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
With seasoned ground chicken, warm spices, and all your favorite toppings, these chicken tacos are fast, flavorful, and endlessly customizable.
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
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- 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 6-7 minutes, or until crisp. Spoon the chicken into the shells and serve with toppings.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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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Made these last night with the mexican rice pilaf and a side of black beans. Very yummy. I used turkey instead of chicken. I will be adding it to my rotation. I do have a question though…it was kind of wet, by this I mean made our taco shells soggy. Am I not reducing enough?
Hi Tori, Glad you enjoyed. It might be that the ground turkey released a lot of liquid; next time just pour out (or spoon out) any excess liquid before adding the tomato sauce.
AWESOME! Another winner! My husband and I loved the chicken tacos..you are 100% correct..we don’t even miss the beef. Thanks for the truly awesome recipes. We can’t wait to make and try a new one. Please keep them coming!
Another winner Jenn! Easy to make and delicious. Didn’t even have to tell Danielle it was chicken because she scarfed it down. Next time would be great for a taco salad.
Prepared these chicken tacos for dinner last night, along with your roasted garlic guacamole recipe. Boy were they a hit, even with my picky sister. Definitely will be making these again. Very good!
We’ve just had Taco Tuesday (on a Thursday) and got thumbs up from all around the table. We used minced Turkey as we couldn’t find Chicken and it was a little runny. We used Pasata instead of tomato sauce, perhaps that’s why? When you say tomato sauce, do you mean ketchup? Anyhoo, flavour was lovely and the kids all ate peppers, onions and tomatos with no grumbling.
Hi Lee, You must be in the UK? I’ve never seen pasata in the States but I believe it is uncooked tomato puree, while the tomato sauce I use is cooked tomato puree (it’s not ketchup). I don’t think that would have made a big difference, though. Sometimes ground meats release a lot of liquid; that was likely the issue. If it happens again, you can always spoon some of the excess liquid out before adding the tomato sauce. Hope that helps!
Hi! I’m making these with ground turkey for a new mom. How long can I freeze it for? Thanks!
I was browsing recipes…am making another recipe of Jenn’s, and noticed this question from Sam.
Meats can be frozen up to six months.
Also,
Thanks Jenn, for this site. I have browsed many and yours is a ‘step above’ others I have read.
Take care!
Made these tonight as well as the roasted salsa. I made the tacos with ground chuck and they were terrific! I wanted to try the chicken but knew my brother would be happier with beef. Next time I’m trying the chicken! So delicious!
These are SO good! Also, I love the spice mixture! I’ve begun making a big batch every time I make this dish. It’s great in chili too.
Is there a way of printing out the recipe without all the photos…other websites have a spot where you can hit “printable recipe”.
Hi James, Yes…for newer recipes, there is a “print recipe” button to the right of each recipe at the bottom of the post (alternatively, there is a pop-up box to the left of the screen with several options, including “print recipe.”) For my older recipes, there is a “printable recipe” option underneath the recipe title at the bottom of the post.
This is my go-to Sunday night family dinner. I serve it with shredded Mexican blend cheese, sour cream, guacamole, diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce. It’s a little labor-intensive, but worth it!!!!