Chicken tacos made with crispy, citrus-marinated shredded chicken, sautéed onions and black beans! Great use for leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken.
You ever have one of those days where you’re hungry and the last thing you want to do is get fancy with dinner?
Me too! ALL. THE. TIME. Especially after being on the road, stuck in traffic, for what feels like an eternity.
UGH.
Enter these quick, easy and crispy chicken tacos!
This is one of my favorite cooking hacks. On those days when you either don’t feel like cooking, come back from a vacation or have leftover chicken and have no idea what to do with it, you shred it and crisp it up with some onions, add black beans and tortillas and… voilà, dinner’s ready!
For me, crisping up chicken in a skillet is called vaca frita style. So easy to make!
What does vaca frita style mean?
Vaca frita literally translates to “fried cow”. Vaca frita is a Cuban dish made with shredded beef, like flank steak, marinated overnight in lime juice, sour orange and spices and then pan fried with onions until crispy. For reference, see my vaca frita sliders.
Making chicken vaca frita style is basically the same concept except you’re using chicken instead of beef. In this context/recipe, vaca frita is used as more of the cooking style for the chicken than an actual crispy beef dish.
And let me tell you, it is just as delicious! Crispy chicken with sautéed onions and black beans is a classic Cuban dish too called Chicken Vaca Frita. Confused yet? Hope not! I’d be more than happy to explain. Just drop me a note. :)
Of course, to keep things fun around here, I couldn’t JUST make chicken vaca frita. I turned them into tacos! Make sure you charr the tortillas a bit in a skillet before serving. Seriously, it’s a game changer.
These crispy chicken tacos with sautéed onions, black beans and a twist of lime makes this dish the perfect quick meal for any day of the week!
I hope you make these and LOVE them!
Cuban-Style Crispy Chicken Tacos (Vaca Frita De Pollo)
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken breast (leftovers or store-bought rotisserie, shredded)
- 1/2 medium onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 can black beans (about 7 oz)
- 8 corn tortillas
- Lime wedges
- Optional Toppings: avocado, cheese, diced tomato, sour cream, shredded red cabbage, cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pan, add olive oil and sauté onions until translucent. Add shredded chicken to the pan and fry for about 10 minutes, until brown and crispy. Remove from pan.
- In the same pan, heat up each tortilla for about 1-2 minutes per side or until lightly charred.
- Assemble the tacos by adding the shredded chicken with onions first, then top with black beans (and additional toppings, if desired). Serve with lime wedges.
Joyce says
Woo! This takes my breath away! The textures and crunch from the tacos look amazing here… and a way to finally use my gajillions of leftovers! and 10 mins?! Awww Yis! :D
Jamie Silva says
Thanks so much, Joyce!
Riva says
Gorgeous pictures! This looks so tasty! Thanks for sharing, I’m always looking for new ways to use that leftover chicken!
Jamie Silva says
You’re welcome, Riva!
mikaela | wyldflour says
I LOVE this idea!!! I am constantly grabbing a chicken on my way home, when I know I’m going to have to macguiver dinner. But this is so much better than just tossing the chicken straight onto a tortilla! I love the idea of crisping it up.
Jamie Silva says
Yay! Glad I could help make dinner more fabulous! ;)
Erica says
Great idea for leftover chicken! Sometimes I just get TIRED of the same old thing. Love black beans too, this recipe sounds just perfect!
Jamie Silva says
Yes! A perfect twist for boring leftover chicken!
Marie @ Yay! For Food says
So easy and delicious! My fav kind of meal! :) And I learned what “vaca frita” means! :) It would also be so cute to cut the tortillas into little circles before charring it up and then topping it with the chicken and toppings for a yummy appetizer too!
Jamie Silva says
What a great idea, Marie!
Alyssa @ A Bite of Inspiration says
Yum! I love tacos. What a great way to use up leftover chicken breast. I’ll have to try this one soon. Thanks for sharing!
Jamie Silva says
You’re very welcome, Alyssa!
romain | glebekitchen says
Vaca frita. That’s a great idea/technique. Bet it would work great for leftover pork shoulder roast as well. I’m definitely adding this to my weeknight repertoire. Everything is better when it’s in taco form! Thanks.
Jamie Silva says
It will def work with pork! Pork tacos Mmmm. You’re very welcome, Romain!
Alison @ The Sunday Glutton says
Yum! This recipe meets all of my favorite criteria – quick, easy, using leftovers, only one pan… With a little avocado and red onion on top, this would be great for a quick, weeknight option when I just don’t feel like cooking.
Jamie Silva says
YES! It’s the best mid-week recipe!
Sabrina says
Only 10 mins???? I have to try this