Blackened Chicken Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

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Deeply seasoned chicken, a balanced mango avocado salsa and creamy chipotle lime sauce come together to make these easy blackened chicken tacos. This meal is full of flavor and so simple to throw together. Tacos for dinner is always a good idea.

Erica’s ramblings on the recipe:

Well hello my friends, let’s make some tacos.

I always say that tacos are my favorite meal because they can be anything and everything. The versatility, the satisfaction, the balance, mmm I just love them. Plus tacos are quick and easy making them perfect for busy weeknights.

I think everyone needs a good “back pocket chicken taco” ya know what I mean? A classic, staple chicken taco that features juicy chicken, some sort of slaw/pico sitch and a creamy dreamy sauce.

So that’s exactly what we’re doing today. Blending together some savory spices to make an amazing blackened seasoning mix, slicing our chicken breast thin so that it’s perfectly tender and juicy and whipping up an unconventional pico de gallo that is creamy, sweet, crunchy and just a little spicy.

This mango salsa was a big hit with my two-year-old, she kept asking for more and more. She also loved the assembled taco. For my more selective eater, I served the tortilla as a quesadilla with cheese, mango pico and shredded lettuce (with ranch) as the side dishes. Serving a meal ‘deconstructed’ is a great way to increase acceptance for more selective eaters. It is a super easy meal to make kid-friendly and the whole family loved it!

Easy chicken tacos for the win, let’s get these on next week’s meal plan STAT.

What is “blackened seasoning”?

Although the term ‘blackened’ seems slightly terrifying in relation to food, blackened seasoning is simply a blend of herbs and spices like paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano used to coat fish, meat or poultry before cooking to create a charred, flavorful crust.

What you’ll need to make blackened chicken tacos:

How to make blackened chicken tacos:

Halve chicken breasts lengthwise so that you have thin sliced chicken breast. There are generally two chicken breasts in my packs so I end up with four thin fillets.

Mix together all of the seasonings. Place chicken in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on the seasonings. Use tongs or your hands to make sure the chicken is thoroughly seasoned on all sides.

Heat a grill or a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat and brush the grates with oil. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. It should be dark golden brown with dark grill marks and a nice crust.

Alternatively, you can cook chicken in a hot skillet (like a cast iron skillet or stainless steel) with a swish of high-heat cooking oil like avocado oil or in the air fryer (see recipe notes for directions!) Let chicken rest five minutes and slice into thin strips.

Toss together the ingredients for the mango avocado salsa.

Whisk together the creamy chipotle sauce in a small bowl.

Warm the tortillas. Spread a dollop of creamy chipotle sauce on each. Pile in lettuce, blackened chicken and mango pico. Drizzle with more sauce, a squeeze of lime, cotija cheese and a few extra cilantro leaves.

Expert tips and variations:

• Since the chicken is halved lengthwise the chicken cooks up super quickly. Cutting it this way help ensure juicy, moist chicken. Watch it closely so it doesn’t overcook!
• The olive oil is to moisten the chicken so the spices adhere well. Use your fingers to press the spices into the chicken until well coated.
• Feel free to add homemade salsa or hot sauce!
• Replace the mango with pineapple for a juicy pineapple salsa recipe.
• Other fun add-ins to the pico de gallo: red onion, cucumber, red bell pepper, tomatoes, corn kernels, lime zest
• Serve the chicken and toppings over rice or quinoa for a taco rice bowl.
• If you have a gas stovetop warm the tortillas over the gas flame for a charred effect.

FAQs

If you love these blackened chicken tacos, check out my other stellar taco recipes!

Watch how to make blackened chicken tacos:

I hope you make these for your next taco night and enjoy the simplicity and fresh flavor!

If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!

Blackened Chicken Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

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• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 minutes
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Tacos
• Method: Grill
• Cuisine: Mexican

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Description

These blackened chicken tacos are your new ‘back pocket’ classic chicken taco recipe. They are quick, simple and a perfect balance of seasoned, sweet, spicy, savory, creamy and fresh.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Chicken

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb chicken breast, breasts sliced in half lengthwise

Mango avocado salsa

• 1 mango, cubed
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 5 radishes, cubed small
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Assembly

• 8–10 corn tortillas, warmed
• Lettuce, shredded
• Queso fresco or crumbled feta
• Chipotle lime sauce

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Instructions

Chicken: halve chicken breasts lengthwise so that you have thin, flat pieces of chicken. There are generally two chicken breasts in my packs so I end up with four thin fillets. Mix together all of the seasonings. Place chicken in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on the seasonings. Use tongs or your hands to make sure the chicken is thoroughly seasoned on all sides. Heat a grill or a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat and brush the grates with oil. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. It should be deeply colored with a slight crust from the blackening spices. Let chicken rest five minutes and slice into thin strips.

Mango avocado salsa: toss together first six ingredients. Add the olive oil, honey and salt and toss to combine.

Assembly: warm the tortillas. Spread a dollop of creamy chipotle sauce on each. Pile in lettuce, blackened chicken and mango pico. Drizzle with more sauce, crumbled cotija, squeeze of lime, a few extra cilantro leaves, choose your journey my friends.

Live it up, it’s taco time.

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Notes

Air fryer instructions: prep the chicken as instructed. Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees. Air-fry the chicken for four minutes per side or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees (mine only took 8 minutes, but depending on the thickness of chicken breast you may need a few extra minutes).

Refer to above blog post for expert tips, variation ideas and answers to frequently asked questions.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tacos (nutrition facts calculated using corn tortillas)
• Calories: 436
• Sugar: 8.9 g
• Sodium: 353.7 mg
• Fat: 18 g
• Carbohydrates: 38.6 g
• Fiber: 7.5 g
• Protein: 32 g
• Cholesterol: 89.8 mg

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