Sheet Pan Cauliflower & Chicken Street Taco Bowls
An easy sheet pan street taco bowl recipe featuring crispy chicken thighs & roasted cauliflower. Spiced to perfection & drizzled with cilantro lime sauce, these street taco bowls make the ultimate weeknight meal!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Makes This Recipe Great
Sheet pan meals mean easy prep, minimal cleanup, and an oven that does all the heavy lifting! This street taco bowl recipe is no exception! Featuring all of the bright and spice-packed flavors of Mexican street tacos, this sheet pan meal will not disappoint.
Featuring crispy chicken thighs, roasted cauliflower, and a mouthwatering cilantro lime chili sauce, your new favorite way to eat street tacos is just a recipe away! Get ready for the ultimate family dinner!
How to Make Street Taco Bowls
A street taco typically consists of protein, flavored with delicious Mexican spices, and served in a small corn tortilla with onions and cilantro. In the case of these street chicken taco bowls, juicy chicken thighs and raw cauliflower are seasoned and baked on a sheet pan until roasted and crisped.
For this recipe, the flavors and textures are all reminiscent of Mexican street tacos, but the construction can be anything you want! Served over lettuce, or in a gluten-free tortilla, you just can go wrong!
Ingredient Notes
Chicken Thighs: I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe! Feel free to use skinless, boneless chicken thighs if that’s what you prefer or have on hand. I love to get my chicken thighs from Butcher Box.
Cauliflower: I prefer to cut up one head of cauliflower, but you can also use already cut florets.
Oil & Spices: Olive Oil, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chili Powder, Paprika, Black Pepper
Garnish: Cotija Cheese & Cilantro (optional)
Step By Step
- Combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, and pepper and mix together in a small bowl.
- Place the chicken thighs skin-side up on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle some of the spice mixture onto each thigh. Rub it in so each one is coated. You should have 1-2 tsp of the spice rub leftover. Bake the thighs for 20 minutes.
- Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the remaining spice rub mixture.
- When the timer goes off, add the cauliflower to the sheet pan so it is surrounding the chicken thighs. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until the cauliflower is browned and crispy and the chicken thighs are at least 165 degrees, internal temp.
- Drizzle the cauliflower & chicken thighs with the cilantro lime sauce and sprinkle with extra cilantro and cotija cheese.
- Serve in your favorite gluten-free taco shell or without a tortilla at all. Enjoy!
Cilantro Lime Sauce
This irresistible cilantro lime sauce combines mayo, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, paprika, and sea salt into a deliciously creamy street taco garnish.
Subtly spicy, extra creamy, with a perfect chili lime finish. You’re going to want to eat it straight out of the bowl!
The Best Gluten-Free Taco Shells
If you’re opting to make serve your street taco bowls with a tortilla, there are some amazing gluten-free taco shells out there! Here’s a list of easy street taco tortillas, as well as other wraps and taco shells that make gluten-free tacos super easy!
Small Corn Tortillas: Pick your favorite brand of corn tortillas, just make sure they’re gluten-free!
Siete Tortillas or Taco Shells: Grain-Free and Gluten-Free!
Trader Joe’s Jicama Tortilla Wraps: Ditch the tortilla altogether and go for the veggie tortilla! These wraps are taco-sized, super crunchy, and make excellent tortilla replacements!
No Tortilla: If you’re not keen on the tortilla, the street taco flavors will still wow you without one! Serve the sheet pan contents on a plate or in a bowl and garnish for extra delicious flavors!
More Ways to Use Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
These yummy, crispy chicken thighs can be used for so many other dishes. If you find yourself with leftovers and are looking for a few new ways to use your chicken, check these out!
- Serve over a bed of lettuce for a street taco salad
- Wrap in a gluten-free flour tortilla with beans, guac, and other fillings to make an easy chicken burrito
- Serve atop your favorite gluten-free tortilla and add fun toppings for a street taco tostada
- Roll the chicken in gluten-free tortillas and top with enchilada sauce and cheese for easy cheesy chicken enchiladas!
- Eat them on their own with the cauliflower & sauce!
Mary’s Tips & FAQs
For this recipe, I topped my chicken street taco bowls with cilantro lime sauce, cotija cheese, and cilantro. While not all of these are exactly “street taco” here are some other great topping suggestions:Â Squeezed lime juice, Raw diced onions, Guacamole, Salsa, Shredded cabbage.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave and serve in a bowl or a taco shell! Drizzle with cilantro lime sauce and garnish with your favorite toppings.
This is an excellent meal to prep ahead for weekday lunches. Make your sheet pan on Sunday, and store it in individual microwave-safe bowls for easy reheating throughout the week. Store your toppings in snack baggies and your cilantro lime sauce in a dressing container!
Boneless skinless thighs in the oven will take less time to cook! Simply add them at the same time as the cauliflower, and cook them together for 28-30 minutes total. No need to add the thighs first if they are boneless!
Sheet Pan Cauliflower & Chicken Street Taco Bowls
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, see instructions below for boneless, skinless thighs
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup cotija cheese , optional – or use feta if you want!
- chopped cilantro, for garnish, optional
Cilantro Lime Chili Aioli
- ¾ cup mayo, I love Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 clove minced garlic
- zest from 1 lime
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix all of the Cilantro Lime Chili mayo ingredients together in a bowl and set aside in the fridge.
- Combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, and pepper and mix together in a small bowl.
Bone-In Skin On Thighs
- Place the chicken thighs skin-side up on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle some of the spice mixture onto each thigh. Rub it in so each one is coated. You should have 1-2 tsp of the spice rub leftover. Bake the thighs for 20 minutes.Â
- Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the remaining spice rub mixture.Â
- When the timer goes off, add the cauliflower to the sheet pan so it is surrounding the chicken thighs. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until the cauliflower is browned and crispy and the chicken thighs are at least 165 degrees internal temp.Â
- Drizzle the cauliflower & chicken thighs with the mayo and sprinkle with extra cilantro and cotija cheese. Enjoy!
Boneless, Skinless Thighs
- For boneless thighs, start by tossing the cauliflower with 1 tbsp oil and 2 tsp of the spice mixture in a bowl. Add the boneless thighs to a sheet pan and drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over each thigh and use your hands to press it down so it sticks. Add the cauliflower to the sheet pan around the chicken thighs, and bake everything at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.
- Serve topped with cilantro, cheese and the aioli.
Notes
Nutrition
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49 Comments on “Sheet Pan Cauliflower & Chicken Street Taco Bowls”
I finally got around to making this tonight for this first time…and WOW! It is so, so good. This is going to be on the regular rotation.Â
This was so good! We ate ours with cassava flour tortillas  and avocado. The sauce is so good I want it on everything. Will definitely be making this again. It was fast and easy, makes a great weeknight meal. Thank you for such a great recipe!
This was amazing!  I wasn’t sure how my boys would feel about the cauliflower, but most didn’t even notice, and it was so delicious, they didn’t even care when I told them!  The Chipotle Lime Mayo was SO good!Â
Simple and amazing!!!
This is my new favorite meal! It was soooo good! I’ll definitely be making this often. Loved the Cilantro Chili Lime Mayo. It is the best.
This recipe is soooo good!! The flavors are restaurant quality, yet it’s so easy to make!!! I have made it twice. The first time I accidentally bought boneless, skinless chicken thighs and I actually liked that better. They cooked faster and were easier to eat. 😊 Another home run by MWL!!
Even my boys gave this one 5 stars! Double the recipe so you have leftovers is my only adviceÂ
If I could give this 10 stars, I would. This meal is AMAZING. The cilantro lime Mayo is good on everything. This one is a winner for sure!!
So delicious! And the  best part is it is so easy to make! Will definitely make this again.
This is definitely a new favorite of mine! So easy to make and so delicious. I love street tacos and this was a fun take on them. The cilantro lime chili mayo was so good and a great addition. Makes for a great meal, especially on week nights when time can be limited! Â
Holy Moly. This is amazing. And kid approved! We served with rice, corn, red onion, tomatoes, avocado, and that amazing sauce!!! We LOVED it!!!Â
As a new Celiac and not a big veggie eater, I am working on improving  my veggie consumption. I’ve never cared for cauliflower and I absolutely LOVED cauliflower in this recipe. To add to it, my husband is learning to cook and he made this dish. He proclaimed this is a new regular for him. Thank you for sharing!Â
We loved this one. Â Thanks Mary!
My kids are all about the sauce!!!!
Soooooo tastey!!! New favorite summer recipe! So so so good, run and try this now! The sauce is delicious!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious. The spice rub on the chicken and cauliflower is the best. Husband loved this dish as well. Will definitely be on repeat.
Made this recipe tonight for dinner. It was so easy to make and tasted amazing. The spices on the chicken and cauliflower was perfect. We put it on a tostada with refried black beans. Will for sure be making this again!Â
If I could give this recipe 10 stars…. so easy and FLAVORFUL!
Delicious! Â So easy, but packed full of flavor. Â I used boneless chicken thighs & it turned out great – huge hit will all of my boys! Â Definitely going in the monthly meal rotation. Â
Easy and delicious weeknight meal – perfect for Taco Tuesdays.Â
Made this for dinner and it was DELISH! Super easy, low cleanup! My 5/6year olds gobbled it up. Will definitely be making this again asap! I kept it paleo and topped with tiny avocado pieces, sliced red onion, and lime juice!! Perfection! Highly recommend!Â