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.
YOu may also like
- Street-Style Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon & Lime Crema
- Chicken Nachos
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- Chicken Enchiladas
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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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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!!!!