Soft Shell Chicken Tacos

How about having Soft Shell Chicken Tacos with your Taco Tuesday? As a matter of fact, you should not even wait for Tuesday. These Soft Shell Chicken Tacos go perfectly with any day! Making them is easy. This recipe can also be multiplied to make many batches. So, if you have a large family, or are having a gathering, you can multiply this recipe so everyone will be satisfied. This is quite possibly one of the easiest dishes to make and is one that many people can enjoy!  

This meal begins with generously seasoned chicken, cut into bite sized chunks, and homemade Pico de Gallo. Pico de Gallo is a fresh tomato salsa that consists of diced onion, diced tomato, chopped jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice. Its name makes this salsa sound fancy, but as you can see, it really just requires basic ingredients. Making homemade Pico de Gallo always makes Taco Night extra special for my family in our household. Try making some for yourself using this simple recipe and see how you like it.

Soft Shell Chicken Tacos

4 from 2 votes

Recipe by Madison Course: Dinner, LunchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• For the Pico de Gallo:

• 1 1 tomato, diced

• 1/2 medium 1/2 white onion, diced

• 1/3 jalapeño 1/3 seeded and chopped

• 5 5 sprigs cilantro leaves, chopped

• 1 tablespoon 1 lime juice
• For the Soft Shell Chicken Tacos:

• 6 medium 6 soft shell tortillas

• 1 1/2 pounds 1 1/2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks

• 2 1/2 tablespoons 2 1/2 taco seasoning

• 2 tablespoons 2 canola oil or olive oil

Directions

• For the Pico de Gallo:
• In a medium sized bowl, mix together onion, tomato, jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice. Use to dip chips and to dress tacos.
• For the Soft Shell Chicken Tacos:
• Season chicken breast chunks with taco seasoning.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and add chicken. Cook for 8-10 minutes being sure to cook each piece all the way through. (I do this by continuing to stir after 5 minutes of cooking time to make sure each piece gets cooked.)
• Remove from the skillet and add equal portions to soft shell tortillas. Top with Pico de Gallo and Enjoy!

Notes

• You may also shred your chicken.

You can certainly buy a pre packaged container of  Pico de Gallo in the refrigerator section of your local grocery store, but I love making it all myself since I know I am making it as fresh as it can possibly be. Making Pico de Gallo is also a great way to use up any onions or tomatoes that I might have left in my refrigerator before they go bad. I like using equal parts tomato and onion, but truthfully, you really cannot go wrong with the measurements here. As long as you follow the basic ingredients listed for this delicious Pico de Gallo, I am sure yours will be extremely tasty. Do not forget the tortilla chips to dip into any extra Pico de Gallo! Chips and dip help to perfectly round out the meal.

Let’s get into the meat. When I eat Chicken Tacos, I like cooking the chicken in chunk form so that I can taste the juiciness of the chicken pieces with each bite. I have tried eating these tacos with shredded chicken, but I find the chicken chunks are much tastier and even more satisfying. First, I generously season my chicken breasts with a store-bought taco seasoning that I love. Taco seasoning is made up of cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. So, if you have these seasonings, you can mix them together to create a taco seasoning blend of your own. Maybe you will even add some secret ingredients in the mix and have your very own signature blend.

After seasoning and cooking the chicken chunks, I like to place the chicken on a soft shell tortilla. I make sure to get some of the pan juices on the tortilla for added flavor and sauce. I then add the freshly made Pico de Gallo on top and enjoy. This chicken taco recipe brings a lot of flavor as is, so I do not feel the need to add too much more. You can certainly incorporate other toppings such as sautéed peppers, beans or corn. I usually eat this with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice and if I have any chicken and pico leftovers, I will use them the next day to make a taco bowl. It is a great way to not feel like I am eating the same thing repeatedly.

I hope you enjoy making these Soft Shell Chicken Tacos and sharing them with your family and friends!

-Madison