These crispy pan-fried chicken tacos are an easy 30-minute dinner. Panko-coated chicken cooks until golden and crunchy, then goes into warm tortillas with cabbage, avocado, radishes, and your favorite creamy taco sauce.
Quick Look:
- What it is: Crispy panko-coated chicken tucked into warm tortillas with crunchy cabbage, avocado, radishes, and creamy taco sauce.
- Why make this version: Ready in 30 minutes, uses simple ingredients, and delivers a crisp coating without deep-frying.
- Key ingredients: Chicken breasts, flour, eggs, panko, tortillas, cabbage, avocado, radishes, and lime.
- Total time: 30 minutes.
- Pairs well with: Spanish rice, pico de gallo, black beans and rice, or tortilla chips.
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Crispy Chicken Tacos for an Easy Dinner
Down here in the Keys, crispy fish tacos are the go-to. But on nights when there's no fresh catch, I make these fried chicken tacos instead.
They're built on my crispy chicken strips: chicken breast coated in seasoned flour, egg, and panko, then pan-fried in hot oil.
For the crispiest chicken, keep the oil hot and fry in batches so the pan temperature doesn't drop.
You can prep everything except the chicken while the oil heats, so dinner comes together quickly on a weeknight.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips or pieces
- Flour coating: All-purpose flour
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
- Egg wash: Eggs beaten with water
- Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs
- For frying: Vegetable oil
- For serving: Small flour or corn tortillas and lime wedges
See recipe card below for quantities.
Fresh Taco Toppings
I use a bag of shredded coleslaw mix for the cabbage. It's already cut and saves time. You can also grab shredded iceberg lettuce from the produce section.
Keep it simple and use what you like. Add sliced jalapeños or habaneros for heat, or serve with hot sauce on the side.
- Shredded cabbage or prepared coleslaw mix
- Diced avocado
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Diced tomatoes
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or crumbled cotija cheese
- Pink taco sauce or sour cream lime crema
How To Make Crispy Chicken Tacos
Set up three shallow bowls with seasoned flour, beaten eggs, and panko before you begin. Work with one strip at a time, keeping one hand for the dry ingredients and the other for the egg mixture to prevent clumping.
Step 1: Cut the chicken into evenly sized strips so they cook evenly. Pat them dry, then season lightly with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Dredge each strip in the seasoned flour, turning it to coat every side. Shake off the excess so the coating stays light.
Step 3: Dip the floured chicken into the beaten egg mixture. Let the excess drip back into the bowl so the panko does not become gummy.
Step 4: Press each strip firmly into the panko, coating every side. Set the breaded chicken aside in a single layer while you finish the remaining pieces.
Step 5: Fry the chicken in batches for about 3-4 minutes per side, leaving space between the pieces. Turn when the underside is deep golden and continue cooking until crisp and cooked through.
Step 6: Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack to drain excess oil without softening the crust. Season lightly with salt while hot, then squeeze lime over before assembling the tacos.
Warm the Tortillas and Assemble the Tacos
- Warm the tortillas: Heat tortillas in a dry pan for a few seconds until soft and warm.
- Assemble: Add fried chicken to each tortilla. Top with cabbage, avocado, radishes, red onion, tomatoes, and cheese if using.
- Finish: Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with cilantro lime sauce or pink taco sauce.
Sides For Crispy Chicken Tacos
Round out the meal with a simple rice dish, fresh pico de gallo, or crispy tostones. Find more ideas for Taco Night.
Storage and Reheating
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let it cool before refrigerating.
- Keep toppings separate. Cabbage, radishes, avocado, and other toppings hold up better on their own and won't make the tortillas soggy.
- To reheat, warm the chicken in a skillet over medium heat with a little oil, or use the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes until heated through.
- Wrap leftover tortillas and refrigerate. Warm in a dry pan or directly over a flame before serving.
Make it Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten-free, use rice flour instead of all-purpose flour and choose gluten-free panko or breadcrumbs, which you can find at most supermarkets.
Use Siete almond flour tortillas to keep the whole meal gluten-free.
More Crispy Chicken Recipes
Pan-Fried Chicken Tacos FAQ
Yes. Chicken thighs work well and stay juicy. Cut them into even pieces so they all cook at the same rate.
The outside should be golden, and the thickest piece should reach 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Cooking time is about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the size of the pieces.
Yes. Lightly spray the breaded chicken with oil. Air fry in a single layer at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway. To bake, arrange the chicken on a wire rack over a sheet pan and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, turning once. Cook the chicken to 165°F.
Use small tortillas, about 5 to 6 inches. They're easier to hold and keep the fillings from spilling out. Flour or corn both work, depending on what you prefer.
You can fry it ahead and reheat it in a skillet or air fryer. It will crisp back up better than in the microwave.
If you tried this Crispy Chicken Tacos recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments. I love hearing from you!
Crispy Pan-Fried Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- Large heavy-bottomed skillet
- Three shallow bowls
- Kitchen tongs
- Wire rack
- Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips or bite-sized pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
- 8 small flour tortillas or corn tortillas
- lime wedges, for serving
Fresh Taco Toppings
- 2 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 1 diced avocado
- ½ cup sliced radishes
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1-2 tomatoes, diced
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or cotija cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into strips or bite-sized pieces.
- Set up a breading station with three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. In the second bowl, beat the eggs with water. Add the panko breadcrumbs to the third bowl.
- Coat the chicken in seasoned flour, dip in egg, then press into panko.
- Add about ½ inch of oil to a skillet and heat it to 350°F over medium-high heat.
- Fry the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and the thickest piece reaches 165°F. Do not crowd the pan.
- Transfer the chicken to a wire rack to drain and stay crisp. Squeeze lime juice over the hot chicken.
- Warm the tortillas in a dry pan until soft.
- Fill each tortilla with fried chicken and top with cabbage, avocado, radishes, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese, if using. Serve with pink taco sauce or sour cream lime crema and lime wedges.
Notes
- Keep toppings separate. Cabbage, radishes, avocado, and other toppings hold up better on their own and won't make the tortillas soggy.
- To reheat, warm the chicken in a skillet over medium heat with a little oil, or use the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes until heated through.
- Wrap leftover tortillas and refrigerate. Warm in a dry pan or directly over a flame before serving.
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