Asian Chicken Tacos

Asian Chicken Tacos with a simple mango slaw, creamy avocado, and an easy four-ingredient Sriracha-lime sauce makes a quick, 30-minute weeknight meal!

Pair these simple tacos with an equally easy side dish like Asian Cucumber Salad.

Asian Chicken Tacos

While these tacos might look time consuming at first glance, they are crazy easy to make — simple enough for a weeknight meal. There are three main components: chicken, slaw, and sauce. 

I recommend rotisserie chicken, which makes these tacos a cinch to assemble. The slaw takes a couple minutes to whip together, and I’ve shared a few short-cut ideas below.

And finally, there is the sauce, which is the star of these Asian Chicken Tacos. It’s only four ingredients — the zest + juice of 2 limes, sriracha sauce, mayo, and a tiny bit of sugar to balance it all out. You won’t believe the flavor this sauce adds to everything! Warm up some tortillas, load it all up, and be prepared for an explosion of flavor! 

Mango slaw

This easy mango slaw is the best topping for these Asian Chicken Tacos; it adds flavor, texture, and creaminess to the tacos.

• Mango: I highly recommend ripe honey mangoes (also known as Ataulfo or yellow mangoes). See the quick tip box below for more info!
• Green cabbage: The thinner the shreds of cabbage, the better the slaw turns out. Cut long strips of cabbage in half. I love using a salad spinner to wash and thoroughly dry the cabbage. (If you’ve never cut a cabbage before, we share visual step-by-step photos how to cut a cabbage in this coleslaw recipe.)
• Red onion: The red onion adds a nice kick to the slaw. If you don’t love red onion, either leave it out or use green onions (which are milder) instead. You can take away the “bite” from the red onion by soaking it in cold water with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes. Drain well before adding to the slaw.
• Cilantro: Coarsely chop the cilantro for this slaw; I also add this to the salad spinner to thoroughly rinse and dry it. Don’t worry too much about cutting off all the stems– they’re not tough and they’ll also add flavor to the slaw!
• Carrots: Buying matchstick carrots will save time and keeps this slaw very easy. If you have extra time or desire to make your own matchstick carrots, here’s how to do it.
• Avocado: While not actually part of the slaw, we love a few ripe avocado slices in these Asian chicken tacos. They add an amazing creaminess and are the perfect complement for the slaw, chicken, and sauce.

Short-cut idea: At the store, pick up a bag of coleslaw mix that has shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots; use that in place of the green cabbage and carrots in the recipe. A lot of grocery stores also sell pre-washed and chopped cilantro–another time saver.

Let’s talk chicken

There are so many ways to prepare the chicken for these tacos. I like using rotisserie chicken to keep them on the easy side, and for an even quicker prep time, you can purchase rotisserie chicken already pulled from the bones.

Grilling or searing your own:

Alternatively, the chicken can be pan seared or grilled. See directions below:

• Pan-seared chicken:
  • Pat dry 1-2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound total) with paper towels. Cut chicken into small, 1-inch-sized pieces.
  • Sprinkle pieces generously with salt, pepper, and a chicken seasoning blend. 
  • Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large non-stick skillet and brown the chicken pieces until cooked through (6-10 minutes; chicken juices should run clear or read 165 degrees F on a thermometer). 
  • Once cooked, transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
  • No need to wipe out the skillet– there will be bits of flavor left by the chicken! Proceed with preparing the sauce in the same skillet.
• Grilled chicken:
  • Pat dry 1-2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound total) with paper towels. Cut thick chicken breasts in half widthwise.
  • Drizzle both sides with about 1/2 tablespoon olive oil per side. Sprinkle each side generously with salt, pepper, and a chicken seasoning blend.
  • Prepare the grill by heating, cleaning, and greasing (I hold an oil-drenched paper towel with tongs and rub it over the hot grates).
  • Grill the chicken 4-6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness, until the chicken registers 160 degrees F (carryover heat will bring it to 165 degrees F). Let rest, slice thinly against the grain, and then chop into small, bite-sized pieces.

You could also use some seasoned fish or shrimp in place of the chicken; both would go great with the slaw and sauce.

Tortillas for Asian Chicken Tacos

We prefer flour tortillas with these tacos. I love the Mission Street Taco® Flour Tortillas and that is what I used in these photos and video. (not sponsored) White corn tortillas also work well.

Whatever tortillas you chose to use, I recommend charring them. It does so much for the flavor and texture of the taco as a whole.

Here’s how I quick-char the tortillas: Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil cooking spray and char the tortillas directly over the gas flames for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until tortillas are lightly charred and soft. Immediately fold the tortilla in half, so it will fold into a taco nicely later. Set aside. If you don’t have a gas flame, you can warm the tortillas in the microwave.

More taco recipes

• BBQ Chicken Tacos with the best creamy cilantro sauce
• Chicken Tinga Tacos with quick pickled onions
• Loaded Taco Fries on sweet potato fries
• Healthy Tacos with a cilantro pesto
• Taco Lettuce Wraps with taco-seasoned ground beef

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5 from 9 votes

Asian Chicken Tacos

By Chelsea Lords

These Asian Chicken Tacos are a weeknight game-changer! Topped with a fresh mango slaw, creamy avocado, and a zesty 4-ingredient sriracha-lime sauce, they’re ready in just 30 minutes for a flavor-packed, easy meal!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Bowl

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Sriracha Sauce

• ▢ 2 limes
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayo
• ▢ 3 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Mango Avocado Slaw

• ▢ 2 to 4 honey mangoes 1 cup sliced
• ▢ 2 cups green cabbage
• ▢ 1 cup cilantro
• ▢ 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• ▢ 2 large carrots 1 cup thinly sliced

Tacos

• ▢ Cooking spray or olive oil
• ▢ 10 to 12 mini flour or corn tortillas
• ▢ 3/4 pound shredded rotisserie chicken see note 1
• ▢ 1 large avocado optional

Instructions 

• Zest 1 lime to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and juice 2 limes to get 4 tablespoons juice. Combine mayo, lime zest, lime juice, sriracha, and sugar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, then adjust lime or sriracha to preference.
• Peel and thinly slice mangos, then slice green cabbage to pack 2 cups. Coarsely chop cilantro to measure 1 cup. Thinly slice 1/2 red onion and cut carrots into matchsticks. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl with tongs.
• Spray both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. “Grill” on stovetop until slightly charred, or warm in the microwave (covered with a damp paper towel). Fold tortillas in half while warm for easy assembly.
• Shred or coarsely chop rotisserie chicken (see note 1). Warm through if necessary.
• Fill each tortilla with chicken, a generous spoonful of slaw, and a drizzle of sauce. Add cilantro, lime juice, and sliced avocado as desired.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: We use chicken in this recipe, but feel free to substitute with about 3/4 pound of what protein you like best. Alternatively, grilled chicken would be delicious. Grilled shrimp, fish, or steak would also be tasty. Whatever you like best!

Storage: Store components separately, warm them, and assemble just before eating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 716kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1206mg | Potassium: 979mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 14670IU | Vitamin C: 98mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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