Healthy Chicken Tacos
This is my version if Healthy Chicken Tacos: Smoky seasoned chicken breast, fried with cashews for extra crunch. On a generous wholewheat wrap smothered with creamy guacamole. Topped with layers of crunchy lettuce, fresh, charred sweetcorn, homemade zingy salsa, and vibrant spring onions. Finished with a sour cream-yoghurt-lime drizzle and grated cheddar. This is the dinner of my dreams.
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Why You Will Love This
So Much Better Than Shop Bought Mixes
These Tacos go back over 30 years, when Mexican cooking had barely arrived in Germany. But, curious as I am, I found some ready-made Taco meal packs in my supermarket and was hooked instantly.
But, as you might have noticed, I have evolved since, to making most things from scratch, hence the evolution of this dish into what I imagined a Taco should be. Emphasis on “I imagined”. I’m not Mexican, nor did I have much knowledge about authentic food back then. So, I’m not claiming this is in even the slightest way authentic. But it was and remains my favourite version of Tacos, even after I tried some pretty good ones in Mexican restaurants. Guess I’m just a philistine. But hey, sometimes that’s very enjoyable.
My Adaptations
I half feel I shouldn’t even claim adaptations, as there is barely any original root here, considering how many changes I made over time. But the components are still there. Chicken breast, by now home seasoned. I’m not a fan of very spicy, I use mostly smoked paprika, a hint of cumin (as my body has a weird relationship to cumin, so I can only use very little or get major headaches), ground coriander, salt, pepper, and some ancho chili powder. The Chicken is marinated as long as I have time that day in the spices and a bit of olive oil.
The first version I made was based on ground beef and corn tacos. And they were really good, but they kept falling apart when eating, resulting in more fillings on my plate than in my taco.
Chicken and Cashews
So, I came to prefer fried chicken pieces over time on soft, large wholewheat tortillas. There is something about slightly crispy, tender, well-seasoned chicken with cashews, I just cannot resist. Neither could anyone who ever tried it, with this being my most requested repeat recipe among friends.
Lots of Veggies
Not that anyone will really notice, but these healthy Chicken Tacos contain a hefty portion of veggies in form of lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sweetcorn and spring onions. They just feel so at home in the tacos (Wraps? Tortillas?), you won’t even realise you are eating healthy.
The Ingredients
The Ingredients
- Chicken breast is the protein in these healthy chicken tacos
- Cashews make the chicken utterly irrestistable by adding crunch and nutty flavor
- A homemade seasoning mix with smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, oregano and coriander gives the amazing mexican flavor
- Homemade or shop bought tortillas will carry all the fillings. You could use taco shells, but I feel they just crumble too quickly
- For the “healthy” part I’m adding romaine lettuce and sweetcorn
- Plus a salsa made from fresh cherry tomatoes, onion and lime juice
- And an utterly irrestistable creamy guacamole made from avocados, lemon or lime juice, garlic, salt and chili powder
- A sour cream- greek yoghurt-lime mix crowns it all
- Followed by a sprinkling of grated cheese and spring onions (which I promptly forgot in the picture above)
- And if you like it hot, top them with pickles jalapenos.
A Word on Tortillas
Ok, maybe a few more words…
Shop bought?
I have used shop bought versions of tortilla wraps for the longest time and enjoyed them just fine. They wrap beautifully around the fillings, especially if you fold in the end and make for a less messy experience. And a super quick one of course, as they just need seconds in the microwave to get warm and lovely pliable.
Or Homemade?
And then I made my own for this post. I would say big mistake, because now I have a really hard time going back to shop bought, they were just so good!
Since I‘m not an expert, I looked for good recipes for corn tortillas first, figuring they’d hold up well in the pictures and found the linked recipe.
I had Masa Harina at home (The depths of my kitchen cupboards must be bottomless, I have so many exotic things they hold), so clearly they had to be made.
Sourdough of Course!
But while browsing the page, I spotted the link to her Sourdough Tortillas! The temptation! And how on earth was I to decide between the two? And why would I have to decide? Exactly.
So, I made both.
Next Question: Corn?
The corn version turned out perfectly at first try. I had ordered a tortilla press* for the occasion, which arrived just in time with a friend coming over, to help me eat all the deliciousness. And to both our satisfaction, the corn flattened into perfect circles with one satisfying press. So meditative!
The sourdough version was less cooperative at the start. It kept sticking to the baking parchment that came with the press and I kept adding flour without much success. Sure, rolling pin she said, but heck, I had a brand-new tortilla press!
As last attempt I started using a cut open freezer back and the magic suddenly happened! Perfect round sourdough tortillas! I let them sit while I prepared some other stuff and found the shrunk a bit, so I re-pressed them, right before frying, which had them come out perfectly.
Or Whole Wheat?
After trying both versions with our decidedly European taste buds, we both voted firmly for the sourdough wheat version to be the best one. I even added a bit of fine wholewheat flour to them, and they were still super soft, chewie and pliable. But…a mess to eat.
Make Your Own. Really.
So, what I’m trying to say here, in many words is: If you decide to make your own (which I highly recommend!) be aware that you probably won’t want to go back to shop bought. Unless you live in Mexico. In which case this whole post probably drives you nuts anyway, as I’m not authentic Mexican. Apologies for that.
And thanks a million to Maricruz Avalos for creating those fantastic tortilla recipes. I loved them!
And if you start making your own, do yourself a big favor and order a tortilla press*. So much easier than rolling out!
The Process
If you decided to make your own tortillas (because I talked you into it and you’ll love me forever for it), prepare the dough first. You can do that the day before. As most of the parts.
Which makes this a fantastic meal for friends coming over. Which, thinking about you could simply employ to help you chop. Or is that just my friends?
Prepare the Chicken
Also best done the day before for maximum flavor infusion is marinading the chicken.
Cut it in bite sized pieces, mix the spices with a bit of oil and massage into the chicken. Store in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
On the day of serving, short before you want to eat, fry the chicken in a non-stick frying pan* in 2-3 batches for a few minutes until one side is browned, then add part of the cashews and fry until nicely golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a clean bowl and continue with the rest of it the same way.
Don’t overcrowd the pan or it will cook instead of browning.
The Toppings
Then comes my favourite topping for these Healthy Chicken Tacos: The Guacamole, which already has its own recipe, since it’s so versatile. Prepare that before frying the chicken.
Chop Lettuce and Spring Onions
For lots of crunch, flavour, and veggie content, I add crisp, shredded romaine lettuce hearts and spring onions.
Boil or grill Sweetcorn
Depending on how you prefer to eat it. Here is a life changing Air Fryer* Sweecorn recipe that I adore!
Of course you could just use canned. It’s not perfect, but good enough for me to use it most of the time. Cold is fine.
Fry Tortillas or Heat Ready Made Ones
If you made your own tortilla dough (Great corn and whole wheat recipes are linked above in the section about tortillas. I didn’t invent them, so I don’t want to claim them as my own.), divide it into about 12 balls, then either roll it out or, being very professional and efficient, using a tortilla press* lined with a cut open freezer bag (you’ll thank me later for that one) press them into shape.
Use either a cast iron pan* or non-stick frying pan* (I found the non-stick works best), briefly fry them on each side until they get all bubbly and slightly charred. Store between 2 plates and a towel to keep soft. Or, if you get the tortilla press from my link, the fantastic tortilla storing and heating pouch, which I’m utterly in love with.
Finishing touches
Topping it with fresh salsa made simply from cherry tomatoes, onions, and lime juice (or lemon) and a hit of chili flakes. You could use fresh chili here if you enjoy it. It’s certainly more authentic. I lose all taste of the other ingredients when I do, so I’m gentle on the heat. Or, if you are short on time, use jarred salsa. I have sure done so many times.
All the deliciousness gets drizzled with a quickly stirred mix of sour cream, fat free Greek yoghurt and lime (or lemon) juice with a bit of salt. Then some grated cheese. Fresh is fantastic, but ready grated is just fine if you are short on time. No judgement here.
Serve
Sprinkle with green spring onions for added freshness, and depending on your tortilla, either just fold it, as I did above or, if using the shop bought, large type, wrap one side first, then the bottom, fold over the other side, probably finding you hopelessly overloaded your first Taco. Bite into it and enjoy dinner heaven. Messy eating is inevitable and encouraged.
Meal Prep
Needless to say, these are fantastic for meal prep. Chop up all your ingredients, prepare salsa, guacamole, and sour cream mix. Marinade your chicken. Store everything in separate containers and you are set for the next few days.
Make more than you think you need. It will be eaten, trust me. Especially the guacamole.
Looking for more Plant Centred recipes?
Healthy Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos
Or for an even quicker dinner recipe?
Try my Strawberry Black Pudding Salad.
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Healthy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Cashew Chicken
- 4 Chicken Breasts cubed about 1inch/2cm
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed or finely chopped
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ to 1 tsp cumin depending on your preference
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ to 1 tsp ancho chili powder or more if you enjoy the heat. You can use any chili powder you have on hand here. I just love the mild smoky flavour of ancho
- 1 tsp Espazote or Oregano
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt or more to taste
- ½ cup cashews
Guacamole:
- 3 Avocados ripe
- 1 Lemon juice
- 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
- ½-1 tsp Ancho chili powder or any type of chili you enjoy. Any amount too. Your Guac, your choice
- 1 tsp kosher salt. Or more to taste
Salsa:
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- Juice of 1 lime or ½ lemon
- Fresh coriander optional
- Fresh red or green chili optional
- Salt pepper
Seasoned Sour cream mix:
- 4 tbsp Sour cream
- 4 tbsp 0% fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 lime juice
- Salt to taste
Tortillas and toppings
- 8-10 wholewheat tortilla wraps depending on your preferred filling amount and dexterity in eating them.
- Or homemade tortillas. See note in post.
- 2 cobs fresh sweetcorn boiled for 5min
- 1 large romaine lettuce heart shredded
- 1 bunch spring onions chopped into thin rounds
- 1 cup shredded cheese I use sharp cheddar. Feta, crumbled would be lovely too.
Instructions
For the Chicken and Cashew Filling:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cubed chicken with olive oil, crushed garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander, ancho chili powder, espazote or oregano, and kosher salt. Toss well to coat the chicken evenly with the spices. Allow it to marinate for about 15-20 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook until it’s browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally for even cooking.
- In the last minute of cooking the chicken, add the cashews to the skillet and cook for an additional minute, stirring to combine and slightly toast the cashews. Remove from heat and set aside.
For the Guacamole:
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl.
- Add lemon juice, crushed garlic, ancho chili powder, and kosher salt to the bowl.
- Mash the ingredients together using a fork until you achieve your desired guacamole consistency. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Or follow my recipe here: https://forthepleasureofeating.com/easy-guacamole/ for a smooth and creamy version.
For the Salsa:
- Chop the cherry tomatoes into small pieces and finely dice the red onion.
- In a bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes and red onion.
- Add lime juice, fresh coriander (if using), fresh chili (if using), salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine.
For the sour cream sauce:
- In a bowl, whisk together sour cream, 0% fat Greek yogurt, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Adjust the salt to taste.
Optional but delicious:
- Grill your sweetcorn cobs for a few minutes in a griddle pan for a bit of smokiness and pretty marks.
- Once cool enough to handle, cut the corn off the cobs with a knife. I do this in a large bowl with a small bowl turned over at its bottom, to stand the cobs on. This prevents the kernels from scattering everywhere.
To Assemble the Tacos:
- Warm the wholewheat tortilla wraps according to package instructions. I usually heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave.
- To each tortilla, add a layer of shredded romaine lettuce, followed by the cooked chicken and cashew mixture.
- Top with a spoonful of guacamole, salsa, sour cream and Greek yogurt sauce, fresh sweetcorn, shredded cheese, and chopped spring onions.
- Serve the tacos immediately and enjoy the burst of flavours and textures!
Notes
Nutrition is calculated for 12.
Nutrition
So yummy! The perfect weeknight dinner; my husband loved this recipe!
Love a good taco recipe! Always looking for fun recipes for Taco Tuesdays. Kids smashed them and will make again!
These chicken tacos were so flavorful and satisfying! And the fact that they are healthy is a bonus!
TI love a good taco meal that is tasty and easy to prepare. These were full of flavor, perfect for a satisfying weeknight meal! Thanks for the great recipe.
You’d never guess these were lightened up! My family inhaled them for dinner this weekend! SO yummy!