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Chicken Tacos

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These chicken tacos are a healthier spin on traditional beef tacos — and they’re just as good, if not better.

Plate of chicken tacos.

When my kids were younger, I came up with some weeknight traditions to make dinnertime fun and special for my family (kudos to past me; I’m much less ambitious now!). Taco Tuesdays was a huge hit. Every Tuesday, they’d come home from school all excited because, “yay, it’s taco night!” We whipped up everything from shrimp tacos to Baja fish tacos, yet these simple chicken tacos were consistently their top fave. Now, even as young adults, their love for them hasn’t waned. These are a lighter take on traditional hard-shell beef tacos, and they easily hold their own in the taste department.

What you’ll need to make Chicken Tacos

Taco ingredients including hard taco shells, tomato sauce, and garlic.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To make them, begin by chopping the vegetables. You can do this in a food processor if you like; just be sure not to purée them.

Vegetables in a food processor.

Normally, I don’t believe in hiding vegetables but in this case, I dice them very small so my kids don’t notice them (or at least they can’t pick them out).

I figure what they don’t know won’t hurt them, and one night where I’m not nagging them to eat their vegetables is good for all of us.

Food processor of finely chopped vegetables.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the vegetables.

Chopped vegetables in a skillet.

Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until soft.

Skillet of cooked, chopped vegetables.

Add ground chicken and spices use a wooden spoon to break chicken into small pieces.

Ground chicken and spices in a skillet with vegetables.

Turn the heat to high and use a wooden spoon to break the chicken into small clumps; cook until the chicken is partially cooked, about 5 minutes.

Tomato sauce in a skillet with ground chicken.

Add the tomato sauce, then turn the heat down to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking chicken into smaller clumps, for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

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.

Chicken tacos on a plate with salad.

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Chicken Tacos

These chicken tacos are a healthier spin on traditional beef tacos — and they’re just as good, if not better.

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.

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.

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Comments

  • These are outrageously good. I inadvertently bought only 1 lb of chicken, so added a can of pinto beans as ‘filler’. Still awesome, in fact, I may keep it that way!! I could also see this being burrito filler. Next time going to prepare some cilantro-lime rice and warmed soft tortillas on the side. Wonderful recipe, thank you. BTW, love the cookbook!

  • I loved this recipe. We use turkey and add a 10 oz can of rinsed black beans, and because of the bean addition I used a little more onion, added about 1/2 cup water along with the tomato sauce. This is so much better than the spice packets that are sold to make tacos. I’ve made some other homemade spice blends , but this will be my go to taco seasoning.

  • Crowd pleaser! I expected a funky face from the pickiest 12 year old, after he seemed unsure about the chicken but instead I got a “this is actually good”. I made it as instructed and served it with soft flour tortillas, fresh cilantro, cheese, lettuce, chopped tomato, and sour cream. Yum!

  • wow the best tacos ever. My 4 years old twins are being “forced” to try new foods and with this one they loved it. They keep asking to make these again and again. The rest of us enjoyed very much as well. super !!!!!!

  • This is my go-to, fast weekday dinner. My boys will actually eat this, and it’s pretty versatile. I sometimes substitute the meat with ground beef, lamb, turkey, chickpeas or pieces of chicken. I’ve also used the sauce for pasta, and it’s an easy way to get some peppers into my children’s diets. For extra veggies, I sometimes mince carrots first, and then add the onion/peppers for a more rough chop.

  • Love this recipe so much !! I’ve made it so many times. Can I make with slow cooker ?

    • — Cristina Gerry
    • Reply
    • So glad you enjoy this Cristina! I don’t really have any experience with a slow cooker, so it’s hard to say for sure, but I think it would work. Here are some tips that may help. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it in a slow cooker!

  • I made your Chicken Tacos recipe last night. Of course the recipe turned out perfect. I’ve made a few of your recipes and all have been wonderful. Thank you so much. I just bought your cookbook for both my daughter and I.

  • Hi Jenn,

    My kids love these tacos for their lunch. Is it possible to freeze this?

    Thanks!

    • Sure, Paula – the chicken freezes well.

    • I just made the recipe yesterday. I froze half of the recipe for another meal. Perfect!

  • I followed the recipe exactly and it was absolutely delicious. Next time, I will serve with both hard and soft corn tortillas! Yum!

  • We love this recipe! I did change a few things though. I used ground turkey instead of the chicken, doubled the tomato sauce, added some black beans, and was generous with the cayenne.

  • I wanted a healthier option for hard tacos besides beef. This was great! My husband couldn’t even tell there were veggies in the tacos or that it was ground chicken. I will say, I omitted the tomato sauce since I felt it was tasty with just the spices and didn’t want to add more liquid to the chicken for fear of sogging the shell. Actually, it was kind a sweet tasting and wonder if that was from veggies. Next time I would add a splash of lime to counter the sweet taste since salt level was fine. Definitely, a keeper and a healthy and easy option during the week. We are also turning this into nacho leftovers. Thank you for an excellent recipe!

  • Awesome recipe! I make this at a minimum once or twice a month for my girls (6 & 4) who can’t wait for Taco Tuesdays! I can’t seem to find ancho chilli powder in Canadian grocery stores so I usually replace with a Mango Chilpotle spice that I have on hand. I usually halve the recipe for our family. Thanks again and we love your cookbook!

  • My family loved these chicken tacos, and I love the fact that by mincing the onion and peppers in the food processor, the kids actually get to enjoy the full flavor of the dish without automatically trying to pick out the “weird” vegetables! LOL I reduced the chili powder to a scant teaspoon and omitted the cayenne because I don’t think my young ones could handle that much spice, but even so, these tacos have terrific flavor. To accompany them I also make a version of Jenn’s green sauce from the Peruvian Chicken recipe, omitting jalapeño and adding an avocado, which is a huge hit with every single person who tries it. Thank you for another stellar and family-friendly recipe!

  • Two of our sons started college a couple weeks ago and are coming home for dinner next week. I texted them some options for a dinner they would love me to make. They texted back “Once Upon a Chef chicken tacos!” This recipe is a huge hit! But, all of your recipes are Jen. Thanks!
    Love the cookbook too.

    • Aww, this makes me so happy, Jenny. Good luck to your boys in college!

  • This is a good recipe, but I did make some changes…

    I don’t really like hard taco shells, so I used soft tortillas instead.

    Also, I used black beans instead of beef. I blended the beans in a food processor because I just prefer that texture.

    I really liked it. The cabbage also gave a great texture.

    • These are amazing tacos. I’m never making boring ol’ beef tacos again! My toddler said “no!” to tacos but then proceeded to eat more and more. Haha! Your recipes are always stellar and these are *****!

  • Personally I found this recipe just ok. I don’t know what it’s missing or how to improve… but something is off

  • Can this be made using ground beef instead of the chicken?

    • — Margaret Barclay
    • Reply
  • I used ground turkey and it turned out very well! Sadly, I only had extra-lean turkey at hand, so I know I missed out on this recipe’s full flavor profile…but the spice blend was so nice that the meat turned out tasty nonetheless. I served it as a taco salad, topped with avocado, black beans, and “Mexican” cheese blend. iDeliciosa! iGracias!

  • We do Taco Tuesdays every week and this morning I had the idea of ground chicken with “hidden” veggies and quickly googled something similar to my idea and this site popped up! Feeding 4 picky eaters is a task and glad to see that my wavelength of thinking matches up with an actual recipe out there! Giving 5 stars based on creativity, and I’m sure it will not disappoint. Looking forward to making these tonight!

  • My family and I love this recipe as is but we’re trying to get an all vegetarian taco recipe. Would it be alright to use black beans instead of ground chicken?
    If yes, how many cans of black beans (or cups if it’s best to use soaked black beans) to make this work?
    Thanks for all the amazing recipes Jen!!
    Can’t wait for the cookbook!!

    • Hi Beatrice, I think these would work with beans (although they may fall out of the taco shells a bit more readily than the ground chicken, so be sure to lean over your plate when eating them.) 🙂 I’d suggest two cans of beans (and it may be fun to mix them up; using one can of black beans and one can of pinto beans). I don’t think it’s necessary to use soaked/cooked beans. I’d love to hear how they turn out!

      • They were out of this world!! Definitely going to be doing it more often! Thanks for the suggestions 😀

        • So glad – thanks for the follow-up!

  • Jen, are those Stand and Stuff Tortilla shells tasty? Do they hold up well without breaking after stuffed” We are so used to using white corn tortilla shells, crisping them in vegetable oil, laying on paper towels, then stuffing with meat mixture.

    • Hi Karen, Yes, we really like these tortilla shells. They definitely aren’t immune to breaking when bitten into, but they hold up pretty well.

  • My son asks for these tacos on a weekly basis! They are a new staple recipe in our home. I use two red bell peppers (not a fan of green) and add avocado for some good fat. Otherwise these are perfect as is!!

    • — Jamie Robinson
    • Reply
  • Served this the first night as tacos and the second night as burritos. Family loved both but given the choice, usually choose burritos as their favorite! I love that the recipe is so versatile.

  • This recipe is not for my family. A soggy nono.

    • — Christina Hallas
    • Reply
  • My family loves these tacos. We always have leftovers (family of 3) & I love that the filling freezes so well. Makes for a quick dinner the next week!

  • Another great recipe. Thanks Jenn.

    • — Suzie DeAngelis
    • Reply
  • We love this recipe — have made it several times now. It’s very easy to tailor the flavor and heat to your liking. I would say it’s an active recipe where I am pretty much working at it for the full cook time.

    The first time there was a lot of oil left in the pan so I have subsequently reduced it each time almost to half the recipe amount and have seen no downside to the reduction.

    We are also watching sodium here so I use just 1 tsp as it’s easy enough for an individual to season with salt to their taste.

    Good for tacos, taco salad, lettuce wraps. We eat it with plain Greek yogurt and fresh guacamole. Definitely recommend this one.

  • Can you use canned chicken breast with this recipe?

    • I don’t recommend it, Katie – sorry!

    • I added some soy sauce. Gave it some Unami. Great tacos

  • I have tried several different tacos recipes from scratch and my family claims they’re all better than the store bought variety but I clearly hadn’t found the right one until now!! My husband and teenage boys said I can stop experimenting and just keep on making this one! I used ground turkey because it was what I had on hand. They were awesome!!!! Thank you as always for sharing your expertise.

  • I’ve always preferred ground beef tacos but this chicken taco recipe made me change my mind. It worked well as a weeknight dinner because it was quick and, other than adding a piece of fruit, a complete dinner. My family said this one was a keeper.

  • Can you substitute the ground chicken for ground soy? Thanks so much!

    • Hi Nisa, I haven’t cooked with ground soy, but I suspect it should work. (Depending upon how much sodium the ground soy has, you may need to reduce the salt in the recipe.) I’d love to hear how they turn out this way!

  • I made this for guests for the first time and everyone loved it. Another recipe to add to our collection!

  • These were delicious! I cut the recipe in half because there are only 3 of us and I still had leftovers. I couldn’t wait to eat one the next day!

  • I made this once and froze some to make at a later time, which I did last week and this week I am craving it again! Love the combination of flavors and definitely use the cabbage for the additional crunch!!

  • I just made this for the third time and every time a tweak it a little based on what I have on hand (what I forget to buy) and every time it’s been fantastic- such a great alternative to packaged taco seasonings- very fresh and you an control the salt. Truthfully I always do lean ground beef and it works great with that. Last week I made with without bell peppers, skipped the ancho chili powder and used smoked paprika it was terrific and still so flavorful. and the best part- my kids raved about it! Next time I make it I decided to measure out an extra portion and put it in a baggie for next time.

    • — Anthea Higgins
    • Reply
  • Delicious, very flavorful and quick! I used half the amount of oil just to keep down the calories. I also substituted red pepper flakes since I was out of cayenne.

    Question: why not use the extra-lean chicken? Is it due to the loss of flavor from less fat?

    • Glad you enjoyed them, Maret! I find the extra-lean chicken a bit dry; it also doesn’t have as much flavor.

  • Can you freeze this?

    • Yes Rachel, the filling definitely freezes nicely!

  • DELICIOUS!!! Made tonight for my family. Everyone loved these tacos!!! I didn’t have Ancho chile powder so just used regular chilli powder. My 5 year old said they were delicious & I need to make these again & he loved them & anyone with kids knows that’s a make again recipe – lol. No more packets for us! We didn’t miss the beef either…no one noticed!!! TRY THIS RECIPE!!!

    • Forgot to put my 5 star rating!!!

  • I wondered if you have ever made the filling ahead of time and frozen it. I’m getting ready for a family beach trip and like to do as much as possible ahead of time. Seems like this recipe would freeze well.

    • Hi Mary Ann, This is a great freeze-ahead recipe. Enjoy!

  • ***** FANTASTIC***** I do not know usually provide reviews, but had to tell everyone to try these tacos. I wanted to test them every 2 – 3 minutes to get another 3-4 spoonsful. I am sure I will never want ground beef tacos again. They were great with the margaritas on this website. The margaritas were so fresh and a lot less sugar. Great Reviews at Uno De Mayo get together. I cannot wait for your cookbook!. Your website is my secret weapon in the kitchen.

    • — Debbie Obermeyer
    • Reply
  • I’ll be honest. I have never cooked before with ground chicken and was a little skeptical how these would taste compared to beef tacos. I have to say, I loved them!! This will definitely be going into the rotation. Much better flavor than the seasoning packet that I am used to.

  • Made this last night and turned out fantastic. Fantastic flavor. Everyone agreed it was a keeper. Thanks….Trying the Easy Thai Curry tonight.

  • This recipe is AMAZING!!!! I like it even better than the traditional beef tacos. I’ve made it with both hard and soft shells …. Delicious! I top mine with some added raw chopped onion, diced pickled jalapeños and low fat sour cream. I recommend this recipe 100%!!!!

  • This looks so delicious! I am going to try this recipe tonight! I think I will try it with soft tortilla instead of hard shell to see how that works.

    • — Susan Broughton
    • Reply
  • I made these tonight, and they were a huge hit. I have been working through your recipes, and I have been enjoying all that I have tried.

    You are HANDS DOWN the best at making the recipes easy to follow… I am very grateful I came across this site and will spread the word to my friends. You need to write a cookbook!

    • Thanks so much for the nice words Renee– glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes!

  • Ahhhh, SO good! We made this tonight with leftover roast chicken instead of ground chicken, and homemade marinara instead of tomato sauce, and it was very yummy! Thanks for yet another keeper.

  • Just had to leave a review finally. I make this at least once a week (Taco Tuesdays!) My husband, 6-year old son, and I love this recipe! I won’t ever make tacos any other way. I love how easy it is too and of course so much better than the packet seasoning. I love the ancho chile powder because it adds a rich smoky flavor and doesn’t have too much heat for my son. My husband adds sriracha mayo and I add plain ol’ sriracha sauce and it becomes spicy for us. Thanks for this recipe! 5 STARS!

  • have you ever tried these with soft taco shells?

    • Hi Cathy, I haven’t but it would probably work; you might just need to cook the liquid down a bit more so they don’t get soggy.

    • This is to reply to Cathy regarding trying these with soft taco shells. We have had them with hard taco shells, and soft flour tortillas as well as soft corn tortilla and it’s come out great with each of them.
      With the hard taco shells I just heat them in the microwave for about 20-25 seconds. Soft flour I wrap them in a wet paper towel and microwave them up to a minute depending how many there are. And for the corn tortillas I just heat them in a pan over a fire. No oil needed, just turn them over until they crisp up a bit. Hope this helps.

  • Is there an alternate to the Ancho chile powder? Having trouble finding it 🙁

    • Hi Farah, Try chipotle chili powder if you like heat — otherwise just use regular chili powder. Or you can always order it online 🙂

  • OMG this was so good! My 6 & 3 year old loved it, and apparently they were the best tacos EVER?! Not especially spicy but more delicate and aromatic in flavour. I used turkey mince instead of chicken as I was on a limited calorie day and switched out actual taco shells for lettuce bowls for just me. Big hit, this will be a regular occurrence in our house ?

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