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SOS-Level, Made Fancy
There are so many delicious flavors going on with these chicken tacos, but the real highlight is that you don’t have to do very much work to accomplish any of them. The taco filling especially is so easy and pretty darn quick because all you’re doing is cooking up some chicken thighs, tossing in a can of pinto beans, and then opening up store-bought enchilada sauce, and letting that do all the work. Boom. Bam. Lightly spiced, smoky, tomatoey, saucy goodness ready to stuff your tortillas so full they spill over onto your hands. Then you get to just kind of fancify things. You’ll mix up a little corn situation with some major elote vibes that is also so easy but will be VERY DIFFICULT to hold off on eating until taco assembly. Just a taste to adjust the lime juice? Okay. Twenty more bites and oops it’s gone? It happens. Luckily, it’s easy to remake. You’re going to make some quick pickled red onions because really you’re just throwing some things in a jar, giving it a shake, and then, look at you, all set with the most delicious little taco topper ever! Next thing you know, you have one gem of a taco happening.
How To Make These Red Chile Chicken Tacos
Again, pretty quick and easy, which is how we like it. Let’s get each of the elements together. That’s it! See?! Now you’re in taco business, which is the best business there is.
What Makes These SO GOOD
The red chile chicken side of this taco business is particularly successful. It’s just all so good. Smoky, creamy, fresh, briney-bitey-crunch. What an absolute dream. You could probably play around with the filling a little since that enchilada sauce is bringing all the major flavors, but we love the juiciness of chicken thighs and the creaminess of pinto beans. But play around if something suits you better. Flour tortillas work too, of course, but we love the added flavor of the corn ones to complement the smokiness of the filling and the richness of the topping. That creamy corn topping is such a treat since you’re getting the fresh sweet crunch texture of like a roasted corn salsa but with your cheese/sour cream-type dairy needs all mixed in. And you just can’t go wrong with pickled red onions. Ever. Truly a taco’s best friend. And the general ease of it all carries this one all the way to the top of our Weeknight Yums list. Checking every ding dang box. We just kinda want to eat them all the time, you know? Taco Tuesday rolls into Taco Wednesday and also Taco Thursday and whoooops, how did we get to Taco Friday, well here we are at the weekend, so let’s just keep on going. For more easy and delicious chicken tacos, you need this recipe – my whole family is OBSESSED with them. House favorite!
More Incredible Taco Recipes
Caramelized Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa (topped with sriracha mayo, obvi!) Best Easy Fish Tacos (easy to make and packed with flavor) Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch Slaw (these tacos are out of this WORLD)
4.9 from 49 reviews
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs olive oil, salt, and pepper 8 oz. of red chile enchilada sauce (lately I’ve been using Siete Foods Red Enchilada Sauce as my usual Frontera Brand is no longer available!) one 14–ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
Creamy Corn
1/4 cup mayo 2 tablespoons cream cheese 2 cups frozen or fresh sweet corn 1 clove garlic, grated 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder lime juice to taste
Pickled Onions
1 red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar
Extras
8 corn tortillas (I like to quickly pan-fry mine in a shallow skillet of hot oil to make them extra soft) 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying (optional) 1/4 cup cilantro
Slow Cooker Instructions: Add the chicken thighs, salt, pepper, and enchilada sauce directly to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or cook on low for 4-5 hours. Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker and stir in the canned pinto beans and cook until warmed through. Prepare the pickled onions and creamy corn according to recipe instructions.
