Asian Fusion Chicken Tacos

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Take Taco Tuesday to the Next Level!

Confession time: Whenever I make tacos, they almost never fall on a Tuesday! Nope, I always miss that special day! That’s an error on my part in terms of meal planning! My taco cravings just always come after Tuesday - Wednesday or Thursday. Now don’t ask me why, but that’s just how it’s been for the longest time! I broke this streak last week actually by finally having some Crispy Chicken and Shrimp Tacos, and boy was I happy to have made those!

When I make tacos, I love taking the opportunity to really get creative with them. Of course, I love a simple beef and cheddar taco, but just a simple tortilla can be an excellent blank canvas for all of your taco creations.

How did this idea come to be? Well, I absolutely love the shrimp lettuce wraps at JOEY Restaurants. I used to work there and saw how they made all of the amazing meal options they have! The Asian spin they took on their lettuce wraps really intrigued and inspired me!

Now let me tell you that these tacos aren’t for the faint of heart! There is a bit of heat to these! We’ve got the chicken and veggies marinated in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chili garlic sauce. I’ve also got some jalapeños on top to really take up the heat! Of course, you can always reduce the amount of sauce or omit the jalapeños if heat isn’t so much of your thing. But honestly, I find it is a healthy balance of sweet with spice.

The other aspect of these tacos that really stand out to me is the crunchiness. We’ve got some roasted peanuts and crispy chow mein noodles as toppings as well which add a really nice texture!

I’m going to let you in on a secret. I really went all out here by making my own flour tortillas! If you don’t have the time for that, then don’t worry! Of course use store-bought tortillas! My recommendation, as always, is to find the tortillas that have the shortest ingredient list, so that you avoid the preservatives or other chemicals that your body doesn’t need! Having homemade tortillas will make this a really speedy dinner to make!

Are you hungry now? I sure am writing this!

I hope you are, and if so, let’s get out our ingredients and venture into a fusion experience for dinner tonight with these Asian Fusion Chicken Tacos! Be sure to let me know in the comments if you’ve tried this recipe and what you think!

Tools Needed

• Wok
• Small bowl
• Spatula
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Garlic press
• Microplane

Ingredients for Asian Fusion Chicken Tacos

For these tasty tacos, I have to admit you’ll need to look into your pantry for a variety of ingredients. But everything here is commonly used in Asian and Mexican cooking, so if you tend to make recipes in both cuisines, you should have everything already! I’ve got Amazon links in the recipe card at the end of this post if anything is missing and you’re really excited to make these Asian chicken tacos!

For the Sauce, You’ll Need

• Soy sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Fish sauce
• Chili garlic sauce
• Ginger
• Garlic

The sauce is loaded with bold Asian flavors that will coat the veggies and the chicken, nicely complementing the jalapeño pepper.

For the Tacos

• Chicken breast
• Peanut oil
• Jalapeño pepper
• Red pepper
• Onion
• Green onion
• Crispy chow mein noodles
• Tortillas
• Mozzarella cheese
• Peanuts
• Cilantro

Tips for Making Asian Fusion Chicken Tacos

• Get all of your ingredients ready before you start cooking. For a dish like a stir-fry that comes together within minutes, the most active part of the recipe is the prep. So get that knife to work.
• Use a wok to get a good sear on the vegetables and chicken. A wok is great for cooking at a high heat with minimal oil, which adds smokiness and extra flavor to the meat and veggies.
• Cut all of the veggies to approximately the same shape and length. This does not only add to the visual presentation, but also to authenticity. Chinese cooking is all about unison and consistency, slicing each ingredient the same way adds a natural flow to the dish.
• Invest in a Taco Stand, especially if you are preparing more than 2 tacos. It can get fairly messy and complicated to have the taco’s not become a mess as you try to stack the ingredients. A set of 2, costs only about $22 and have been a great investment personally. I use these stainless steel ones on Amazon.

Watch the recipe

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Cooking With Anadi

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Frequently Asked Questions

Make-Ahead Tips and Variations

A few make-ahead and swap ideas: for the deepest flavor, let the chicken pieces sit in the marinade for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before it hits the pan so it sears golden brown instead of steaming, and cook over high heat — peanut or canola oil both work — for that quick stir-fry char. Not in the mood for chicken? The same marinade is delicious with thinly sliced beef, pork, or shrimp. Scatter extra scallions and cilantro on top, and store any leftover filling in the fridge to pile into fresh tortillas the next day.

Easy Swaps and Storage

Make these tacos your own:

• Chicken breast becomes chicken thigh for juicier meat, and ramen noodles become rice vermicelli or angel-hair pasta.
• Soy and hoisin become tamari and oyster sauce, or coconut aminos, to adjust.
• Flour tortillas become corn or low-carb tortillas; use corn and tamari to keep it gluten-free. Store the cooked filling airtight in the fridge and warm before assembling fresh tacos.

Making the Sauce, and What Each Part Does

The sauce is the whole recipe, and it is mixed in a small bowl before anything goes near the wok: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tablespoons hoisin, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce, and 2 teaspoons each of minced ginger and minced garlic. Whisk it and set it aside. Because the stir-fry itself takes about ten minutes, there is no time to be measuring while the pan is hot.

It is worth knowing which of those flavors is doing what, because that is what tells you which one to adjust. The soy sauce is the salt and the savory backbone. The hoisin brings the sweetness and most of the body - it is what makes the sauce cling to the chicken rather than pooling in the pan. The fish sauce adds a depth you would miss if it were gone but could not name if you did not know it was there. The chili garlic sauce carries both the heat and a quiet acidity. The ginger is the brightness that keeps the whole thing from tasting heavy, and the garlic rounds it out.

Heat matters more than the ingredient list suggests. Sear the chicken hard so it browns rather than steams, then bring the pan down to medium heat before the sauce goes in. Hoisin carries enough sugar to catch and turn bitter on a screaming-hot wok, and once that happens there is no rescuing it. The sauce needs only 1-2 minutes to reduce and coat everything; if it thickens faster than you expected, drop to low heat and loosen it with a spoonful of water rather than pulling the pan off entirely.

Korean-Style Taco Toppings, and How This One Differs

Search for Asian tacos and a good share of what comes back is the Korean bulgogi taco, which is a different dish wearing similar clothes. Those are built on a marinade of grated asian pear - the fruit both sweetens the beef and tenderizes it - along with soy, sesame oil, sugar and garlic, and they are almost always topped with a quick slaw dressed in rice wine vinegar and lime juice.

This recipe is not that, and the differences are worth stating plainly so you know which one you are making. There is no pear in it, no sesame oil and no added sugar; the sweetness comes entirely from the hoisin. The crunch comes from a cup of ramen noodles and 2 teaspoons of roasted peanuts scattered on top rather than from a dressed slaw. And the melted mozzarella is the part no Korean taco would recognise at all - it is the fusion, and it is deliberate.