This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Whether it’s Taco Tuesday or any other day of the week, everyone’s going to love that these Mexican Street Tacos are on the menu! Skirt steak is marinated in a garlicky citrus mix, then sautéed until browned and juicy. Then, just pile the steak into your tortillas, top with onion and fresh cilantro, and devour! These skirt steak tacos are really that easy to make–and they taste so good.
Table of Contents
Skip driving after the taco truck! These skirt steak tacos bring all the authentic flavor of street tacos to you. The marinade for these skirt steak tacos–made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano–is so full of flavor. The acid in the orange juice breaks down the proteins in the meat for the most tender bites of steak. Topped in traditional street taco style with fresh cilantro and onion, you can’t go wrong!
Recipe at a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: Mexican
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Gluten Free (with GF tortillas), Dairy Free
Key Flavor: Fresh and beefy
Skill Level: Easy
Summary
- Simple & easy: All you need is marinated bites of steak, corn tortillas, and a few simple toppings to make the most delicious, authentic-tasting Mexican street tacos! Plus, once your steak is marinated, these skirt steak tacos take just 10 minutes to cook and assemble.
- Versatile: Once the steak is spooned into the tortilla, it’s time for toppings–and this is where you can customize however you like! Keep it simple and traditional, or pile them on.
- Kid-friendly: Street tacos are a fun-to-eat dish that kids (and grown-ups) all love!
- Easily scaled up to feed a crowd: This steak taco recipe can be doubled or tripled, perfect for big families, larger gatherings, or a crew of hungry tailgaters on game day.
Ingredients to Make Street Tacos
- Corn tortillas: Small, taco size corn tortillas are best for street tacos, but you can use small flour tortillas if you prefer.
- Skirt steak: You’ll want to cut it into 1/4-inch chunks.
- Orange juice: Freshly squeezed orange juice is a key component to the marinade for the skirt steak. You only need ¼ cup, so just one medium-size orange should do the trick.
- Garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, & salt: Spices and seasonings add loads of flavor to the marinade.
- Avocado oil: For searing your steak on the stovetop.
- Toppings: Onion, cilantro, salsa, and fresh lime juice.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Add cheese: A crumble of queso fresco or cotija cheese is perfect on tacos.
- Try more toppings: Try sliced radishes, cucumbers, avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream, lettuce, or cabbage … whichever toppings you like on your tacos.
- Make it spicier: Add crushed red pepper flakes or red cayenne pepper to the marinade and top with slices of fresh jalapeño peppers for a kickier skirt steak taco.
- Use taco seasoning: If you want, you can use taco seasoning if that is all you have on hand.
How to Make Mexican-Style Street Tacos
- Heat a large skillet and place one or two tortillas at a time into the pan.
- Warm until the tortilla is pliable and starting to brown. Wrap them in a kitchen towel to keep them warm while you cook your skirt steak.
- By now, your skirt steak will be marinated by mixing the steak pieces with the orange juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and dried oregano.
- Place the skirt steak in the refrigerator to marinate.
- Add avocado oil to the skillet, over medium heat. When hot, add the marinated steak.
- Cook, stirring often, until the steak is deeply browned.
7. Fill your tortillas with skirt steak and top with cilantro and onion. Serve with salsa and lime wedges for squeezing over the top.
Tips for Making the Best Skirt Steak Tacos
- Keep your tortillas warm. Wrap them in a kitchen towel after heating them so that they stay pliable and don’t rip or break when it’s time to fold them.
- Double up the tortillas. If you like to add a bunch of salsa or lime, it can cause your tortillas to break quickly. By doubling up on them, you’ll have a sturdier taco.
- Marinate the steak for at least 1 hour. That will allow the beef to soak up the flavors of the marinade, and the orange juice will have time to tenderize the meat.
- But don’t marinate the steak for longer than 24 hours. The acid in the orange juice can cause the beef to be mushy if it marinates for too long.
- Prep the steak and veggies in advance. If you know you’re going to be short on time at mealtime, these skirt steak tacos are great for prepping ahead of time. Just add your steak to the marinade in an airtight container or zipper bag and place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You can chop and store your veggies ahead of time, too. Then, just warm your tortillas and cook your steak when it’s time to eat, which should only take about 10 minutes, tops!
What to Serve With This Street Taco Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend storing each component separately. Store the beef in one airtight container, the veggies in another, and the tortillas in a separate bag. Stored separately, everything should last 3-4 days in the fridge. To reheat, warm the tortillas as directed, then warm the steak in a skillet over medium heat and assemble your tacos.
You can freeze the marinated and cooked meat, then warm it back up and assemble the tacos. Just let the meat cool and transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag. Place in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw and reheat, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to thaw, then reheat in a skillet over medium heat, adding a splash of water if needed.
Tortillas that are too cold can be prone to cracking or ripping. Warm them in a pan and wrap them in a towel to keep them warm.
Skirt steak needs an acid, like the orange juice to help break it down some so it cooks up tender. If you skipped or didn’t let your steak marinate long enough it may have ended up tough.
These Mexican street tacos are so tasty! They’re so easy to make and a total crowd pleaser. You can even marinate the steak up to a day in advance–perfect for make-ahead meal prep! Customize the toppings however you like for a flexible, family-friendly meal.
More Mexican Recipes:
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Easy Ground Beef Tacos
- Baked Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Grilled Shrimp Tacos
- Tofu Tacos
- Chicken Burrito Protein Bowl
- Shrimp Fajita Bowls
- Chicken Taco Wonton Cups
- Taco Stuffed Peppers
If you try this feel good Mexican Street Tacos recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Mexican Street Taco recipe was originally published July 30, 2019. I have completely reworked the recipe to be more authentic and using simpler ingredients. The post now includes updated photography, step-by-step-collages, tips, and more to help make the recipe. If you loved the original recipe, you can find it in the Notes section (below) in the recipe card.
preorder MY book
The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook is now available everywhere books are sold!
Amazon Barnes & Noble Books A Million Hudson Booksellers BookshopSCHULER Books (SIGNED)
Street Tacos
Ingredients
For the Steak Tacos
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 pound skirt steak cut into ¼-inch chunks
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Mexican dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
For the Toppings
- ¼ cup minced onion
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- Salsa
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, place the steak, orange juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and dried oregano, and toss to combine. Set in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, put one tortilla in the pan at a time and warm for 30 seconds per side, until the tortilla is pliable and begins to brown slightly. To keep the tortillas warm while you are heating the remaining ones, you can wrap them in a kitchen towel.
- Add avocado oil to the cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is sizzling, add the steak and marinade to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, until the steak is deeply browned, about 4 to 5 minutes, and the marinade has reduced.
- To assemble, add a generous portion of steak to the middle of each warm tortilla. Top with onion and cilantro. Serve with salsa and lime wedges, squeezing the juice on top right before serving.
Notes
Original Recipe
-
Make the slaw: In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil mayo, lime juice, and chipotle chili powder, then toss the kale with the chipotle lime dressing until it is fully coated.
-
Make the chicken filling: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the chicken and corn and cook for 2 minutes to warm through.
-
Add the lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and toss to coat the chicken. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the chicken is slightly browned.
-
Place a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, put one tortilla in the pan at a time and warm for 30 seconds per side, until the tortilla is pliable and begins to brown slightly. To keep the tortillas warm while you are heating the remaining ones, you can wrap them in a kitchen towel.
-
To assemble the tacos, add the chicken and kale slaw to a warmed tortilla and garnish with Cotija cheese. Serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
this is not authentic mexican street tacos. this should be called chicken, corn and kale wrapped in a flour tortilla. the ingredients are completely different. this is not a mexican recipe.
This is a modern twist on street tacos!
too funny! this has been verified by ana
Love this recipe and it is so easy to make. I typically dice chicken and fry in a pan before making but I have also used a rotisserie chicken as well. The flavor is great and I am looking forward to trying it with other cuts of meat as well. Since the flavor is so great we have used it on nachos, in different types of tortillas as well as just with a bowl and spoon. It’s soooo good!!!
OH yay!! That’s so great to hear! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂