Chicken Vaca Frita Tacos with Mango Salsa

The first time I made these I remember OBSESSING over them — these little heavenly tacos explode with flavor — I mean, throw some mojo on meat, fry it to crispy perfection and you’ll always end up with something bomb AF.

There are a decent amount of steps here but honestly they’re totally worth it. So buckle up.

Chicken Vaca Frita Ingredients

Like many Cuban and Cuban-inspired dishes, you’re going to need a decent amount of ingredients. But hey, the final product is completely worth it.

Here’s what you’ll need for the chicken marinade:

Chicken thighs: You can sub chicken breast if you’d like. I just prefer thighs in most dishes because I find them to be more flavorful.

Red bell pepper, onion and garlic: Use fresh versions for the best outcome.

Spices (cumin, coriander, oregano, adobo, paprika, pepper): Each spice brings complexity to the marinade.

Chicken bouillon powder: Adds saltiness and flavor.

Lime juice: Use freshly squeezed over the bottled lime juice.

Soy sauce: For complexity.

Here’s what you’ll need for the mojo:

Garlic cloves: Use fresh cloves.

Black peppercorns: I just have a bottle of these at home to use whenever I need them.

Salt: For making the flavors pop.

Orange & lime juices: Again, use freshly squeezed for this recipe.

Oregano: For flavor.

Extra virgin olive oil: To help it all come together.

For frying the chicken:

White onion, lime juice & cilantro: Adds even more flavor while frying

For the mango salsa:

Just go to my Easy Mango Salsa recipe to get everything you need.

How to Make Chicken Vaca Frita

There are a few steps to this recipe but honestly, it’s completely worth it. Just keep in mind that you have a second marinade that needs to sit for ~40 minutes, so read through and account for extra time before starting.

Let’s get in to it.

Step 1: Prep your ingredients (& marinade!).

To keep yourself sane, get everything prepped and ready to go right in the beginning.

Make the mojo by crushing garlic, peppercorns and salt in a mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. Then add that paste and everything else in the Mojo Marinade to a bowl. Whisk and set aside. Then add all the first marinade to the chicken and let marinade a few hours.

Step 2: Cook the chicken.

Heat oil in a shallow dutch oven. Brown chicken (can do this in batches if needed). Add water to the bowl the chicken was marinating in and pour over the chicken until it’s covered. Bring to a boil and then to a simmer. Cook about 40 minutes or until chicken is fork tender. Remove chicken and shred.

Step 3: Add the mojo.

Add shredded chicken to a clean bowl. Pour the mojo over it and let sit around 40 minutes. If you haven’t yet, make the mango salsa during this second marinade.

Step 4: Fry the shredded chicken.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the sliced onions, salt and pepper. Cook until browned and then remove to a plate. Add a bit more oil. When hot hot, take the chicken out of the mojo, shaking off excess liquid. Add in a single layer to the skillet. Let fry and crisp up, about 6 minutes. Use a spatula to flip to crisp the other side. Add cilantro, onions and lime juice.

Step 5: Make the tacos.

Now warm up your tortillas and add the fried shredded chicken, mango salsa and anything extra you like with your tacos.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Vaca Frita de Pollo Tacos

Cuban-style crispy shredded chicken in a taco and topped with fresh mango salsa.

Prep Time5 hours hrs

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: taco tuesday, tacos, vaca frita

Ingredients

For the first chicken marinade

• 2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ¼ red bell pepper chopped
• ½ red onion chopped
• 5 garlic cloves crushed
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ tsp teaspoon adobo
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon chicken boullion powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 splash soy sauce

For the mojo

• 10 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon black pappercorns
• 2 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ¾ cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 3 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

For frying the chicken

• 1 white onion sliced
• 1 lime
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

For the mango salsa

• 3 mangoes diced
• 1 avocado diced
• ½ red bell pepper diced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
• ¼ cup red onion diced
• ½ orange juiced
• ½ lime juiced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions

For the Vaca Frita

• Make the mojo by crushing garlic, peppercorns and salt in a mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. Then add that and everything else in the mojo to a bowl. Whisk and set aside. Then add all the first marinade to the chicken and let marinade a few hours.
• Heat oil in a shallow dutch oven. Brown chicken. Add water to the bowl the chicken was marinating in and pour over the chicken until covered. Bring to a boil and then to a simmer. Cook about 40 minutes or until chicken is fork tender. Remove chicken and shred.
• Add shredded chicken to a clean bowl. Pour the mojo over it and let sit around 40 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the sliced onions, salt and pepper. Cook until browned and then remove to a plate. Add a bit more oil. When hot hot, take the chicken out of the moho, shaking off excess liquid. Add in a single layer to the skillet. Let fry and crisp up, about 6 minutes. Use a spatula to flip to crisp the other side. Add cilantro, onions and lime juice.

For the mango salsa

• Combine everything!