Mexican chicken breast is juicy, tender, and flavorful. This well-seasoned chicken is easy to prep with a quick marinade before it's ready to cook on the stove, air fryer, or in the oven. It's a quick and easy family favorite, perfect for busy weeknights.
Serve Mexican chicken breast over a bowl of Cilantro Lime Rice with a vegetable side dish, as a filling in Chicken Tacos, or over a Mexican Caesar Salad.
Why You'll Love Mexican Chicken Breast
- A quick chicken recipe ready in just 35 minutes. Quick dinners are a family favorite in our house, and that includes this Mexican chicken breast recipe. You’ll love this recipe on nights when time and energy are running out because it’s ready to eat in about half an hour. Plus, you can use leftovers the next day in Chicken Tacos or Chicken Fajitas.
- Juicy, tender, flavorful chicken. Thanks to the delicious marinade made of the perfect combination of seasoning including garlic, cumin, and lime juice, the chicken is juicy and full of flavor.
- You can cook it in one of three ways. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen, you’ll find this chicken recipe easy, especially because you can pick how you want to cook it. Try it on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the air fryer. Either way, this Mexican chicken breast is juicy and delicious.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this delicious Mexican Chicken Breast, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- chicken breasts - you will need boneless and skinless chicken breast for this recipe. You can also use boneless and skinless chicken thighs but you may need to adjust the cook time slightly.
- olive oil
- garlic
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- paprika
- dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- lime juice
You will also need measuring spoons, mixing bowl or large Ziploc bag, and depending on the cooking method — a large skillet, air fryer, or quarter sheet baking pan.
How to Make the Best Mexican Chicken Breast
- Marinate chicken. In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and all seasoning including chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Toss well to coat. Let it marinate for at least 20 minutes or overnight in the fridge. You can also combine everything into a large Ziploc bag and press the seasoning around the chicken to coat.
- Cook the chicken. When ready to cook, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the hot oil sizzles, about 1 minute. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes per side. The internal temperature for the chicken should reach 165F as read on a meat thermometer. Turn off the heat and cover the lid. Let the chicken rest for 2-3 minutes.
Air Fryer Mexican Chicken Breast (or in the Oven)
You can also cook the chicken breasts in the air fryer at 350F for 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F as read on a meat thermometer.
For oven-baked Mexican chicken breast, bake in a preheated 375F oven for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F as read on a meat thermometer.
How to Serve
Serve Mexican Chicken Breast with your favorite Mexican sides such as:
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Creamy Mexican Corn Soup
- Flour Tortillas
- Guacamole
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
You can also transfer the chicken breasts onto a cutting board and slice or dice them into smaller pieces to use in Chicken Tacos, Chicken Nachos, and salad such as Mexican Chicken Caesar Salad.
Storing Instructions
- How to store: After the chicken has cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat within 3-4 days.
- How to reheat: The best way to reheat chicken without drying it out is in the oven with a bit of water. Start by placing the chicken in an oven-safe pan. Then, add 1-3 tablespoons of water. Cover the pan tightly in aluminum foil and bake in a 400F oven for 10-15 minutes. You can also reheat in a 350F preheated air fryer for 10 minutes until warmed through.
More Mexican Recipes
- 30 Best Mexican Recipes
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Beef Taco Soup
- Shrimp Tacos
- Skillet Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Recipe
Mexican Chicken Breast
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Mexican chicken breast is juicy, tender, and flavorful. It's easy to prep with a quick marinade before cooking on the stove, air fryer, or oven.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (about 2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and all seasoning including chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Toss well to coat. Let it marinate for at least 20 minutes or overnight in the fridge. You can also combine everything into a large Ziploc bag and press the seasoning around the chicken to coat.
- When ready to cook, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the hot oil sizzles, about 1 minute. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes per side. The internal temperature for the chicken should reach 165F as read on a meat thermometer. Turn off the heat and cover the lid. Let the chicken rest for 2-3 minutes.
- Air fryer instructions: You can also cook the chicken breasts in the air fryer at 350F for 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F as read on a meat thermometer.
- Oven instructions: You can bake in a preheated 375F oven for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F as read on a meat thermometer.
- Serve as it over a plate of rice. You can also transfer the chicken breasts onto a cutting board and slice or dice them into smaller pieces to use in Chicken Tacos or serve over salad.
Notes
How to store: After the chicken has cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat within 3-4 days.
How to reheat: The best way to reheat chicken without drying it out is in the oven with a bit of water. Start by placing the chicken in an oven-safe pan. Then, add 1-3 tablespoons of water. Cover the pan tightly in aluminum foil and bake in a 400F oven for 10-15 minutes. You can also reheat in a 350F preheated air fryer for 10 minutes until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinate Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
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Carol says
Excellent chicken breasts. Quick and easy preparation. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 min with the seasoning. Cooked in air fryer for 25 minutes. Very tasty. Made Mexican rice with it.
Loulou says
Great recipe! The chicken was sooo flavourfull and tender. I used chipotle instead of mexican chili because that’s what I had on hand.
Ate the first batch with a side of rice and tomato salad with lime juice it was delicious. I couldn’t stop eating!!
Then used the leftovers for garnishing a vegetable soup. Cut the chicken in slices and put them in the hot soup so it reheated and kept it’s full flavour.
Thanks for a great recipe.