I recently tried the Knockout Tacos at Qdoba, and the Drunken Yardbird Tacos were by far my favorite. I wanted to see if I could cut the calories and make these yummy chicken tacos at home.
The result was a delicious, skinny copycat recipe of Qdoba’s Drunken Yardbird Tacos.

Drunken Yardbird Taco Recipe:

Try out this homemade version of Qdoba’s Drunken Yardbird Tacos, it’s low calorie, Gluten free, and easy enough for the most hectic weeknight dinner.

Drunken Yardbird Tacos

Drunken Yardbird Taco Ingredients:

  • 3 limes (divided)
  • 1/4 cup tequila (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt (or garlic powder if you’re looking to reduce salt)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 cup Organic Salsa
  • 1/2 red onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons cojita cheese, crumbled
  • Hot sauce (optional)

Drunken Yardbird Tacos Directions:

You will want to marinade the Drunken Yardbird Tacos for as long as possible, a minimum of 1 hour, however 12-24 hours is better.
  1. To a gallon freezer bag combine the juice of 2 limes, tequila, chili powder, garlic salt and pepper.
  2. Slice the chicken breasts into two thin filets. Add the chicken filets to the Drunken Yardbird taco marinade, refrigerate until you are ready to cook. (Note- I do this the night before, you will need 1-24 hours of marinating time.)
  3. Add the oil to a large skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add in the chicken (reserve the Drunken Yardbird Taco marinade) and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until browned and a little charred.
  4. Meanwhile make the guacamole. Add the avocado, 2 tablespoons of the salsa, 2 tablespoons of the red onion and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro to a bowl. Cut the remaining lime into wedges and squeeze 1/4 to 1/2 of the lime juice over the avocado (reserve the remaining lime wedges for serving). Mash the guacamole well with a fork, add salt and pepper as needed, and set aside.
  5. Once the chicken is mostly cooked and a bit charred, remove from the skillet and turn off the heat. Add the reserved Drunken Yardbird Taco marinade to the skillet.
  6. Chop the chicken into small bites and add back to the skillet. Cook on medium high heat until the marinade is absorbed by the chicken, about 10 minutes.
  7. To assemble the Drunken Yardbird Tacos: Top the tortillas with chicken, red onion, cilantro, cojita cheese, salsa and guacamole. squeeze over some lime juice and a dash of your favorite hot sauce