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–+ servings

Easy Make Ahead Chicken Tacos

These make ahead chicken tacos will be your new favorite recipe! Packed with flavor and with only 8 ingredients they are sure to please. These can be made ahead of time or thrown together on the fly so dinner is ready whenever you are.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course, tacos
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • 1 Cast Iron Pan
  • 1 Chopping Knife
  • 1 cutting board
  • 1 Juice Press
  • 1 Microplane Zester
  • 1 Ziploc Bag Holder

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds Chicken breasts or tenders
  • 1/4 cup Lime Juice and Zest from one lime
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
  • 2 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Chili Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon Paprika

Instructions
 

  • Make your marinade. Add lime juice, zest, olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder to bowl/bag.
  • Cut chicken into bite size pieces, about 1 inch, and add to marinade mixture.
  • Refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Heat up your cast iron skillet and add chicken in batches.
  • When chicken is cooked through, (165 with an internal meat thermometer), remove to plate and repeat process with remaining chicken.
  • Serve as a burrito bowl with rice and beans or with tortillas or on salad. The options are truly endless! I like to add fresh cilantro to the chicken once it's all cooked, that just gives it an extra flavor pop.
  • This will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days max. I have never frozen it after cooking so I'm not sure how that would hold up. If you freeze it prior to cooking, just make sure you date it and use within 3 months.

Notes

PRO TIP 1: Add all your marinade ingredients to the bowl/ziplock bag FIRST, then add the meat. This drastically cuts down on the time you are washing and watching what you touch with wet chicken hands!
PRO TIP 2: Make sure your skillet is hot, you wouldn't add meat to a grill you just turned on.
PRO TIP 3: Don't add too much chicken at once. You want it to be seared as it cooks not steamed. If there is too much meat, you'll notice excess liquid in the pan, making it harder for the chicken to have that crispy outside.

 

Keyword easy chicken tacos, make ahead chicken tacos, make ahead taco chicken, recipes for beginners, whole30 taco chicken
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