Skip to main content

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Image may contain Food Bread Plant Pita Sandwich Pizza Lunch Meal Dish and Burger
Grilled Chicken Tacos Photo by Peden + Munk

Chicken breasts aren't the only cut sold skinless and boneless. Thighs are, too. They're fattier than breasts, which means they're more flavorful; plus, they're less expensive. Put them to work in any fast weeknight preparation, starting with these spiced tacos.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

1 medium onion, cut into wedges, keeping root intact
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, coarsely crushed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 corn tortillas, warmed (for serving)
2 avocados, sliced (for serving)
Cilantro sprigs, sliced radishes, and lime wedges (for serving)
  1. Step 1

    Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Toss onion, garlic, chicken, cumin, oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Grill onion and chicken until cooked through and lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side.

    Step 2

    Let chicken rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with tortillas, avocados, Charred Tomatillo Salsa Verde, cilantro, radishes, and lime wedges.

Sign InorSubscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Grilled Chicken Tacos?

Leave a Review

Reviews (26)

Back to Top Triangle
  • I love the idea of making this with a prepared slaw that another reviewer posted... chopped cabbage with radish, cilantro with a squeeze of lime and a bit of olive oil. I will be adding this the next time. Oh, and I know chicken breasts are a bit dryer, but I am not a dark meat fan.

    • Anonymous

    • Fairview Park, OH

    • 3/9/2023

  • First time making this delicious taco recipe, i was surprised at the great flavor from such an easy disk.

    • Anonymous

    • Colorado

    • 9/21/2021

  • This is one of our favorite grill recipes. Like other reviewers, I use tomatillo salsa to keep it simple and prepare a slaw using roughly chopped cabbage with radish, cilantro with a squeeze of lime and a bit of EVOO. If ripe avocado is not available, we use guacamole. Easy and delicious.

    • hsvlucy

    • Alabama

    • 5/15/2021

  • I cannot believe how good this is with so few ingredients! I charred the onions in my cast iron pan instead of having them fall through the grill grates. We also skipped the corn tortillas and used jarred salsa verde. This is my new favorite chicken recipe and worthy of a dinner party!

    • heatheroo

    • Suffield, CT

    • 2/16/2021

  • Really simple and tasty. Next time I might use red onions and toast the cumin seeds with some chili flakes, but really good as is. It would also be easy to tweak and add tequila, lime, and triple sec for a bit of margarita spark.

    • mslmagoo

    • Baltimore MD

    • 2/12/2021

  • This is such a simple and delicious recipe. My wife and I have been making it exactly as written for a long time and when coupled with a perfect margarita on the rocks (tequila, triple sec, lime, salt) it makes a wonderful and light dinner. Play some mariachi music and your transported.

    • glwestcott

    • Mill Creek, Wa

    • 7/8/2018

  • This recipe is super easy to make and was very tasty! As a time saver we decided to use store bought Tomatillo Salsa instead of making it from scratch to make this simple recipe even more low effort.

    • natyopersonalchef

    • Ottawa, ON

    • 9/17/2017

  • I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful the grilled chicken was with such minimal seasoning. The tomatillo salsa was good, but I probably wouldn't go through the effort of making it again.

    • Anonymous

    • Atlanta, GA

    • 4/13/2017

  • Outstanding; one of Epi's absolute best! We make it all the time. Added a couple TB lime juice to the marinade just for fun. One time we didn't have tortillas on hand, so made cilantro rice. Be sure to make a LOT of onions because they are SO good, you will want more!

    • Anonymous

    • NH

    • 4/9/2017

  • 美味!根据指令除了used Roberto's Tomatillo Salsa (medium) from Safeway. Toasted and ground cumin seeds instead of crushing. Served with shredded cabbage as additional topping. Served with homemade Gazpacho soup (Alton Brown) and Corn Arugula salad (inspired by Whole Foods).

    • dianesings10

    • Sunnyvale, CA

    • 7/4/2016

  • My family loves this recipe. The only change I make is to use ground cumin instead of cumin seeds and it is still delicious. One problem I have is that the onions fall apart on the grill and I usually end up burning them a bit more than anyone likes. What is the secret? Am I not understanding the way to cut the onions?

    • Anonymous

    • Chicago, IL

    • 5/31/2016

  • Forgot the rating.

    • snoogerbot

    • Vancouver, WA

    • 2/10/2016

  • Shocked that these turned out so good. Made the salsa with it and used chicken breasts instead of the thighs. Can't imagine using any more lime since the salsa has so much and the suggestion to serve with radishes was an eye popping treat that I would not have thought of. Thank you Alison!

    • snoogerbot

    • Vancouver, WA

    • 2/10/2016

  • I was surprised by how good these were because they are SO simple. However, my family loved them. The salsa is amazing, but really easy and simple too.

    • stephandjosh

    • Annapolis, MD

    • 8/22/2015

  • Simple, easy, pretty quick, and quite foolproof. This one's going into my summer rotation.

    • vballprincess859

    • 8/8/2015

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Grilled Mahi-Mahi Tacos
These grilled fish tacos will be a hit at any BBQ. Serve with guacamole and pico de gallo.
Hanoi Grilled Chicken Banh Mi
To make this chicken banh mi, grill the tangy-salty chicken over an open flame for a nice charred flavor.
Tangy Grilled Chicken Wings With Quick Giardiniera
Think Buffalo wings—saucy chicken, cheesy dip, crunchy vegetables—but turned slightly on its head with whipped feta and handheld giardiniera.
Tacos Árabes (Puebla-Style Pork Tacos)
Tacos Árabes are a specialty of Puebla, home to one of Mexico’s most significant Lebanese communities. At most stands, the pork is cooked on a spit, then shaved off, shawarma-style. But for this recipe, you don't need a spit.
Grilled Chicken Salad With Creamy Any-Pickle Dressing
The classic combination of grilled chicken and bottled ranch gets a summer glow-up in this barbecue-ready salad.
Cheesy Pork and Tomatillo Skillet
Teamed up with chips, this dip is the most popular snack in town. Or be like us and call it dinner.
Tacos de Pobre
These budget-friendly tacos de pobre are packed with crispy, shallow-fried potato skins, plus sautéed onions and chile peppers.
Chipotle-Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
This vegetarian cauliflower taco recipe uses the smoky adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles to bring big flavor to the titular roasted veggies.