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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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.
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 ?