Chicken Tacos

Tested & Perfected Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.

These family-approved chicken tacos, packed with bold spices and tender ground chicken, are a healthier spin on my traditional taco recipe — and they’re just as good, if not better.

Plate of chicken tacos.

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!”

Cynthia

What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Tacos

Taco ingredients including hard taco shells, tomato sauce, and garlic.
  • Olive oil – Used to cook the veggies and adds a little richness to the filling.
  • Onions, bell peppers & garlic – The flavor base of the filling; adds sweetness, depth, and a little bite.
  • Ground chicken – The base of the filling. I recommend using a mix of chicken breast meat and dark meat (not extra-lean) to keep it juicy and flavorful.
  • Spices (paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne) – Bring warmth, smokiness, and just a touch of heat.
  • Tomato sauce – Adds a subtle tang and rich flavor to the filling, helping everything come together.
  • Fresh cilantro – Adds a pop of freshness and color (feel free to skip it if you’re not a fan).
  • Hard taco shells – Made from corn tortillas, these are the perfect crunchy vessel for the flavorful filling.
  • Toppings (shredded lettuce or cabbage, Mexican cheese blend, sour cream, avocado, etc.) – Optional, but they add crunch, creaminess, and flavor).
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-by-Step Instructions

To make this chicken taco recipe, start by chopping the vegetables. You can do this by hand, but I like to use a food processor to make life easier. Normally, I’m not one to hide veggies, but in this case, I chop them super fine so my kids don’t notice (or at least can’t pick them out!). I figure what they don’t know won’t hurt them—and if it means one meal without me nagging them to eat their vegetables, that’s a win for everyone.

Food processor of finely chopped vegetables.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the vegetables. Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until very soft.

Skillet of cooked, chopped vegetables.

Add the ground chicken and spices, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Adding the spices now lets them bloom—basically, the heat wakes them up and brings out their best flavor.

Ground chicken and spices in a skillet with vegetables.

Crank the heat to high and break the chicken into small clumps with a wooden spoon. Let it cook until it’s partially done, about 5 minutes.

Tomato sauce in a skillet with ground chicken.

Pour in the tomato sauce, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking the chicken into smaller pieces as it cooks. Once the chicken is done, sprinkle with fresh cilantro, give it a taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Cilantro in a skillet with ground chicken.

Meanwhile, heat the shells in the oven. To serve, spoon the chicken inside the shells and top with shredded lettuce and cheese. If you don’t want to bother with the shells, you can serve the filling with tortilla chips for scooping.

You May Also Like

Chicken Tacos

Quick, satisfying, and packed with flavor, these chicken tacos are perfect for busy weeknights!

Servings: 12 tacos
Total Time: 30 Minutes

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 (1 cup)
  • 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

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Meanwhile, remove the taco shells from the package and lay sideways on baking sheet. Pull the stack apart, overlapping the edges slightly. Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until crisp. Spoon the chicken into the shells and serve with toppings.
  5. Note: To save time, you can chop the bell peppers and onions in a food processor; just be sure not to purée them. You can also use 1 teaspoon ground coriander in place of the fresh cilantro; add it along with the other spices.
  6. Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The taco meat mixture can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve, simply reheat it on the stove over medium heat, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce. For longer storage, the taco meat can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm it up in a skillet, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Serving size: 2 tacos
  • Calories: 460
  • Fat: 27g
  • Saturated fat: 6g
  • Carbohydrates: 26g
  • Sugar: 5g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 30g
  • Sodium: 1086mg
  • Cholesterol: 130mg

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.

See more recipes:

Comments

  • Can you freeze this taco meat?

    • — Heather on August 1, 2023
    • Reply
    • Sure!

      • — Jenn on August 2, 2023
      • Reply
      • Thanks! Can you give me instructions how to make it after it has been frozen?

        • — Heather on August 2, 2023
        • Reply
        • I’d reheat it in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove until just heated through.

          • — Jenn on August 2, 2023
          • Reply
          • Thank you! Would you reheat it that way straight from the freezer or thawing it first?

            • — Heather on August 3, 2023
          • I’d thaw it first.

            • — Jenn on August 3, 2023
          • I thought that this recipe was delicious. The only thing that I changed was that I used one large white onion (instead of the yellow onions). I read somewhere that white onions are used in Mexico for a lot of their cooking. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!

            • — Chris Shew on August 18, 2023
  • This combo of Spanish + Mexican = delicious, out of the ordinary tacos that are made in our household. I absolutely loved this recipe. I don’t know why some people felt this was bland – maybe their spices are old? All of my spices, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, and chicken were fresh and this came out so delicious. A great variation from the standard California tacos I usually make.

    • — Kris on July 7, 2023
    • Reply
  • Made these tonight as per the recipe and agree with some of the other comments. These tasted sweet to me and somewhat bland. Will not be making again.

    • — Andrea on June 27, 2023
    • Reply
    • I used some red and yellow onion, as well as 3 different bell peppers. I didn’t use cayenne pepper, but the tacos are bursting with flavor. I topped them off with salsa, guac, shedded lettuce, and a dash of taco bell mild sauce. So good

      • — Tina on August 4, 2024
      • Reply
  • I have made this many times because I love this recipe! I love a delicious ground beef taco but I would choose this over ground beef any day! The spices with tomato sauce is a perfect delicious balance and the added cilantro puts it over the top! Thank you, Jennifer!

    • — Cynthia on June 8, 2023
    • Reply
  • Your website is my go to for recipes. Everything turns out as expected and is always delicious. I happen to have a VERY picky 10 year old eater who decided she was ready to try tacos. Let’s just days it was a triple serving clean plate type of dinner. She raved as did my husband. This is a wonderful family taco night recipe.

    • — Nita Bonilla on May 18, 2023
    • Reply
  • Must say I was expecting the addition of tomato to make the taste more like enchiladas. And I did like the full and richness the blended vegatebles brought to some degree. But on second tasting it felt like all the vegetables (I think especially the onions) made it taste like ragu/Bolognese. That’s not particularly texmex for me and a bit of-putting honestly.

    Will have to experiment with the veggies and spices… And god what an awful website. Endless scrolling up and down.

    • — David on May 11, 2023
    • Reply
    • My mom used to say, if you’re not going to say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!

      • — Maria on October 15, 2023
      • Reply
  • Another hit. Used ground turkey, and I will never use another recipe. Couldn’t be better.

    • — Cindy on April 16, 2023
    • Reply
  • Best! And better than beef!!!!
    Jenn, I love your recipes and this one is a WINNER 🙂 Ground chicken is crazy good here and the tomato sauce is the secret weapon!!! I’ve made this 2x in the last week so I could freeze some for lunches. Thank you for writing recipes that truly work!!!! You have a great gift…thanks for sharing it with us. Xoxo

    • — Jenn F. on March 11, 2023
    • Reply
    • 💗

      • — Jenn on March 13, 2023
      • Reply
  • It tasted kind of sweet. I make tacos all the time so I’m not sure what happened. Maybe I added too much tomato sauce. Other than that they were pretty good but I will probably try a different recipe next time.

    • — Rachel on March 1, 2023
    • Reply
  • Can you substitute Sofrito for the peppers/onions/sauce? If so how much would you use if I’m only making 1lb of meat (half the recipe).

    • — Jen on February 28, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Jen, sofrito should work. I’m not certain how much you’ll need, but I’d guesstimate 1 to 1.5 cups.

      • — Jenn on March 2, 2023
      • Reply

Add a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.