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Chicken Street Tacos

Chicken street tacos with taco stand–style grilled chicken, charred edges, and small corn tortillas. Marinated in lime, garlic, cumin, and chili powder, then grilled and tucked into warm tortillas with fresh onion, cilantro, and salsa verde.
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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
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 salt and pepper
Toppings and serving
  • 1 Small corn tortillas small tortillas for taco stand–style servings
  • 1 Diced onion, cilantro, lime wedges for topping and finishing
  • 1 Salsa verde serve alongside or spoon over

Equipment

  • 1 grill

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Combine lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper with the chicken thighs, then cover and marinate for 1-4 hours. Keep the chicken refrigerated while it marinates.
Grill and finish
  1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and grill the marinated chicken until charred and cooked through, 6-7 minutes per side. Turn only once so the surface gets grill marks.
  2. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let it rest briefly before chopping into small pieces. This helps the juices settle so the chicken stays tender.
  3. Warm the small corn tortillas on the grill until pliable, about 30-45 seconds per side. Look for soft, lightly toasted spots.
  4. Assemble the tacos by filling each tortilla with chopped grilled chicken and topping with diced onion and cilantro. Spoon on salsa verde as your first layer of sauce.
  5. Squeeze fresh lime over the tacos right before serving. Finish with extra salsa verde if you want more tang.

Notes

Pro tip: for the most taco stand–style flavor, let the chicken hit the grill while the grill is truly medium-high and avoid over-handling during grilling. Store leftover grilled chicken (without tortillas) in the fridge up to 3 days; freeze chopped chicken up to 2 months and reheat on a skillet or grill. For a lighter option, use skinless chicken thighs or substitute chicken breast while keeping the same marinade.