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Shredded Chicken Tacos are the ultimate quick and easy dinner! With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe is easy on the wallet, incredibly delicious, and simple enough for any night of the week.
Looking for more quick and easy Tex-Mex chicken recipes? Don't miss my recipes for Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Crockpot Salsa Chicken, and Cowboy Chicken.
The Ultimate Chicken Taco Recipe
Tacos are a universally loved food. From classic beef tacos to light and bright fish tacos to unique potato tacos, there is a taco for everyone! And these Shredded Chicken Tacos are high on our list of favorite taco recipes!
Made with simple ingredients, these easy shredded chicken tacos are tender, juicy, and incredibly easy to make.
Whether you're pressed for time, need a quick family dinner, or craving something satisfying, this easy taco recipe is guaranteed to hit the spot every time!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
You will find the full list of ingredients, along with quantities in the recipe card. Below is a quick glance at what you need and tips to help you make the right selection.
- Chicken: I recommend boneless skinless chicken breasts over chicken thighs, as chicken breasts shred a bit easier than thighs.
- Liquid for Poaching: We will be adding so much flavor to the shredded chicken, there is absolutely no need to use anything but water and salt to poach the chicken--which helps to keep the cost low too!
- Salsa: Use your favorite jarred, fresh, or homemade salsa. Select a mild salsa for mildly spicy chicken tacos or use hot salsa for spicy chicken tacos.
- Seasonings: I use a combination of salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder, which closely mimics my homemade taco seasoning.
- Lime: One of the reasons this recipe stands out is the addition of fresh lime juice. It elevates the flavor and makes everything pop. Don't omit it!
Leftover Cooked Chicken?
Shredded chicken tacos are a great leftover cooked chicken recipe. Shred the chicken (from rotisserie chicken, baked chicken breasts, or Instant Pot chicken breast, etc.), skip the poaching, and simply simmer in a skillet and simmer with salsa and seasonings as the recipe directs.
How to Make Shredded Chicken Tacos
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Poach Chicken. Place the chicken into a large saucepan, sprinkle with salt, and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
- Shred the Chicken. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large bowl. Allow it to cool slightly, then shred it with two forks. Alternatively, you can use a handheld or stand mixer to make quick work of shredding your chicken.
- Season and Simmer. Add the shredded chicken, salsa, and seasonings to a large skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer cook until the salsa and chicken are warmed through.
- Finish with Lime. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the zest and juice of the lime, and dinner is done!
Serving Suggestions
The obvious choice is to make tacos with shredded chicken taco meat, but thing beyond tacos, as this recipe is insanely versatile.
- Shredded Chicken Tacos: Serve the chicken on warmed corn or flour tortillas, topped with your favorite toppings, such as shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado--whatever you like on your tacos!
- Chicken Burrito: Add a scoop of rice (Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice or Instant Pot Spanish Rice are fabulous options here), shredded chicken, black beans or pinto beans, shredded cheese, and any other toppings you like to a large flour burrito and roll it up.
- Rice Bowl: Top rice with with shredded chicken, cheese, and any of your favorite taco toppings or swap the ground beef for leftover chicken in my Taco Rice Casserole.
- Shredded Chicken Nachos: Spread the shredded chicken over tortilla chips, top with cheese, and broil until the cheese is melted. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and hot sauce.
- Make Enchiladas: Use the seasoned chicken taco meat as a filling for Chicken Enchiladas or in Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Recipe Modifications
- Frozen Chicken? No problem! It is safe to poach frozen chicken, the frozen chicken will just take about 10 minutes longer to cook through. Alternatively, you can use my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Tacos, which can also be used safely to cook frozen chicken.
- Use Salsa Verde. Swap the classic tomato-based salsa for salsa verde for tart, tangy, and bright chicken tacos.
- Use Taco Seasoning: Feel free to replace the salt and dried seasonings with 1 tablespoon of store-bought or homemade taco seasoning.
Storage Instructions
Shredded chicken tacos are perfect for a quick dinner or meal prep, as the chicken tastes great cold or warm and reheats well.
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Let the chicken cool, transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Defrost overnight in the refrigerator if needed. Warm in a dry skillet over low heat until warmed through or place in a heat-safe dish, cover with a damp paper towel and heat in 30-second internals until warmed through.
More Favorite Taco Recipes
Shredded Chicken Tacos
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, see note for precooked chicken
- ¾ cup salsa
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, + more for poaching chicken
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 large lime, zest and juice
- tortillas, avocado, cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, etc, for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken into a large saucepan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover the chicken with cold tap water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink. This will take 12-15 minutes. (22-25 minutes if your chicken is frozen.)
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl and shred with 2 forks.
- Drain off the poaching liquid from the saucepan and return the shredded chicken to the pan. Add the salsa and seasonings to the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the chicken has warmed through, about 3-5 minutes. If you find the chicken is drying out as it cooks, add a tablespoon of water as it simmers.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the zest and juice the lime to the chicken mixture and stir to combine.
- Serve the shredded chicken taco meat on warmed corn tortillas or flour tortillas, with desired toppings of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted in 2023 and updated in 2025.
I must be missing wsomething but after shredding and mixing with the other ingredients, there wasn't enough liquid to "simmer for 5 minutes" What did I miss?
Hi there! It may have been that your salsa did not have much liquid, but regardless, the directions state to simmer until the chicken is warmed through, you don't need to simmer for a full 5 minutes 🙂
Kids can't get enough of these shredded tacos! So savory and pleasing. Such a keeper!
Thank you for sharing, Sharina! So happy to hear you and your kids enjoyed these tacos!
I'll definitely be using this recipe again!
These chicken tacos were packed with flavor and so delicious! Everyone in my house loved this recipe!!
I love hearing that! Thank you for sharing, Olivia!