. Heat the chicken and follow the above directions.
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