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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Can this recipe be used with ground beef? Thank you.
Yep — hope you enjoy!
It seems to me this makes way more than 12 tacos. Is this correct?
12 servings is correct. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
12 GIGANTIC TACOS!
These chicken tacos were really delicious! I used yellow and orange bell peppers. I made some guacamole to go with them and offered sour cream and salsa as sides. Much better than the beef version! Thank you so much for another great recipe!
This was a very good recipe I will definitely use it again.
Made this for tacos later this week and took a sneak taste – SO delicious! I don’t like using the store-bought taco seasoning mixes, tend to be very salty and we don’t do much heat with our 4-year-old. This was just perfect, great balance of flavors, really easy and ‘invisible’ vegetables as a bonus! Pulled together very quickly with the vegetables in the food processor. I highly recommend this to anyone with kids who needs something make-ahead or same day.
Can I use taco seasoning packet for this? Thank you!
Hi Madison, I’ve never used a taco seasoning packet for this. While I think you can get away with it, you may need to omit the added salt as I believe those packets contain salt. Also, I’m not sure how much of the packet you’ll need. Please LMK how the tacos turn out if you try it!
I don’t make tacos a lot because I don’t enjoy the seasoning envelope. I’ve tried using less, different brands, mixing my own etc. Jenn, this recipe is delicious! The flavors are great! I’ve been looking for a chicken taco recipe lately and this one definitely fits the bill! Thanks so much!
Best tacos I’ve ever made. The meat also reheats very well. It stays saucy and doesn’t dry out. Love love love this recipe!
These were so good! Fresh, flavorful and so much healthier than the preservative-laden taco mix from the grocery store. Only change I made was to dice 2 tomatoes and use those instead of the tomato sauce. Thanks again for another simple yet delicious recipe.
I live in Texas so we have plenty of options for great tacos, but I made these for dinner and everyone loved them. Sauteeing the veggies and cooking them with the meat is brilliant – it gave the chicken an amazing flavor. Topped with cheese, lettuce, yogurt, and avocado made these a new family favorite. Thanks Jenn!
Hi I made this for dinner tonight and it was a winner (as is every recipe I tried so far) I served it in whole wheat wraps and also added some Splenda to the chicken. Thank you