5-Ingredient Shredded Chicken Tacos are a favorite weeknight dinner. They’re quick and easy to make, and this recipe is perfectly portioned to serve 2 people (and easily doubled or tripled if you want to feed the whole family).
Corn tortillas are filled with juicy shredded chicken simmered with salsa and corn. Top the tacos with shredded cheese and add any extras you like—sour cream, guacamole, beans, shredded lettuce or cabbage, diced red onions, sliced jalapenos, or a spritz of lime juice.
This recipe is from my new book, which is available now as an ebook or for preoder in paperback (available June 9th). Buy 5-Ingredient Cooking for Two now!
What ingredients do you need for these chicken tacos?
This is a 5-ingredient recipe, so you know the ingredient list is short. Here’s everything you need:
- Shredded, cooked chicken—you can use rotisserie chicken or any leftover roasted or cooked chicken.
- Salsa
- Corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- Corn tortillas
- Shredded cheese
What kind of chicken do you use?
You can use whatever cooked chicken you have—whether it is a supermarket rotisserie chicken, leftover roasted or baked chicken, or chicken you’ve poached or roasted just for this purpose.
If I don’t have leftover cooked chicken on hand, I will put a couple of chicken breasts in my Instant Pot with a cup of chicken broth and some seasonings (salt, chili powder, garlic, etc.) and pressure cook for about 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, then remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool.
Shred the meat using two forks, or use a hand-held or stand mixer to do the job.
How to make these shredded chicken tacos
This recipe comes from my book 5-Ingredient Cooking for Two, so you know it’s easy. Here’s how to do it:
- In a saucepan or skillet, combine the shredded chicken, corn, and salsa and heat, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until the mixture is heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Heat the tortillas. I like to do this right on the flame on my gas stovetop. If you don’t have a gas stove, you can heat the tortillas in a skillet, on a grill, or by wrapping them in a stack in a damp towel and heating in the microwave for about 1 minute.
- Fill the tortillas with the shredded chicken mixture, top with cheese, and serve immediately with whatever other toppings you want to add.
Favorite toppings
You can get as creative as you like when topping your shredded chicken tacos. Since everyone in my family has different faves, I like to put out a bunch of toppings and set things up DIY taco bar style. Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Diced avocado
- Salsa or hot sauce (my son and I both have to add Tapatio to our tacos, no matter what other sauces or salsas they have)
- Pico de gallo
- Diced red onion
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
- Sliced scallions
- Black beans or pinto beans
- Shredded romaine lettuce or cabbage
- Chopped tomatoes
- Pickled red onions
What to serve to with chicken tacos to make it a meal?
We often serve refried beans or seasoned pinto beans or black beans and a simple salad of lettuce and tomatoes with vinaigrette dressing.
Mexican rice and cilantro lime rice are also great accompaniments.
But the truth is, with a bunch of vegetable toppings, these tacos really are a great all-in-one meal.
Can you make this dish ahead of time and freeze it?
You can make the chicken ahead and freeze it. Just prepare the chicken through the step of mixing it with the salsa and corn. Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe resealable plastic bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
To use the chicken, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it either in a saucepan or skillet or in the microwave.
5-Ingredient Shredded Chicken Tacos for Two
Ingredients
- 6 ounces shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup fresh or frozen thawed corn kernels
- 1 cup salsa mild, medium, or hot to taste
- 4 to 6 corn tortillas
- ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the chicken, corn, and salsa and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for a minute or 2 until heated through.
- Heat the tortillas either on a griddle or skillet or directly over the flame of a gas stovetop.
- Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the tortillas and top with the cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
