Chipotle Chicken Tacos

These chipotle chicken tacos are a little spicy, a little smoky, and a whole lot of deliciousness. The chicken is marinated in a simple chipotle yogurt sauce and tucked into tortillas with a cool and crunchy cilantro-lime coleslaw.

I love these tacos – the creamy chipotle yogurt sauce has a kick of heat that’s not overwhelming, the coleslaw adds a hint of zingy flavor with a little crunch for texture, and you can wrap this all up in warm tortillas or pile it all on rice for an amazing taco bowl.

If you’re craving tacos, this recipe is a must-try.

Here are a few fun facts about these chipotle chicken tacos:

• The simple chipotle marinade doubles as a sauce. It’s a twofer.
• The spicy chipotle peppers are balanced out with some creamy, cool Greek yogurt that also helps tenderize the chicken as it marinates.
• You can cook the chicken on the stove or on the grill. Choices! Yay.
• A crunchy cilantro-lime slaw adds texture and flavor. I love a good slaw.

The chicken is incredibly tender thanks to the Greek yogurt in the marinade – it only needs about 30 minutes to marinate, so use that time to make the slaw. Once the chicken is marinated, it cooks fast. You’ll be digging in in no time.

How to Make the Tacos

There are a few steps with these chicken tacos – blend the sauce, marinate the chicken, mix up the easy slaw, cook the chicken, and assemble – and each one is worth it. If you love tender chipotle chicken wrapped up in warm tortillas with creamy slaw, this is the recipe for you.

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Chipotle Chicken Tacos

These chipotle chicken tacos are a little spicy, a little smoky and a whole lot of deliciousness. The chicken is marinated in a simple chipotle sauce and tucked into tortillas with a cool and crunchy cilantro-lime coleslaw.

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Author: April Anderson

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

• 15 ounce diced canned tomatoes
• 1 chipotle in adobo sauce plus 2 tablespoons of the sauce
• 1 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt divided (see note)
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise (see note)
• 5 cups bagged coleslaw mix
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• For serving: Warm flour tortillas chopped fresh cilantro, a few squeezes of fresh lime juice

Instructions

• Puree the tomatoes, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, 1/2 cup of yogurt, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a blender and process until smooth.
• Divide the marinade in half and pour one half into a large ziplock bag (reserve the rest to use as a sauce). Place the chicken inside, seal the bag, and smoosh it around to coat the chicken. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Combine the slaw mix, 3/4 cup of yogurt, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Toss the coleslaw mix around in the yogurt mixture until well coated. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off. Discard the marinade and cook the chicken over medium-high heat. You can cook it in a pan on the stove or on the grill. If cooking on the grill, cook it over indirect heat so the flames don’t char the chicken too much. The chicken will take about 8 to 10 minutes to cook, depending on how thick it is. Once it’s reached an internal temperature of 165°F, it’s done. Rest the chicken for a few minutes before thinly slicing it. 
• Place some slaw on a warm tortilla and top it with sliced chicken. Drizzle the reserved chipotle sauce over the top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime juice.

Notes

If you don’t like Greek yogurt, you can use the same amount of sour cream.

You can use the same amount of boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts.

Most likely, you will have leftover sauce. Save it and use it like enchilada sauce. It will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.

I didn’t include the tortillas in the nutrition estimate. Depending on the size and brand you use, it will vary. Sometimes, I skip the tortillas and pile the chipotle chicken on cilantro rice with the slaw for a taco bowl.

The chicken is very leftover-worthy. If you want to save some, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep well for several days.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.2g | Protein: 23.4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.4g | Cholesterol: 62.9mg | Sodium: 598.2mg | Fiber: 4.2g | Sugar: 8.3g

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chipotle chicken marinade, chipotle chicken tacos

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

Juicy, tender chicken wrapped up with all the crunchy slaw and spicy-smoky sauce. These chipotle chicken tacos are anything but ordinary. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,

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The post was updated from the archives. It was first published in May 2016.