Ooooh baby, we’re making high-maintenance crispy chicken tacos today!
These tacos have it all: smoked gouda pimento cheese, lime-salted slaw, and quick-pickled onions. Every component adds bright flavor and texture.
This is an untraditional but fun mash-up inspired by great tacos I’ve been thinking about. I couldn’t resist making my own version.
Picture this: soft, pillowy flour tortillas with a bit of char, spread with creamy pimento cheese, topped with crunchy lime cabbage slaw, and finished with crisp chicken bites and a scattering of pink pickled onions. The pickles aren’t just for color — they brighten each bite.
These flavors come together like classic pairings: chocolate and peanut butter, bacon and eggs, tomatoes and basil.
I fried the chicken in a shallow pan, not deep-frying to infinity, and it was totally worth it: moist and juicy inside, outrageously crunchy outside. That said, frying can be messy and make your house smell, so I’ll give an alternative for entertaining.
I really can’t even describe how good these are.
They’re best served immediately so the chicken stays crunchy and the tacos fold nicely. If you want to avoid frying for a party or prefer a cleaner kitchen, you can bread and bake the chicken instead — slice it after cooking and assemble the tacos. The result is still fantastic.
There are a few tips that make these feel like legit tacos:
- Warm your tortillas: a tortilla warmer, a quick oven stint, or a char on the gas flame makes a big difference.
- Let the pimento cheese come to room temperature for about 30 minutes so it spreads easily and melds with the warm tortilla.
- Layer the slaw on top of the pimento cheese before adding the chicken so it adheres and keeps its crunch.
- If needed, slice the chicken after frying so the taco folds neatly and every bite is balanced.
Thank you for coming to my faux taco TED talk.
These tacos are heaven-sent.
Crispy Chicken Tacos with Pimento Cheese
Crispy Chicken Tacos with Gouda Pimento Cheese
45 mins
20 mins
1 hr 5 mins
Ingredients
Crispy chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups beer or seltzer water
- Vegetable oil for frying
Gouda pimento cheese
- 12 ounces smoked gouda, freshly grated
- 1 4-ounce jar pimentos, drained
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Lime cabbage slaw
- 3 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Quick pickled onions
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
Crispy chicken
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and garlic powder.
- In another bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, pepper, egg yolks and beer or seltzer until smooth.
- Heat a heavy skillet with about an inch of oil to 325–350°F. Don’t start dipping the chicken until the oil is near temperature.
- Triple-dip each chicken piece: coat in the dry flour mix, then the beer batter, then the dry flour again. Fry 3–4 pieces at a time for 2–3 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
- To assemble, warm tortillas, spread with pimento cheese, top with lime slaw, add chicken pieces, then finish with pickled onions and optional cotija.
Gouda pimento cheese
- Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge; it’s great with crackers or veggies.
Lime salted slaw
- Combine the napa and red cabbage with cilantro, toss with lime juice and salt. Let sit about 20 minutes so the cabbage softens slightly.
Quick pickled onions
- Place onions in a jar. Whisk together vinegar, warm water, sugar and salt until dissolved, pour over onions and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Store in the fridge up to a week.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
I appreciate you so much!
Honestly, I’m a little jealous of my past self for eating these.