Easy Crispy Chicken Tacos

April 25, 2019

Easy crispy chicken tacos may replace carnitas as my favorite taco filling. They are just as flavorful, super cheap and easy to throw together any night of the week.

Easy Crispy Chicken Tacos | Sarcastic Cooking

I think I saw a post or tweet or Insta story made by the Queen of social media, Chrissy Teigen, denouncing chicken breasts. I stopped and thought about it for a second. That’s literally the only kind of chicken I always buy.

She claims that all she regularly cooks are thighs.

I decided to give it a go. I don’t dabble in the darker meat chicken as often as I should. Don’t get me wrong; I make wings and a whole chicken every now and then. That bi-weekly grocery list always only includes breasts. Of the chicken. Duh.

I got chicken thighs to make tacos. The fat and flavor in the dark meat is what you need to make the chicken crispy without adding any sort of breading or deep frying action.

My poor husband, the guinea pig or often laughing stock of me and my food loving community. Always out of love, always.

Crispy Chicken Taco Meat | Sarcastic Cooking

He came home from work and started picking and picking away at the tray of crispy chicken meat. About 1/4 of the way through his “snacking” he declared, “This is really good pork.”

Oh boy.

That just goes to show you that, if cooking a whole pork shoulder for carnitas tacos intimidates you, give these easy crispy chicken tacos a whirl because they have just as much flavor!

This is a very simple recipe made even simpler thanks to the old Instant Pot. I will include a non-Instant Pot cooking method below as well, fear not! I just tossed the thighs along with a dash of stock and a whole bunch of seasoning into the Instant Pot, pressure cooked them for 20 minutes, then chopped ’em up and tossed them under the broiler until super crispy and golden brown.

Easy Crispy Chicken Tacos | Sarcastic Cooking

Three tacos and a leftover crispy chicken burrito bowl later, I can see why Chrissy Teigen is a chicken thigh lover. I may be a convert.

The cheaper price doesn’t hurt either!

Easy Crispy Chicken Tacos | Sarcastic Cooking

Easy Crispy Chicken Tacos

Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Time to Come to Pressure: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Easy crispy chicken tacos made from simply seasoned chicken thighs cooked until crispy.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock (water will do too)
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin

Instructions

  1. Add the chicken thighs, salt, pepper, and stock to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid with the steam vent in the sealed position. Press pressure cook/manual high pressure. Use the -/+ buttons to adjust the time until the display reads 15 minutes. When the timer sounds, quick release the pressure, and remove the lid.
  2. Remove the chicken thighs and transfer them to a cutting board. Save the excess chicken stock for later in a heatproof sealed container in the freezer. Cut the thighs into 1/2 inch pieces.
  3. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet.
  4. Preheat the broiler on your oven to high.
  5. Season the chicken with lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Mix to evenly distribute the seasonings.
  6. Broil the chicken for 5-7 minutes until golden and crispy.
  7. Serve on tortillas with pico de gallo, lettuce, guacamole, red cabbage, cilantro, and onions or whatever other toppings you desire.

Notes

Stovetop: Cut the chicken thighs into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a large pan over medium/high heat. Add cut chicken to the pan. Season with lime juice, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Cook for 25 minutes until crispy, turning every once in a while.

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