If you need an amazing recipe for chicken tacos that can be put together in 20 minutes on a weeknight, these citrusy Achiote Chicken Tacos are it! The quick no-marinating-time-needed achiote marinade gives so much flavor to the chicken. I usually end up eating the chicken right off the cutting board before it even makes it onto the tortillas.
The achiote sauce itself is not spicy, making this a very kid-friendly yet authentic-tasting chicken pibil tacos recipe. You can add a little hot sauce or cayenne pepper to spice things up a bit, if you like.
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What is achiote chicken?
Achiote is a traditional Yucatan ingredient (Yucatan is a state in Mexico) made from annatto seeds. Annatto seeds from the achiote tree are used to naturally color foods red and orange. Annatto is not spicy at ALL. You'll see it as an ingredient in some mac and cheese brands. Achiote seasoning, which comes in a sauce or a paste, is responsible for the gorgeous red color of this chicken. It also give this chicken a great authentic Yucatan flavor.
Traditionally, achiote seasoning is used to make slow-roasted pork (cochinito pibil) and chicken (chicken pibil), along with sour Seville oranges to impart a nice citrusy flavor. In traditional recipes, the achiote-seasoned meat is buried in a pit early in the morning and slow roasted all day. In fact, "pibil" is the Mayan word that means "buried" and "earth-baked."
In this recipe, I used achiote sauce and citrus as an inspiration to create a weeknight version of chicken pibil using ingredients that are easily found all over the US... without needing to dig cooking pits in my backyard.
Achiote paste and sauce can be found in the international / Goya / Latin aisle of large grocery stores, in smaller Hispanic grocery stores, and on Amazon: Achiote sauce and achiote paste. I highly recommend the sauce because it makes life easier!
RELATED: Taco Bar Ideas
What is in the achiote marinade?
This achiote chicken marinade is very simple: just achiote sauce, fresh lime and orange juice, lots of garlic, a little cumin for smokiness, salt, pepper, and a splash of oil. The marinade is not spicy at all, but feel free to add a little heat with some hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper if you need some heat.
The best part of the marinade is that the chicken doesn't actually need to be marinated for any amount of time if you are using chicken thighs, thin-sliced chicken breast, or chicken tenders. The achiote sauce gives the chicken so much flavor without any fussing around or waiting for chicken to marinate.
If you are using thick chicken breasts, I do recommend marinating for at least 30 minutes just to let the flavor penetrate the chicken a little.
More easy taco recipes: Ground Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1.5 - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or thin-sliced chicken breast
- ¼ cup achiote sauce (or use 1.5 tablespoons achiote paste stirred into 3 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon vinegar until completely dissolved)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for cooking
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- optional: cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste (I used ¼ teaspoon each)
For the tacos:
- Corn tortillas, toasted (I get about 4-6 tacos per pound of chicken, depending on other fillings, so calculate how many tortillas you need)
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Sliced avocado
- Sour cream
- Pickled onion or fresh diced onion
- Fresh or pickled jalapeños
- Squeeze of lime juice
- Any other favorite taco toppings, such as tomato salsa, charred corn salsa, guacamole, sliced radishes, this aji verde sauce from my venison tacos recipe)
Equipment
- Large bowl or gallon-sized zip-lock bag to marinate the chicken
- Large skillet or grill pan
- Citrus squeezer
- Meat thermometer
More easy taco recipes: Philly Cheesesteak Tacos
Instructions
If you're using achiote paste instead of liquid sauce, turn it into a sauce by mixing together 1-1.5 tablespoons paste with 3 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Stir thoroughly and break up any clumps.
Combine all the ingredients for the achiote chicken marinade (achiote sauce through salt and pepper) in a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and stir gently to coat all over. You can cook the chicken immediately or marinate for up to 8 hours. I cook it immediately.
Preheat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add a little oil to the pan, then place the chicken into the hot oil (discard any extra marinade). Cook 5-8 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Cook time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. If the achiote sauce coming from the chicken stars burning on the pan before the chicken is done, add a splash of water to loosen it from the pan.
Remove the chicken from the pan, let it rest for 3-4 minutes, then slice it. You can brush the chicken with the cooked achiote sauce in the pan, if any is remaining.
Assemble your tacos: toast the corn tortillas (I do this over an open flame for about 20 seconds each, using a metal spatula to flip the tortilla every 5 seconds... do NOT let them burn!). Load up the tortillas with chicken, cilantro, a slice of avocado, a drizzle of sour cream, and any other favorite toppings. Enjoy!
More amazing taco recipes to try: Turkey Black Bean Baked Tacos
Air fryer instructions
Cook chicken thighs in the air fryer at 350F for 12-15 minutes or longer if needed, flipping halfway through. Cook thin-sliced chicken breast or small chicken tenders in the air fryer at 350F for 8-10 minutes, or longer if needed (no need to flip). Thicker chicken breasts needs about 18-22 minutes at 350F, flipping halfway through. Every air fryer cooks different, so be sure to check on the chicken towards the end and always use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is done.
More quick and easy weeknight taco dinners: Trout Tacos with Mango Relish
Leftover achiote chicken
Leftover achiote chicken reheats well in the microwave, in an air fryer, or in a pan. Use it on pizza, in quesadillas, to make enchiladas, or serve over rice.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Achiote Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or thin-sliced chicken breast
- ¼ cup achiote sauce - (if using achiote paste: stir 1.5 tablespoons into 3 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon vinegar until completely dissolved)
- 3-4 garlic cloves - pressed or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - plus extra for cooking
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- optional: cayenne pepper or hot sauce - to taste
- salt and pepper - to taste (I used ¼ teaspoon each)
- corn tortillas - toasted. (I get about 4-5 tacos per pound of chicken, depending on other toppings)
- fresh cilantro leaves
- sliced avocado
- sour cream
- pickled onion or fresh diced onion
- fresh or pickled jalapeños
- squeeze of lime juice
- any other favorite taco toppings
Special equipment
- Grill pan or nonstick pan
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the achiote chicken marinade (achiote sauce through salt and pepper) in a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and stir gently to coat all over. You can cook the chicken immediately or marinate for up to 8 hours. (I cook it immediately.)
- Preheat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add a little oil to the pan, then place the chicken into the hot oil (discard any extra marinade). Cook 5-8 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Cook time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. If the achiote sauce stars burning on the pan before the chicken is done, add a splash of water to loosen it from the pan.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, let it rest for 3-4 minutes, then slice it. You can brush the chicken with the cooked achiote sauce in the pan, if any is remaining.
- Assemble your tacos: toast the tortillas and load them up with chicken, cilantro, a slice of avocado, a drizzle of sour cream, and any other favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate
Wednesday 17th of September 2025
Achiote sauce is the secret to make quick homemade tacos that taste like authentic Yucatan chicken pibil tacos. I hope you get a chance to make these tacos. Enjoy!