This Mexican Chicken Thighs recipe is your ultimate go-to for tacos, salads, wraps, nachos, or chicken burrito bowls! With bold Mexican spices, this chicken comes out incredibly juicy and packed with flavor, all in under 20 minutes in a cast-iron skillet!

5 Star Reviews
Sarah writes "This is our favorite taco seasoning for chicken! The kids love it and so do the adults! Thank you!"
Elise writes "Had to come back to leave a review. After our grocery store stopped carrying McCormick Chicken taco seasoning I panicked as it was a staple. I looked up online how to make CHICKEN taco seasoning and came across this. It was so good and so much better than McCormick!"
Jump to:
- 5 Star Reviews
- ❤️ Reasons to Love This Mexican Chicken
- Best Mexican Seasoning for Chicken
- Best Skillet for Cooking Chicken Thighs
- Mexican Chicken Thighs
- How to cook Mexican chicken in a skillet?
- Alternative seasoning
- How to serve Mexican chicken?
- Frequestly asked questions
- More boneless chicken thigh dishes
❤️ Reasons to Love This Mexican Chicken
Ultra-versatile: This is your go-to all-purpose chicken—perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, wraps, nachos, and more!
Quick & easy: On the table in just 20 minutes, making it ideal for busy weeknights.
One-skillet recipe: These flavorful thighs are pan-fried on the stovetop, so no oven or fancy equipment needed.
Juicy & tender: Using boneless chicken thighs ensures the meat stays incredibly moist and flavorful, especially when cooked in a cast-iron skillet.
Bold flavor: Every bite is packed with warm Mexican chicken spices—a balanced blend that’s savory, smoky, and just the right amount of spicy.
Best Mexican Seasoning for Chicken
What makes this skillet cooked chicken thighs truly shine is the bold, balanced seasoning blend—it’s the foundation of flavor and brings everything together.
While store-bought taco seasoning works in a pinch, I highly recommend using my homemade chicken taco seasoning. It's a tried-and-true blend of paprika, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and salt.
This blend has been a reader favorite for years because it adds just the right amount of smokiness, warmth, and spice—without overpowering the chicken dish. Plus, it’s free from fillers and preservatives, giving your chicken a clean, robust flavor that tastes restaurant-quality every time.
Best Skillet for Cooking Chicken Thighs
Cast Iron Skillet: My go-to for cooking juicy chicken thighs. It holds heat exceptionally well, giving the meat a deep golden sear and a crispy crust, while locking in moisture for juicy, tender meat. You might love this bottom round roast recipe made in a skillet.
Nonstick Skillet: Great for easy cleanup and low-oil cooking. Just be sure to cook on medium heat—nonstick pans can overheat quickly and may not give quite the same crust as cast iron.
Stainless Steel Skillet: When properly preheated, a stainless steel pan delivers excellent heat distribution and a gorgeous sear. It’s a solid alternative to cast iron, especially if you’re comfortable with temperature control.
Mexican Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs about 5
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning click the linked recipe or refer notes for other options
- 2 tablepsoons vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup water or broth
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
Instructions
- Toss chicken thighs with taco seasoning and vegetable oil, until evenly combined.
- Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs, smooth side down, in a single layer, and cook for 6 minutes.
- Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue cooking for 4 more minutes or until no longer pink. Pour the water, lemon juice and cilantro. gently move around the chicken
- Add water or broth, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro. Stir to evenly distribute the liquid, then increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
- 👉 For tacos, nachos, burrito bowls, and more, I like to dice the cooked chicken and return it to the cold skillet. I toss it around to soak up all the flavorful pan drippings before adding it to my favorite dish.
Notes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
How to cook Mexican chicken in a skillet?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Want To Save This Recipe?
👩🍳 Marinade for more flavor: After combining the chicken with the seasoning and oil, refrigerate for about two hours, or overnight for best results.
Alternative seasoning
For a quick shortcut, you can use 2 tablespoons of store-bought taco seasoning, or follow the simple blend below for a homemade version.
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
How to serve Mexican chicken?
These thighs are one of my go-to chicken recipes, and for good reason—they’re incredibly versatile! I make them repeatedly because they can be used in so many delicious ways. Here are a few ideas:
- Main course: Delicious as a main course for a weeknight dinner, paired with cilantro lime rice, a fresh salad, or roasted veggies and avocado.
- Chicken quesadillas: Chop the chicken and combine it with chopped jalapeños, tomatoes, shredded Mexican cheese, and a bit of ranch dressing. Stuff the mixture into flour tortillas, then cook in a skillet until golden and crispy on both sides. Serve with a side of creamy guacamole for the perfect bite!
- Make chicken tacos: Chop and use it for tasty chicken tacos. For step-by-step instructions, check out our air fryer chicken tacos recipe!
- Chicken burrito bowl: For the ultimate homemade bowl that’s even better than Chipotle but at a fraction of the cost, check out the linked recipe for full instructions!
- Chicken nachos: Chop the thighs into small pieces and use a nacho topping.
- Mexican chicken salad: Use this instead of shrimp in the Mexican shrimp pasta salad recipe.
Frequestly asked questions
Season the chicken breasts as directed and cook them in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes, until golden. Flip the chicken, reduce the heat to low, add ⅓ cup of water, and cover with a lid. Let it cook for 10–15 minutes, or until fully cooked. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro, then raise the heat and cook until the liquid evaporates and the chicken is nicely coated.
Season the chicken tenders as instructed and cook them in a skillet over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Flip the tenders, cover with a lid, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until fully cooked. Stir in ¼ cup of water, lemon juice, and cilantro, then increase the heat and cook until the liquid evaporates and the chicken is perfectly coated.
I usually double this pan fried chicken recipe, chop it up, and freeze it in a zipper bag for those busy weeknights. It’s such a lifesaver! I simply thaw what I need on the counter for about 30 minutes and whip up a quick quesadilla for the kids or tacos for a family dinner.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
What a great staple item - I need to make a batch of this and keep it for weekday lunches!!
Maria Doss
Thank you Kathy. I'm sure your boys will love it too:)
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
I love chicken and spice!! I totally need to try this in my cast iron pan. You make this chicken look drool worthy Maria! 🙂
Maria Doss
Thank you so much Kelly for the sweet words:)
Christina
I’m a huge fan of Mexican anything, too!!! In fact, the husband and I eat tacos for dinner 2x a week. Sometimes more depending on the week. By the look of the recipe and photos, my husband and I would go bonkers over this. It looks amazing!
Maria Doss
Aww....you are very sweet. Thank you Christina, your family will love this 🙂
Bridget
Really good! I sliced boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Marinated for about an hour, and cooked them in my cast iron skillet.
Maria Doss
So glad that you liked it 🙂
Iris
This was delicious! I had some chicken breasts and no plan so I spiced them up with this recipe and cooked them (not cast iron) and they are so good! We put them in salad and next to mac & cheese.
Joan
So, perhaps I’m not looking well enough, but, what are the measurements for the spices. I see you list the ingredients but not the amounts for each.
Maria Doss
Hi Joan, I apologize if it wasn't clear. If you click on the taco seasoning (in the ingredients), it will show you the detailed recipe for homemade chicken taco seasoning. Hope it helps:)
Tye Baker
I'm excited to try this recipe tomorrow night. I am going to use it for chicken nachos, but shred the meat. No doubt it's going to be amazing. Will keep you posted on the feedback from my guests.
Maria Doss
Hi Tye, Sounds great, happy holidays:)