Blackened Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa
These Blackened Chicken Tacos will shake up your Taco Tuesday! This juicy, blackened chicken is packed with flavor and piled onto tortillas and topped with a refreshing, flavorful mango salsa.
Ingredients
For the Blackened Chicken (See Note 1)
- 1 1/2-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil olive oil and avocado oil work, too
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper can omit or use chili powder for a more mild flavor
For the Mango Salsa
- 2 ripe magoes, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced seeds and membranes removed for a mild flavor
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- pinch of salt, to taste
For the Tacos
- 8 corn tortillas or small flour tortillas
- 1 cup refried beans, warmed
Instructions
- Prep: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the mango salsa and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and let in hang out in the fridge so the flavors can marry while you prepare the chicken. Then, Place chicken breasts on a large cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound out the breasts until they are uniform in thickness– about 1/2" thick is ideal.
- Season Chicken: Transfer chicken to a large bowl or plate. Season with blackening spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne, dried basil, oregano and thyme). Rub the spice blend on well to make sure every nook and cranny is well-coated! Cover with plastic wrap and allow chicken to marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight (if you are short on time you can skip this step, but I HIGHLY recommend it!).
- Cook: Heat a large skillet (a cast iron skillet or grill pan work great) over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, place chicken breasts in the hot skillet. Cook, without touching the chicken until the first side is dark golden brown (about 5 minutes). Flip the chicken and brown the other side. Again, try to avoid touching or moving the chicken around too much, if possible. Cook chicken for an additional 5 minutes on the second side OR until the internal temperature reaches 165°F when tested with a meat thermometer. If the chicken is getting too brown/black on either side, feel free to flip it back and forth to allow it to cook through in the middle but prevent it from burning on either side.
- Rest: Place chicken to a plate and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes. Then, slice into thin strips.
- Finish: Spread 1-2 tablespoons of warm refried beans on each tortilla. Top with the juicy blackened chicken breast, and lots of the mango salsa! Squeeze on more lime juice, if you like!
Notes
Note 1: For more complete instructions for preparing and storing blackened chicken, see this post: How to Make Blackened Chicken.
Also, in a pinch, a store-bought blackening seasoning will work! I have also used Cajun seasoning as well. I just like making my own spice mixture so I can control the amount of spice and salt.
Nutrition is only an estimate based on the Very Well Fit Nutrition Calculator
Nutrition
Serving: 2tacosCalories: 487kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 43.7gFat: 13.8gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 534mgPotassium: 1141mgFiber: 9gSugar: 14.1gCalcium: 91mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!