The Best Authentic Chicken Street Tacos
These fiercely savory chicken street tacos completely destroy your food truck cravings! Deeply charred, highly spiced chicken thighs aggressively fill violently hot, blistered corn tortillas topped with sharp raw onions and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs approx. 680g
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil approx. 30ml
- 1/4 cup fresh lime and orange juice mixed (approx. 60ml)
- 1 tablespoon dark chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 16 small yellow corn tortillas use 2 per taco
- 1 small white onion finely diced
- 1 massive handful fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- Salt and coarse black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Build the Wet Rub: In a large glass bowl, combine the olive oil, fresh citrus juices, dark chili powder, cumin, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Whisk vigorously until the heavy spices form a thick, dark marinade.
- Coat the Meat: Toss the completely raw chicken thighs directly into the dark wet rub. Massage the meat until every single piece is totally covered in the heavily spiced, sticky layer.
- Sear the Chicken: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until fiercely smoking. Drop the coated chicken thighs into the totally dry pan and cook completely undisturbed for exactly 5 to 6 minutes per side until deeply charred.
- Chop the Meat: Pull the violently hot chicken out of the pan and let it firmly rest on a cutting board for 3 minutes. Aggressively chop the dark meat into tiny, perfectly even street-style cubes.
- Blister the Tortillas: Immediately drop the completely cold corn tortillas directly into the incredibly hot chicken fats left inside the dirty skillet. Blister them for exactly 20 seconds per side until remarkably pliable and deeply stained.
- Assemble the Tacos: Stack two fiercely hot, blistered corn tortillas together. Heavily load the charred chicken cubes inside, then aggressively top with the sharp raw white onions and highly fragrant cilantro. Serve immediately!
Notes
Tortilla Warning: You absolutely must double up your corn tortillas! A single thin tortilla will violently shatter and break under the massive weight of the highly juicy, dripping meat.
Meat Substitute: You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but they dry out rapidly. Reduce the searing time to 4 minutes per side to prevent horribly chalky, chewy meat.
Storage: Let the heavily charred meat completely cool to room temperature. Store leftovers in tightly sealed glass containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep tortillas completely separate.
Reheating: Reheat the sticky meat gently in a hot, completely dry skillet to rapidly restore the fiercely crispy crust.