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 you substitute the ground chicken for ground soy? Thanks so much!
Hi Nisa, I haven’t cooked with ground soy, but I suspect it should work. (Depending upon how much sodium the ground soy has, you may need to reduce the salt in the recipe.) I’d love to hear how they turn out this way!
I made this for guests for the first time and everyone loved it. Another recipe to add to our collection!
These were delicious! I cut the recipe in half because there are only 3 of us and I still had leftovers. I couldn’t wait to eat one the next day!
I made this once and froze some to make at a later time, which I did last week and this week I am craving it again! Love the combination of flavors and definitely use the cabbage for the additional crunch!!
I just made this for the third time and every time a tweak it a little based on what I have on hand (what I forget to buy) and every time it’s been fantastic- such a great alternative to packaged taco seasonings- very fresh and you an control the salt. Truthfully I always do lean ground beef and it works great with that. Last week I made with without bell peppers, skipped the ancho chili powder and used smoked paprika it was terrific and still so flavorful. and the best part- my kids raved about it! Next time I make it I decided to measure out an extra portion and put it in a baggie for next time.
Delicious, very flavorful and quick! I used half the amount of oil just to keep down the calories. I also substituted red pepper flakes since I was out of cayenne.
Question: why not use the extra-lean chicken? Is it due to the loss of flavor from less fat?
Glad you enjoyed them, Maret! I find the extra-lean chicken a bit dry; it also doesn’t have as much flavor.
Can you freeze this?
Yes Rachel, the filling definitely freezes nicely!
DELICIOUS!!! Made tonight for my family. Everyone loved these tacos!!! I didn’t have Ancho chile powder so just used regular chilli powder. My 5 year old said they were delicious & I need to make these again & he loved them & anyone with kids knows that’s a make again recipe – lol. No more packets for us! We didn’t miss the beef either…no one noticed!!! TRY THIS RECIPE!!!
Forgot to put my 5 star rating!!!
I wondered if you have ever made the filling ahead of time and frozen it. I’m getting ready for a family beach trip and like to do as much as possible ahead of time. Seems like this recipe would freeze well.
Hi Mary Ann, This is a great freeze-ahead recipe. Enjoy!
***** FANTASTIC***** I do not know usually provide reviews, but had to tell everyone to try these tacos. I wanted to test them every 2 – 3 minutes to get another 3-4 spoonsful. I am sure I will never want ground beef tacos again. They were great with the margaritas on this website. The margaritas were so fresh and a lot less sugar. Great Reviews at Uno De Mayo get together. I cannot wait for your cookbook!. Your website is my secret weapon in the kitchen.