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.
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
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.
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.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the vegetables.
Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until soft.
Add ground chicken and spices use a wooden spoon to break chicken into small pieces.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, heat the shells in the oven. To serve, spoon the chicken inside the shells and top with shredded lettuce and cheese.
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- Beef Tacos
Chicken Tacos
These chicken tacos are a healthier spin on traditional beef tacos — and they’re just as good, if not better.
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.
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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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!
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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 ?
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.
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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.