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!
I’ve turned my favorite Thai inspired flavors into tacos in this fresh and unique tasting dish. It’s full of vegetables and a dinner option that’s always on repeat at my house.
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.
How do you make thai chicken tacos?
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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More great taco recipes
Thai Chicken Tacos
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
- For the chicken:
- 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.
- 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)
- For the peanut sauce:
- Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble:
- 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.
Ray says
These are delicious. I made some with lettuce instead of cabbage. The tacos were great!
Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie says
Yum! So bright and flavorful! These look totally delicious!!!
Michelle @ Blackberry Babe says
These tacos are beautiful! I love the fresh take on the flavors!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
These are some of the best looking chicken tacos I’ve ever seen. I just adore all those Thai flavors going on in that soft taco shell. Be still my heart!!!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
I used to cook a lot more elaborate too. I would spend hours cooking! Kids certainly change things! Now I am thrilled when I come up with something really good I can put together in less than 30 minutes! These tacos look delicious! I love Thai food…we just got a restaurant in town and it is so good! I guess it’s time for me to try my hand at cooking it. 🙂
Lora @cakeduchess says
Fantastic taco idea! I do the same thing with the components (I usually just grill it and serve with some sides)that way it’s so much easier during mad rush of dinner prep. Next time I’m making chicken tacos, so much more fun!!
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
I’m loving these tacos Sara! The thai flavors in this dish are a favorite of mine that I don’t make nearly enough. These look amazing!
Kelley Orthwein says
Anything Thai chicken is a winner for me! These will be a new go-to dinner recipe for my family!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
We love Thai flavors, what a great taco recipe! Marinating the chicken has to make it super tender and so flavorful!
Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats says
WOW! Talk about the tacos of my dreams! This entire recipe sounds amazing, from the coconut marinated chicken tot he peanut sauce. Drooling!
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
Disneyland?! I am so glad you got a break and had fun! One day we may embark there, haha. These tacos sound fantastic and look divine (and so different from ordinary tacos!)