Baja Chicken Tacos

5 from 2 votes

These easy street tacos are so full of flavor! With zippy Baja-style chicken; crisp, fresh toppings: and creamy cilantro sauce, everyone will be begging for more.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Marinating time20

Total Time50

Servings:

Calories: 439kcal

Ingredients

For the Baja Chicken

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons lime juice juice of about 2 limes
¼ cup orange juice juice of about 1 orange
2 jalapeños sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cooking oil divided

For the Creamy Cilantro Sauce

½ cup greek yogurt
½ cup salsa verde
½ cup cilantro (about ½ bunch)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (juice of about 1 lime)
1 clove garlic

For the Baja Chicken Tacos

12 corn tortillas (or other wrap)
1 tablespoon cooking oil vegetable, canola, or similar
½ cup pickled red onion prepared
½ cup quartered grape tomatoes
¼ cup feta cheese
1 avocado smashed
2 radishes chopped

Instructions

To make the Baja Chicken

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Place the chicken breast in a zip top bag, or covered container. Add the lime juice, orange juice, jalapeno slices, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and half of the cooking oil.
Mix well until the chicken is evenly coated in the marinade. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, or up to 3 hours.
Heat the remaining oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breast to the skillet and let sit on the first side 2-3 minutes without moving to sear. Once a nice golden brown sear has formed, flip the chicken and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken reaches 165˚F internal temperature.
Note: if you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you can transfer the chicken to a baking sheet or casserole dish, but it may take a couple of extra minutes to cook.
Let sit 5 minutes, then dice the chicken.

To make the Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Place all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

To assemble the Baja Chicken tacos

Heat a little cooking oil in a skillet over high heat. Once hot, add a tortilla and cook on each side for 30-45 seconds until lightly browned. Repeat with all tortillas to create the taco shells.
Assemble the tacos by layering a taco shell with chicken, pickled onions, tomatoes, feta, cilantro sauce, and top with smashed avocado and fresh cilantro.

Notes

Substitutions:

Chicken - boneless, skinless chicken thighs will also work.
Greek yogurt - sour cream is an acceptable substitute.
Tortillas - taco-sized flour tortillas or your favorite flatbread are all fine.
Pickled red onion - can sub thinly sliced fresh red onion.
Feta cheese - cotija cheese is also good.
Avocado - store-bought guacamole will also work.

How to Store: Store ingredients separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

How to Freeze: The Baja Chicken in this recipe freezes well. It's best frozen after cooking. Just wrap the cooked chicken tightly and store in the freezer for up to a month.

How to Reheat: The chicken and tortillas can be reheated in the microwave in 30 second increments, or cover with tin foil and place into the oven to reheat. Top with fresh ingredients.

How to Scale: This recipe can easily be doubled if you are feeding a crowd or halved for smaller portions.

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