Mexican Chicken Recipes (2024)

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A collection of our MOST favorite Mexican chicken recipes, from main dishes to appetizers and soups! Each recipe is packed with zesty Mexican flavor and a hearty amount of chicken.

More Collections: Mexican Dinner Ideas, Mexican Appetizers, Mexican Desserts

Zesty Chicken Recipes Everyone Loves

We make Mexican chicken recipes often! A lot of these recipes can be used as main dishes or as appetizers, they’re so versatile!

Why we love chicken recipes:

Bold spices and flavors. Onions, garlic, Mexican oregano, chili powder, chipotle peppers, and cumin, along with Green Chili Sauce, Red Chili Sauce, and Salsa are tell-tale signs of yummy Mexican cuisine.
The perfect canvas. Protein like Chicken can naturally take on a variety of flavor profiles and tastes and these robust flavors are perfect!
From make-ahead to freezer-friendly. Many of these dishes can be prepped or frozen ahead of time, and all of them are simple!

Tips for the tastiest Mexican chicken dishes

Precooked chicken. Many of these recipes call for precooked Shredded Chicken. Or use canned chicken, shred up a rotisserie chicken, or slow-cook boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts.
Substitutions. Turkey can be substituted in almost all of these recipes.
Tortillas. I keep corn tortillas and Flour Tortillas in the freezer to pull out to use with my recipes.
Lime. Squeeze fresh lime juice over dishes to brighten up the flavors and finish off a Mexican dish.
Topping ingredients. Let the main recipe shine! Use sour cream, avocado, extra cheddar cheese, tomatoes, green chiles, and other toppings sparingly so the flavor of the dish doesn’t get overpowered.
When cutting peppers, be cautious. They are not only hot in your mouth, but can be hot when making contact with your skin. Wearing rubber gloves when prepping your chilies can be helpful.
Cilantro. Always try to use fresh cilantro. The dried stuff just does not have the same flavor.

Cooked Cubed Chicken

For a new cook, it can be tricky when a recipe calls for cooked chicken pieces with no instructions on how to do so. For an easy route purchase cooked chicken pieces in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

To cook your own:

Cube the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with some seasoning such as salt, black pepper, garlic salt, or paprika.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil.
Add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Don’t crowd the pan otherwise the chicken will steam instead of fry. If needed work in batches to get them all cooked. Allow the pieces to cook for about 4 minutes, stir, and cook another 3 minutes.
The internal temperature of cooked chicken should reach 165°F.

Our Favorite Mexican Chicken Recipes

Many of our favorites use shredded chicken. Make meal prep a breeze and freeze cooled chicken in an airtight container to be used later in these delicious recipes. We especially love a good chicken quesadilla and Burrito Bowls.

We love to pair these with our favorite sides: Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe, Mexican Street Corn Recipe, Canned Refried Beans, Guacamole, or Cilantro Lime Rice.

24 Chicken Flautas Recipe

Appetizer, Main CourseChicken Flautas Recipe

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 76 votes

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25 Creamy Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Main CourseCreamy Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Recipe Video

4.99 from 142 votes

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26 Chicken Tacos Recipe

Main CourseChicken Tacos Recipe

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 82 votes

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27 Quesadilla Recipe

Appetizer, Main CourseQuesadilla Recipe

Total Time: 12 minutes minutes

Recipe Video

4.96 from 294 votes

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28 Taquitos Recipe

Appetizer, Main CourseTaquitos Recipe

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 908 votes

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29 Baked Chicken Chimichanga Recipe

Main CourseBaked Chicken Chimichanga Recipe

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 123 votes

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30 Cafe Rio Chicken Recipe

Main CourseCafe Rio Chicken Recipe

Total Time: 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

More Mexican Chicken Dishes

Here are even more casseroles and tasty Mexican chicken dishes that show up on our meal rotation and are sure to become a staple on yours!

34 Cilantro Lime Chicken

Main CourseCilantro Lime Chicken

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

5 from 16 votes

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35 Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Main CourseHoney Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

5 from 2 votes

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36 Mexican Casserole

Main CourseMexican Casserole

Total Time: 1 hour hour

5 from 30 votes

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37 Salsa Verde Chicken Recipe

Main CourseSalsa Verde Chicken Recipe

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

5 from 10 votes

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38 Salsa Chicken Recipe

Main CourseSalsa Chicken Recipe

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Restaurant-Style Tacos

Everyone’s favorite day of the week might be Taco Tuesday or any day we can serve up these delicious Chicken Tacos.

These are the BEST chicken tacos, loved by the entire family. They taste just like the chicken tacos found at your local Mexican Restaurants – crunchy and delicious!

Here is the recipe:

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20+ Mexican Chicken Recipes

By: Lil’ Luna

A collection of our MOST favorite Mexican chicken recipes, from main dishes to appetizers and soups! Each recipe is packed with zesty Mexican flavor and a hearty amount of chicken.

Servings: 8 tacos

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
▢ 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
▢ 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
▢ salt and pepper to taste
▢ vegetable oil
▢ 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Instructions

Combine shredded chicken, cheese, green chiles, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
Add about ¾ inch oil to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat to 375°F.
Scoop a 1/4 cup of the chicken into the center of a corn tortilla and fold like a taco. Carefully grab the taco with some tongs and rock the taco back and forth in the hot oil until it can lay it down on its side without opening.
Let the taco cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side and remove from the oil once sufficiently cooked. Place the taco on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat the process with the remaining tacos.
Before serving, add the toppings to each taco and enjoy!

Notes

Flash Fry. If your corn tortillas are cracking easily, flash fry them in the oil for a second or two on each side, then fill and re-fry. We like to use the Kroger brand of corn tortillas which don’t crack easily and don’t require flash frying first.

Taco Variations:

Soft Tacos: Combine the chicken, chiles, salt and pepper and heat in the microwave, then add the cheese. Serve with toppings in soft flour tortillas.
Rolled Tacos: You can roll these instead of making them in a taco shape—when rolled, they are called flautas.
Meat: Switch up the chicken for other meats like shredded beef (the same as our Pot Roast recipe) or pork (the same as our Kalua pork recipe).

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 97mg, Potassium: 60mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 93IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 113mg, Iron: 0.4mg

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

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Making this recipe? Tag us!

Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

Family Favorite Mexican Chicken Recipes

These savory Mexican dishes are some of our family favorites and are sure to be a big hit in your home too! And so many of them can be made ahead, which is a huge bonus! Let me know which recipes are your family favorites – I’d love to hear from you!

More Collections: Mexican Casserole Recipes, Mexican Beef Recipes, Mexican Side Dishes

Categorized as: Chicken, Cuisines, Extras, Food Roundup, Main Dishes, Mexican Recipes, Recipes

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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