Thai Chicken Tacos

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These thai chicken tacos are a quick and easy dinner. Coconut marinated chicken is stuffed into warm tortillas with fresh vegetables and a generous amount of homemade peanut sauce. Your whole family will love this fun variation on taco night!

You may have noticed that things were a bit quiet over here last week – that’s because I took a break from cooking and blogging and instead went on vacation to Disneyland! We had an amazing time despite the 95+ degree weather every. single. day. But never fear, I spent most of the weekend creating new recipes for you and we will now officially return to our regularly scheduled programming! So let’s talk about tacos – thai chicken tacos to be exact.

Back before I had kids (and before the Pinterest era) I used to do all of my cooking out of cookbooks. I had this 100% authentic thai food cookbook (the author even advocated making your own coconut milk out of fresh coconuts!) and I used to have fun tracking down all of the specialty ingredients to make my own curry pastes and other thai specialties. Then came the kids and my cooking got a whole lot simpler. These thai chicken tacos do not require any specialty ingredients, the flavors may not be 100% authentic but they’re certainly delicious and make for a quick and easy meal.

These tacos start with chicken that gets flavored with a coconut and soy sauce marinade. The chicken is grilled and layered into tortillas with shredded cabbage, carrots and cucumbers. The tacos are finished off with a generous drizzle of peanut sauce and some cilantro. The flavors are fresh and light and guaranteed to make your family happy.

I like to prepare the components of this recipe earlier in the day – I put the chicken in the marinade, cut up all the veggies and make the peanut sauce. At dinner time all I have to do is cook the chicken and assemble the tacos!

These thai chicken tacos are the next best thing to takeout from a thai restaurant and I’m sure they’re healthier too. The slightly sweet coconut chicken pairs so well with the crunchy vegetables and rich creamy peanut sauce. This is a dinner that’s going on repeat at my house and I’m sure it will at your house too.

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Thai Chicken Tacos

Coconut marinated chicken tucked into a warm tortilla with fresh vegetables and a creamy thai peanut sauce.

Course Main

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8 tacos (4 servings)

Calories 362 kcal

Author Dinner at the Zoo

Ingredients

• For the chicken taco:
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk light is fine
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 teaspoons of minced fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons of minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup of shredded red cabbage
• 1/2 cup of shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup of thinly sliced cucumber
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 8 small flour tortillas soft taco size
• salt and pepper to taste
• lime wedges for garnish if desired

• For the peanut sauce:
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut milk light is fine
• 2 teaspoons of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of water

Instructions

1. For the chicken:
2. Combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, garlic and ginger in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour, up to 8 hours.
3. Heat an outdoor grill, indoor grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, place on grill/skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until done. Cut the cooked chicken into cubes (approximately 1/2 inch in size)
4. For the peanut sauce:
5. Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. To assemble:
7. Warm the tortillas in the microwave. Place the tortillas in a row assembly line style. To each tortilla add 2 tablespoons of shredded cabbage, 1 tablespoon of shredded carrots, 1 tablespoon of cucumber and approximately 1/4 cup of chicken. Top with a generous drizzle of peanut sauce and a few cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with lime wedges if desired.

Recipe Notes

Make Ahead: The carrots and cabbage can be shredded a day in advance. The peanut sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Nutrition Facts

Thai Chicken Tacos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 362 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 19g 29%

Saturated Fat 11g 55%

Cholesterol 36mg 12%

Sodium 905mg 38%

Potassium 565mg 16%

Total Carbohydrates 28g 9%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 6g

Protein 20g 40%

Vitamin A 30.9%

Vitamin C 11.9%

Calcium 6.1%

Iron 19.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Things You’ll Need (or Want!)

Mandoline I use a mandoline for tasks like finely shredding cabbage for these tacos, it’s such a great kitchen tool to have on hand.

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Taco Stand Clearly this taco stand is not required to make this recipe, but it’s such a fun way to serve your thai chicken tacos without them getting soggy or spilling everywhere!

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Taco Night Cookbook If your family is as taco crazy as my family, you’ll love all the different taco recipes in this book, it’s at the top of my wish list!

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