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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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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Jen, are those Stand and Stuff Tortilla shells tasty? Do they hold up well without breaking after stuffed” We are so used to using white corn tortilla shells, crisping them in vegetable oil, laying on paper towels, then stuffing with meat mixture.
Hi Karen, Yes, we really like these tortilla shells. They definitely aren’t immune to breaking when bitten into, but they hold up pretty well.
My son asks for these tacos on a weekly basis! They are a new staple recipe in our home. I use two red bell peppers (not a fan of green) and add avocado for some good fat. Otherwise these are perfect as is!!
Served this the first night as tacos and the second night as burritos. Family loved both but given the choice, usually choose burritos as their favorite! I love that the recipe is so versatile.
This recipe is not for my family. A soggy nono.
My family loves these tacos. We always have leftovers (family of 3) & I love that the filling freezes so well. Makes for a quick dinner the next week!
Another great recipe. Thanks Jenn.
We love this recipe — have made it several times now. It’s very easy to tailor the flavor and heat to your liking. I would say it’s an active recipe where I am pretty much working at it for the full cook time.
The first time there was a lot of oil left in the pan so I have subsequently reduced it each time almost to half the recipe amount and have seen no downside to the reduction.
We are also watching sodium here so I use just 1 tsp as it’s easy enough for an individual to season with salt to their taste.
Good for tacos, taco salad, lettuce wraps. We eat it with plain Greek yogurt and fresh guacamole. Definitely recommend this one.
Can you use canned chicken breast with this recipe?
I don’t recommend it, Katie – sorry!
I added some soy sauce. Gave it some Unami. Great tacos
I have tried several different tacos recipes from scratch and my family claims they’re all better than the store bought variety but I clearly hadn’t found the right one until now!! My husband and teenage boys said I can stop experimenting and just keep on making this one! I used ground turkey because it was what I had on hand. They were awesome!!!! Thank you as always for sharing your expertise.
I’ve always preferred ground beef tacos but this chicken taco recipe made me change my mind. It worked well as a weeknight dinner because it was quick and, other than adding a piece of fruit, a complete dinner. My family said this one was a keeper.