Chicken Tacos
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Say hello to your new favorite tacos! These family-approved chicken tacos, made with bold spices and tender ground chicken, are a lighter spin on my old-school beef taco recipe — and they’re just as good, if not better.
When my kids were younger, I came up with a few weeknight traditions to make dinnertime feel special (kudos to past me—I was way more ambitious back then!). Taco Tuesday was always a favorite. Every Tuesday, the kids would come home from school all “Yay, it’s taco night!” We made everything from shrimp tacos to Baja fish tacos, but this chicken taco recipe was always a top pick. Even now, as young adults, they still request it! A lighter take on my traditional hard-shell beef taco recipe, these pack just as much flavor and always hit the spot.
Pair this chicken taco recipe with Mexican rice—and round it out with salsa and/or guacamole for a complete Tex-Mex meal.
“I love a delicious ground beef taco but I would choose this over ground beef any day!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Tacos
- Olive oil – Used to cook the veggies and adds a little richness to the filling.
- Onions, bell peppers & garlic – These build the flavor base—sweet, savory, and with just a little bite.
- Ground chicken – The star of the filling. I recommend using ground chicken that includes both breast and thigh meat so it stays juicy and flavorful (super lean blends can dry out fast).
- Spices (paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper) – This mix brings warmth, smokiness, and a gentle kick—feel free to adjust the cayenne to suit your heat level.
- Tomato sauce – Helps bring everything together with a little tang and depth.
- Fresh cilantro – Brightens things up and adds color (feel free to skip it if you’re not a fan).
- Hard taco shells – Made from corn tortillas and baked until crisp—perfect for holding the flavorful filling.
- Toppings (shredded lettuce or cabbage, Mexican cheese blend, sour cream, avocado, a squeeze of lime juice, etc.) – Optional, but they add great texture and flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Chop the vegetables. You can do this by hand, but a food processor makes it easier. I like to chop them really fine so my kids don’t notice—that way they eat their veggies without the usual fuss.
Pro Tip: If using a food processor, pulse in short bursts so the veggies don’t turn to mush—you want tiny pieces, not a puree.
Step 2: Cook the veggies. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the chopped vegetables and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until very soft.
Step 3: Add the chicken and spices. Stir in the ground chicken and spices, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Adding the spices now helps bring out their full flavor.
Step 4: Brown the chicken. Raise the heat to high and keep breaking the meat into small clumps. Let it cook until partially done, about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Simmer with tomato sauce. Pour in the tomato sauce, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep breaking up the chicken as it cooks. Once it’s done, stir in some fresh cilantro and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step 6: Heat the shells and serve. Warm the taco shells in the oven. Fill them with the chicken mixture and top with lettuce and cheese—or skip the shells and serve it with chips for scooping. If you have any remaining chicken, repurpose leftovers into bowls, quesadillas, or salads.
More Tex-Mex Recipes You May Like
Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
- 2 bell peppers, any color, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 pounds ground chicken (not extra-lean all breast meat)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (see note)
- 12 hard taco shells
- 2 cups shredded lettuce or red cabbage (optional), for topping
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (optional), for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position
- Heat the olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and just starting to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken, paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne (if using), and salt. Increase the heat to high; use a wooden spoon to stir and break the chicken into small clumps. Cook until the chicken is partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking chicken into smaller clumps, until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Meanwhile, remove the taco shells from the package and lay sideways on baking sheet. Pull the stack apart, overlapping the edges slightly. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, or until crisp. Spoon the chicken into the shells and serve with toppings.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is a regular in our recipe rotation – quick, easy, and tasty! I don’t have any changes – it’s perfect as-is.
Love this recipe! Great flavor. I usually make it with ground turkey.
I will never use a taco seasoning mix again! This is so much healthier and tastes fantastic. As usual, Jen’s little tips make the meal better…..definitely take the few extra minutes to warm the taco shells!
These are the best chicken tacos! They come together so easily for a weeknight dinner and are kid approved. Our kids love the leftovers in quesadillas.
Another great recipe from Jenn. This is one of the recipes my hubs relies on heavily when he’s responsible for dinner and he hasn’t messed it up yet! It’s a testament to the ease and clarity of Jenn’s recipes and the efforts she makes to perfect them! Thanks as always!
I’m obsessed with this recipe. I didn’t have ground chicken so I used ground turkey. I tripled the recipe and froze half. So, so good!!!! I also added one jalapeño for a little heat. Even better the next day.
I didn’t use bell peppers but this was still great. I made this on the weekend and froze it so we had two very quick/easy mid-week meals. With the stand & stuff style corn tortillas, we crisped them in the oven first. Then added taco meat and shredded cheese and back into the oven to melt the cheese before putting on the other toppings. It was SO good but we also enjoyed leftovers on flour tortillas. This recipe is a keeper.
My husband could only get ground turkey and not ground chicken at the store. Do you have any suggestions for using turkey in place of the chicken? I don’t want to lose any flavor. I love your recipes (my family does too!), both on your web site and in your cookbook. I must make one of your recipes at least 2-3 times a week. I am looking forward to your new cookbook. Thanks so much for sharing your talents Jenn. ~Cathy
Hi Cathy, so glad you like the recipes! 🙂 It’s fine to use ground turkey here without sacrificing flavor. Hope you enjoy!
This was delish!! However, next time I will cut back on the cayenne pepper-I love spicy foods, but this was a little too much spice. I also served with black beans and shredded cabbage, rather than iceberg-was a great crunch on the tacos. Will def. make again!
Winner winner chicken dinner!! It’s a perfect recipe! I’d give this 10 stars if I could, because the whole family loved it including the pickiest of eaters. I hardly strayed from the recipe except I omitted the cayenne. The roasted tomato salsa goes perfectly with these tacos. I’ve been a long time follower of Jenn and Once Upon A Chef, but for some reason finally tried this one. Thank you Jenn!!! ❤️