Delicious and easy cheesy shredded chicken tacos with BIG flavors! These shredded chicken tacos with homemade taco seasoning is easy and delicious! Top these chicken tacos off with my homemade habanero chunky salsa. These shredded chicken tacos are so easy and delicious!
I’ve been craving shredded chicken tacos for the longest time. The last time I had chicken tacos was about a year ago. I don’t know why it took me so long to make these shredded chicken tacos but I recently made them and my family and I loved them so much that they requested that I make them again this week. I think I’ve had these cheesy chicken tacos about five times in the past two weeks.
I like to make a large serving of these chicken tacos so that my family and I can have something that tastes fantastic and quick to eat for lunch or even dinner. My teen loves eating a lot of different variations of chicken tacos and so far he says these are the best ones yet, so leftover shredded chicken is always a great option for making tacos.
The tacos, habanero salsa and the homemade taco seasoning for my shredded chicken taco or any Mexican style recipe are all simple to make. The ingredients in this homemade taco seasoning are onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper, smoked paprika, Mexican chili powder, pepper. Mix all the seasonings together.
Season the boneless skinless chicken thighs liberally with 2 tablespoons of the homemade taco seasoning. I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs for my tacos because chicken thighs have so much more flavor than chicken breast. Juicy tender chicken tacos is a good thing!
Cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side. While the chicken is cooking, chop up the onions and mince the garlic. I used canned diced tomatoes and one small habanero minced.
Cook the onions until they’re soft then add the other vegetables. Using a wooden spoon smash the chunks of salsa as it cooks. Add a bit of sugar about 1-2 teaspoons to get rid of the bitter taste of the tomatoes. Lastly, add about 1 tablespoon of lime juice to the homemade salsa then season the homemade habanero salsa with salt and pepper. With two forks, shred the chicken thighs leaving some bigger pieces of shredded chicken.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a bit of vegetable oil on the parchment paper. Place about 3 small soft tacos on the baking sheet (you may be able to add more or less tacos depending on the size of your baking sheet) and spray a bit of vegetable oil.
The vegetable oil will make the soft tacos have a soft crunch. Add the cheese, the shredded chicken then more cheese to the taco. Bake the chicken tacos for only 2-3 minutes then add the homemade habanero salsa, fresh sliced grape tomatoes and the lettuce. Add sour cream if you like. So good! Enjoy!
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Quesadillas in the oven (Sheet Pan Quesadillas), Enfrijoladas, Jamaican Beef Patties , Cheesy Jalapeno Ground Beef Tamale Pie
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp red pepper
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp Mexican Chili Powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp of the homemade taco seasoning mix
- 1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup diced onions
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp jarred jalapenos diced very smalll
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes halved
- 1 habanero diced very small
- 6-8 soft flour tacos
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Add all of the seasoning to a bowl or jar big enough and mix well. Season the chicken thighs with the homemade taco seasoning.
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Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot add the onion Cook the onions until softened. Add the diced canned tomatoes, habanero and jalapeno. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add sugar if the tomatoes are too bitter. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper for taste.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot add the Season chicken thighs. Cook for3-4 minutes or until done. Add the cooked chicken into a medium sized bowl. With two forks shred the chicken leaving some bigger pieces of shredded chicken. Add more homemade taco seasoning to the chicken if needed. I usually add an additional 1 teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning to the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper for taste.
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Lightly spray the baking sheet with vegetable oil. Place the soft tacos on the baking sheet ( I was only able to fit 3 tacos on my baking sheet) Spray a tiny bit of vegetable oil on top of each soft taco.
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Add your choice of shredded cheeses. I use monterrey jack cheese and Mexican mixed cheeses. Add the chicken then add more cheese. Place the baking sheet into the oven and cook for about 2-3 minutes. You want the tacos to have soft crunch. Don't leave the tacos in the oven too long or they will become hard.Add the homemade salsa and fresh grape tomatoes and lettuce. Serve immediately.
