Summer makes me want to grill! I want all of the in-season fruits and vegetables, and I want to showcase them in all the creative ways I can! It’s the best. With peaches in season right now, I really wanted to come up with something sweet and savory using this juicy, delicious fruit. These Grilled Chicken Street Tacos with Chili Peaches hit every texture and flavor. You’ve got that grill and char on the chicken breast and peaches, you’ve got that fresh and vibrant cilantro lime crema, the fresh cilantro and onion, the lime juice. It was amazing. I felt like I was bopping around the farmer’s market, right in the comfort of my backyard! Total food truck vibes.

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So, where do street tacos come from? Where does this flavor inspiration come from?

Street tacos come from Mexico and first appeared thousands of years ago! Small, simple, and portable – street tacos are a direct descendant of indigenous Mesoamerican food culture and modern-day street vendors.

In the 19th century, as Mexico City urbanized taquerias began to serve cheap and fresh tacos to workers because they were easy to eat on the go and quickly made. By 1940, Lebanese immigrants introduced “shawarma-style spit,” which was later adapted into “al pastor.” Al pastor tacos feature pork, achiote, chiles, and pineapple which quickly became one of the most legendary types of street tacos!

And adding peaches to street tacos? This comes from contemporary American fusion and summertime food truck culture. Chefs embraced those same Mexican roots; quick, portable, and fresh – while utilizing in season ingredients! The peach is sweet and juicy, the chicken is smoky from the marinade, then also grilled until charred and juicy. The cilantro and red onion add freshness and pops of flavor, while the crema cools everything down and ties the taco together.

Did you know?

Grilling peaches triggers the same chemistry as grilling a steak! The sugars in the peach undergo Maillard reactions and caramelization, which creates smoky complexity! And since peaches are made up of 87% water, they’re so juicy – making them perfect for salsas, taco toppings, and chutneys.

As for tacos, I feel like – everybody loves them! In just one year, U.S. restaurants sell about 4.5 billion tacos. And in Mexico? About 200-250 billion tacos are sold per year! That’s wild!

What ingredients do I need to make these tacos?

For the chicken:

Chicken Breast
Smoked Paprika
Chili Powder
Cumin
Garlic Powder
Salt
Olive Oil for Grilling

For the chili peach marinade:

Peaches
Lime
Red Pepper Flakes
Cumin
Chili Powder
Salt
Olive Oil for Grilling

For serving grilled chicken street tacos with chili peaches:

Corn Tortillas
Cilantro
Red Onion
Lime
Cotija Cheese
Cilantro Lime Crema – try my recipe or use store-bought

What equipment do I need?

How do I make it?

To prep the chicken:

To get started on this recipe, first let’s trim the fat off of the chicken breasts, then cut them in half crosswise. Next, add the smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt to a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towel, then toss in the mixture, using your hands to coat.

Cover and refrigerate for a while. While we wait, let’s prep the rest!

To make the chili peach marinade:

Wash the peaches and the lime, then dry them off. Cut the peaches into quarters.

Next, in a medium sized bowl juice and zest half of the lime into it. Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, chili powder, and the salt to the bowl, then whisk to combine.

Toss the peaches in the marinade, using your hands to thoroughly coat.

Peaches sliced into quarters and tossed with spices in a mixing bowl

Set aside until ready to use.

To prep the rest of the ingredients and make the cilantro lime crema:

Wash and chop the cilantro, then finely dice the red onion. Slice the rest of the lime into wedges for serving.

If you want to make my homemade cilantro lime crema, now is a really great time to do this. I highly recommend it; the flavor is amazing! And if we make it now, the crema can be chilling while we grill the chicken and peaches.

To grill the chicken and chili peaches:

After our chicken has marinated for a while, it’s ready to grill!

Preheat the grill on medium heat for several minutes. Using a silicone brush, brush the grill grates with the olive oil for the chicken.

Grill the chicken breast for a few minutes, then flip and grill another few minutes.

Marinated chicken breast cooking on the grill

Remove to a plate to rest once the internal temperature reads 165 F. While the grill is still warm, let’s grill the peaches!

Turn the grill to medium heat, then brush the grates with the remaining oil for the chili peaches. Grill for a few minutes per side, removing to a plate once tender and deeply charred. Reserve that chili peach marinade to use again.

Once the chicken has rested, thinly slice it against the grain. After the peaches have slightly cooled, toss them back in the bowl with the chili peach marinade, then cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Quartered and marinated peaches that have been grilled, then tossed back into a chili peach marinade.

Pro Tip: Tossing the peaches in the chili peach marinade again is just ensuring MAX flavor on these peaches. Since our marinade wasn’t contaminated with any raw meat or anything, this is totally safe to do!

To toast the tortillas:

In a large skillet on medium high heat, toast the tortillas for about a minute per side, until bubbly and golden brown in color. Move to a plate until ready to assemble the tacos.

To serve grilled chicken street tacos with chili peaches:

Serve the toasted corn tortillas with some thinly sliced chicken, smoky diced peaches, a generous drizzle of cilantro lime crema, cotija cheese, cilantro, red onion, and some lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!

Grilled chicken street tacos with peaches and cilantro, cilantro lime crema, red onion, cotija cheese, and lime wedges on the side.

Grilled chicken street tacos with chili peaches served on corn tortillas with cilantro, red onion, cotija cheese, crema, and lime wedges

Tips:

This recipe will make about 10 generously sized tacos. If you’d like to keep the ingredients separate and make them as you want to eat them, everything will keep for 3-5 days in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
No grill? That’s okay. Just use a grill pan or a cast iron skillet to get the vibe! Just follow the same instructions.
Authentic Mexican tacos are made with corn tortillas, however, feel free to use white corn instead of yellow, or flour if you choose.
This recipe wasn’t too spicy! While there was a nice, sweet heat, this was very much a family friendly dinner recipe.

Obsessed with grilling this time of year too? Try these!

Looking for some more easy taco recipes?

Grilled Chicken Street Tacos with Chili Peaches

The Wholesome Spoon

Summer makes me want to grill! I want all of the in-season fruits and vegetables, and I want to showcase them in all the creative ways I can! It's the best. With peaches in season right now, I really wanted to come up with something sweet and savory using this juicy, delicious fruit. These Grilled Chicken Street Tacos with Chili Peaches hit every texture and flavor. You've got that grill and char on the chicken breast and peaches, you've got that fresh and vibrant cilantro lime crema, the fresh cilantro and onion, the lime juice. It was amazing. I felt like I was bopping around the farmer's market, right in the comfort of my backyard! Total food truck vibes.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Marinating Time 1

Course Main Course

Cuisine American Fusion, Mexican-American

Servings

Calories 360 kcal

Equipment