You’re looking at my family’s favorite dinner (on Tuesday nights, of course), and the dinner I bring most often to new moms. I love making this dinner, because I start marinating the chicken early in the day, and then cook it on the grill pan mid-afternoon. It gives me time to assemble a board to take to a family. If it’s the weekend, though, I definitely grill these cilantro lime chicken breasts outside. The smoky grilled flavor is just another layer of deliciousness. While there is literally nothing better than the combination of cilantro and lime (cilantro haters, please exit now), when piled in a soft flour tortilla with pico de gallo, crumbly cotija cheese, and dollops of avocado, heaven is reached. I’ve even eaten these cilantro lime chicken tacos cold, standing over the sink after a midnight breastfeeding session–they are THAT GOOD. They are also super picnic-friendly! Here is how I would assemble it on a board for serving to a crowd, or for taking to a family who could use a home cooked meal:
What you need to make these:
lime: We need the zest and the juice of one whole lime. cilantro: Fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped; about 2 handfuls of it. oil: Two tablespoons of neutral oil for cooking, like canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed or avocado oil. Neutral oil is any oil that doesn’t have any flavor on its own. This means no olive oil or coconut oil, ok? smoked paprika salt and pepper chicken: You need 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or about 1.5 pounds of chicken. You can absolutely use chicken thighs here, too. taco fixings: soft flour tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole and crumbled cotija cheese to make the cilantro lime chicken into incredible tacos. Extra cilantro and lime juice for garnish, too!
How to make cilantro lime chicken tacos:
Can you make this in the instant pot? Or slow cooker?
So, I really think the key to the incredible flavor of this recipe is the smokiness you get from grilling the meat. Even if you just use an indoor grill pan, the high heat sears the outside and keeps the juices inside. An instant pot is a pressure cooker, and the meat will be all white without any char or golden brown surface. If you use a slow cooker, it will fall apart into shredded chicken, and that’s just not what we’re going for here. For an instant pot chicken recipe similar to this, try my instant pot salsa chicken with rice.
What to serve with cilantro lime chicken tacos:
In our house, we always serve tacos with rice and beans! Sometimes, I’m lazy and we just open a can of black refried beans and warm them up. Keep it simple!
More taco-inspired recipes:
Instant Pot Taco Soup Instant Pot Chicken Tacos Ground Beef for Tacos Peanut Butter Steak Tacos (yes, really)
lime: We need the zest and the juice of one whole lime.cilantro: Fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped; about 2 handfuls of it.oil: Two tablespoons of neutral oil for cooking, like canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed or avocado oil. Neutral oil is oil that doesn’t have any flavor to compete with the main flavors of the dish.chicken: You need 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or about 1.5 pounds of chicken. You can absolutely use chicken thighs here, too.taco fixings: soft flour tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole and crumbled cotija cheese
Cast Iron Grill Pan
