Southwest Chicken Tacos
Last Updated on October 13, 2023 by Annie
Southwest Chicken Tacos are delicious and will satisfy any of your taco cravings! Easily versatile, these southwestern chicken tacos make the perfect addition to your taco Tuesday rotation!
As most taco recipes come about, this southwest chicken taco was born of a need for tacos and too much southwest chicken on hand. Originally I made the southwest chicken to snack on, toss into salads, and then use for a chicken tortilla soup.
But after a few days I knew I needed to come up with some other uses for it to keep our menu rotation fresh. When Tuesday came around, I knew just what to do.
Warm tortillas hold the creamy guacamole, chopped southwest chicken, and fresh pico de gallo in these incredible southwest chicken tacos.
If you are looking to cut the carbs try lofting the guacamole, chopped chicken, and pico de gallo on a bed of fresh lettuce or cauliflower rice. Alternatively you can swap the tortilla out for some cilantro lime rice to make this into a delicious southwest chicken taco bowl!
HOW TO MAKE SOUTHWEST CHICKEN TACOS
Ingredients You’ll Need
Steps for Southwest Chicken Tacos
Make the Southwest Seasoned Chicken Breasts
The chicken for these tacos comes from my recipe for Southwest Chicken Breasts.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat oven and line a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Prep the Chicken: Flatten chicken and pat dry.
- Oil + Season: Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning.
- Bake chicken in preheated oven.
- Rest the breasts: Let chicken rest about 10 minutes.
- Chop into bite-sized pieces for the tacos.
Prepare the Toppings
You are more than welcome to use any toppings you would like but some of the toppings we love to use with these southwest chicken tacos include:
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole or fresh avocado
- Salsa or hot sauce
Assemble the Southwestern Chicken Tacos
- Begin with a warm flour tortilla.
- Add a layer of creamy guacamole.
- Top with southwest chicken.
- Spoon on some pico de gallo.
- Garnish with additional cilantro or green onion.
- Enjoy!
Helpful Kitchen Tools
When you decide to whip up a batch of these southwestern chicken tacos for dinner, here are a few kitchen tools you might find helpful.
- 9×13 inch Baking Dish– Used to cook the chicken breasts.
- Microplane– Grate your garlic down to a paste you can use in the guacamole or pico de gallo.
PRO TIPS FOR SOUTHWEST CHICKEN TACOS
- If you do not have the time to make each different ingredient feel free to buy the tortillas, guacamole, and pico de gallo. However, if you have the time, I highly recommend giving them a try.
- Prepare the chicken in advance to make your weeknight routine a little quicker.
DAIRY-FREE CHANGES FOR TACOS
Tacos are one of those recipes where you can easily adapt them to dairy-free simply by swapping out the toppings you include on the taco.
Some simple dairy-free products you can try include:
- Vegan Shredded Cheese in place of a traditional shredded cheese
- Non-dairy Sour Cream for a cool and refreshing topping
- Plant-Based Queso to load up your taco with all the cheese-free deliciousness
OTHER DELICIOUS TACO RECIPES
I love Taco Tuesday probably more than any other day of the week. Here are a few of my go to recipes!
Did you try this delightful #TacoTuesday Southwest Chicken Taco recipe? Leave a comment below to tell us how it went and if you snapped a picture of it share it with me on Instagram @mylifeafterdairy so I can share your life after dairy adventures!
You can also sign up for my newsletter for even more dairy-free goodness!
Southwest Chicken Tacos
Delicious and flavor packed Southwest Chicken Tacos are the ultimate Taco Tuesday addition!
Ingredients
Southwest Chicken Breast
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Guacamole
- 2 Avocados ripe
- ½ Red Onion diced
- 2 Jalapeños seeded and diced
- 1 clove Garlic minced or microplaned
- 2 teaspoons Lime Juice fresh
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Pico De Gallo
- 3 Roma Tomatoes
- ½ Red Onion diced
- 2 Jalapeño Peppers seeded and diced
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic minced or grated
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Taco Assembly
- 4 Tortillas
- Cilantro chopped, garnish
- Green Onion chopped, garnish
Instructions
Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls
-
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cover a 9 x 13 baking dish with aluminum foil.
-
In a small bowl mix together 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon oregano, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Set aside.
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Beat the chicken breasts to flatten them out then pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
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Rub about 1 Tablespoon on the bottom of the chicken breasts then pour ½ the seasoning on the chicken breasts and rub in. Flip and repeat on the tops of the chicken.
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Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove and cover with foil. Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before using or serving.
Make Guacamole
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Slice 2 avocados vertically around the seed. Twist the two sides and pull the avocados apart.
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Remove the seed and slice the avocados horizontally and vertically across the inside. Scoop the avocado out from inside the shell and put into a medium sized mixing bowl.
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Add diced red onion, 2 seeded and diced jalapeño, grated garlic, 2 teaspoons lime juice, and ¼ cup cilantro into the mixing bowl.
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Using a fork, lightly mash the ingredients together in the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and taste test with a tortilla chip. Add additional lime, cilantro, jalapeño, or garlic to taste.
Make Pico de Gallo
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Dice 3 Roma tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Next, dice ½ of a red onion into bite-sized pieces.
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Then seed and remove the pith and ribs of 2 jalapeño peppers. To do this, cut the jalapeño in half and scoop out the seeds and the white fleshy parts with a spoon. Then cut the jalapeño in strips and dice into bite sized pieces.
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Next, trim the cilantro and chop ¼ cup into desired size.
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In a medium sized bowl, mix together the tomato, red onion, jalapeño, and the cilantro.
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Next microplane 2 pods of garlic over the bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt.
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Mix all of the ingredients together and test with a tortilla chip. Adjust flavors but adding more salt, lime, cilantro, or jalapeño as needed.
Assemble the Tacos
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Chop the southwest chicken breast into cubes or shred. You can choose if you prefer diced or shredded, either work well.
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Warm your tortillas, then spoon guacamole on the tortilla. Add some chopped or shredded southwest chicken. Top with pico de gallo, cilantro, green onion, and a squeeze of lime.
Recipe Notes
The prep time is if you plan to chop and prepare the: