Just in time for Cinco de Mayo...celebrate with this crisp and refreshing recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos.
We've been eating a lot of tacos lately. We tried a delicious recipe for roasted cauliflower tacos from the Love and Lemons Cookbook last weekend. Then we tried the Grilled Corn and Poblano Tacos, also from Love and Lemons. We just can't get enough! As you can see, we are on a taco kick!
One night last week, we starting talking about all of our favorite components of various taco recipes, and we came up with this idea for Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos. This taco recipe is perfect alongside a salty margarita and a bowl of Easy Homemade Guacamole. You could add these to your menu for your Cinco de Mayo celebration. But honestly, they are great on any night that you feel like having a fiesta...in other words, you really don't need an excuse here.
I worked really hard on this recipe. If I was going to call this recipe "Cilantro Lime" Chicken Tacos, I wanted you to really be able to taste the lime and cilantro in each and every bite. Therefore, I thoughtfully created each component of the tacos. Hints of lime and cilantro are woven through this entire recipe, creating a taco that is layered with crisp and refreshing flavors.
This recipe isn't at all spicy with just the basic components. I try to create recipes that my whole family will eat. For us, this means varying amounts of spiciness. With this in mind, definitely garnish your tacos with the recommended hot sauce and slices of fresh jalapeño if you prefer spicy tacos. If you're looking for a new bottle of hot sauce at the store, try the Chipotle Cholula - I'm obsessed!
Making the Tacos
You'll need to marinate the chicken a few hours ahead of time. I really like using chicken cutlets for recipes like this. Because they are thin, they happily take on the flavors of your marinade, they cook quickly, and the meat stays tender. While the chicken marinates, I like to make the slaw, blend the crema, crumble the cheese, and prepare the garnishes. I save slicing the avocado until I am just about ready to serve the tacos.
Once the chicken has marinated, you'll either grill the meat on your outdoor grill, or pan fry indoors. In the meantime, warm the tortillas (I really like to do this on a griddle with a bit of canola oil so the tortillas get crispy), and then slice the avocado.
Finally, you'll fill each warm tortilla with 3-4 slices of chicken, 1-2 slices of avocado, a scoop of the corn and red cabbage slaw, and a sprinkle of queso fresco. Drizzle crema over each taco. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, and a lime wedge. Eventually you'll add the sliced jalapeños and hot sauce if you like your tacos spicy. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Maple and Thyme.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Chicken
- 1 lb chicken cutlets
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lime zest or zest of 1 ½ limes
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice or juice of 1 ½ limes
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon Papa Joe's Salt or combination of salt and pepper
Corn and Red Cabbage Slaw
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 ½ ears of corn shucked, grilled or boiled, and removed from the cob you could also use frozen corn
- ½ medium lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- ⅛ teaspoon Papa Joe's Salt or combination of salt and pepper
Cilantro Lime Crema
- 1 5.2 oz full-fat greek yogurt
- ½ medium lime, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Papa Joe's Salt or combination of salt and pepper
Taco Shells and Garnishes
- 12 small, round corn tortillas warmed or grilled
- 1 medium avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
Additional Suggested Garnishes: fresh cilantro leaves, wedges of lime, hot sauce, chopped scallions, slices of fresh jalapeño
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
- Rinse and dry chicken. Place chicken in a large ziplock bag or into a medium bowl. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine olive oil, maple syrup, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and Papa Joe's Salt. Pour marinade over chicken and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Corn and Red Cabbage Slaw
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine corn, red cabbage, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, and Papa Joe's Salt. Toss to combine all ingredients. Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to serve tacos.
Cilantro Lime Crema
- In a small food processor or your blender, combine yogurt, lime zest and juice, cilantro, chili powder, and Papa Joe's Salt. Blend until smooth. Move to the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the tacos.
Grilling the Chicken
- Grill the marinated chicken over medium heat on an oiled grill pan until cooked through. About 4-5 minutes per side if using chicken cutlets. Your chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°. Move your chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Assemble the Tacos
- Fill each tortilla with 3-4 slices of chicken, 1-2 slices of avocado, a scoop of the corn and red cabbage slaw, and a sprinkle of queso fresco. Drizzle crema over each taco. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, and a lime wedge. You may also want to add slices of fresh jalapeño and some hot sauce if your like your tacos spicy.
Tried This Recipe? Leave a Comment for Us!