Crispy Lemongrass Chicken Tacos
Quick and easy crispy chicken tacos made with soft corn tortilla shells filled with flavourful lemongrass chicken and crispy tortilla chips! Best of both worlds, crispy and soft taco in one!
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 220kcal
Ingredients
- 6 boneless chicken thighs
- 6 soft corn tortilla shells
Chicken Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 stalks lemongrass (approximately 2.5-3 tablespoons, finely chopped)
Garnishes for the Chicken
- 1-2 stalks green onion (finely chopped)
- handful tortilla chips (toasted in the oven for 3-5 minutes)
Instructions
Preparation
- Finely chop green onions and set aside for garnishing at the end
- Finely chop the garlic and lemongrass. Make sure to chop the lemongrass as fine as possible since it is a woody herb.Alternatively, you can chop the lemongrass into small pieces and blitz it in a food processor as well.(If you are using fresh lemongrass stalks, use the bottom half of the stalk only, which is about 2-3 inches, and discard the dried tips)
- In a large bowl, add the chicken with the chopped garlic, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, finely lemongrass, and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Coat each piece of chicken well with the marinade and let it marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge, but the longer you marinate it, the better it will taste. I like to marinate it for 2-3 hours.
Cooking the Chicken
- In a large skillet, add some oil and set the heat to medium heat
- Add the chicken to the pan, skin side down first, and sear the chicken. To get the brown skin, do not flip it for 1-2 minutes.To finish cooking the chicken, cook it for 3-4 minutes a side, for a total of about 8-10 minutes.
Making the Crispy Tacos
- Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a cutting board and place some tortilla chips on top of the chicken and chop it up together
- Add in the green onions and mix it with the chicken.
- Fill the soft tortilla shells with the crispy chicken filling, and build your tacos with toppings and enjoy!Alternatively, you can also place the crispy chicken filling in a bowl and let everyone assemble their own tacos.
Notes
- Any kind of tortilla chips will work for this recipe. I found that lightly toasting them for about 3-5 minutes in the oven before using them gave them an even better flavor and texture!
- For soft tortillas, we found that corn tortilla was the most flavorful and was best when lightly toasted on the stove. You can go with your favorite brand or type of tortillas (or use flour tortillas), and it will be just as good.
Topping Ideas
- Pickled Red Onions: Slice up a red onion thinly and add fresh lemon juice or lime juice and a pinch of salt to it. Let it sit and meld for about 30 minutes until soft. I highly recommend these pickled onions, they give a lot of flavor to tacos.
- Cheeses: You can add any type of cheese to tacos but the ones I find with the most flavor are feta, cotija (which is very similar to feta), and cheddar cheese (especially old or medium cheddar cheese).
- Sour Cream: If you love a bit of tang with a bit of butteriness, you definitely need to try adding sour cream to your tacos. It elevates the flavors and gives it a nice creaminess as well. I like to use a full fat sour cream.
- Chives and Green onions/Scallions: Green onions add a TON of flavor to tacos. It also gives it a bit of freshness as well.
- Cilantro: This one is a hit or miss for some people. I find parsley gives tacos a bit of a refreshing kick.
- Guacamole: I love adding guacamole in everything, especially in tacos. It adds creaminess and a bit of garlickiness as well and it pulls the taco flavors together. In a pinch, I will use my toasted sesame guacamole recipe which takes about 5 minutes to put together.
- Salsa: All tacos need an element of tang and salsa does the job. I personally love sweet and tangy salsas, and will always use my Sweet & Spicy Pineapple Salsa recipe to give my tacos a sweet and sour flavor.
- Vegetables: If you want to keep it simple, you can add classic vegetables like shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, avocado, pickled jalapenos or sliced peppers.
- Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice: It's a simple ingredient that will do magic to your chicken tacos.
