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An easy recipe for the best ground chicken tacos. These are so juicy and perfectly seasoned, and they’re ready in about 15 minutes!
Are these authentic, real Mexican tacos? No. Are they good? You bet your burrito they are.
Ground chicken taco meat is perfect to have around for meal prep during hectic weeknights, when you’re more likely to choose carry-out or delivery over a healthy dinner. Now you can have something really delicious, supremely easy, and lightning fast–usually in about 15 minutes.
Ingredient notes:
- Taco seasoning: Ingredients for homemade are right in the recipe card in the amount you need. Or, substitute one packet of store-bought.
- Tomato sauce: 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste plus ½ cup water may be substituted for the tomato sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can also use white vinegar or red wine vinegar. They both taste good!
- Brown sugar: Just 1 teaspoon, and feel free to leave it out if that sounds weird to you.
- Tortillas: You can fry soft corn tortillas until crispy or buy crunchy ones from the store. Or, use flour tortillas.
Step-by-step instructions:
- The chicken cooks fast on the stove! Grab a skillet and sauté the onion in olive oil until the onion softens. After that, add the garlic, oregano, and the taco seasoning. Stir it around for a few seconds until it gets nice and fragrant.
- Then add the ground chicken and cook until almost cooked through–just a couple minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. Let the meat mixture come to a simmer and cook for another four minutes or so, until it thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe tips and variations:
- Toppings: Diced avocado or guacamole, scallions, chopped onion and cilantro, diced tomatoes or pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, Hot sauce, corn salsa, sour cream, black olives
- Lettuce wraps: This taco meat is delicious on butter lettuce or romaine leaves.
- Taco salad: Add the cooked meat to a bowl with chopped lettuce, beans, tomatoes, scallions, and a creamy cilantro lime dressing.
- Slow cooker: This recipe is perfect for a DIY taco bar! First, sauté the onions in a skillet on the stove. Add the taco seasoning, garlic, and dried oregano. Add the ground chicken and cook until almost done. Move the meat to the slow cooker and add the sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or on LOW for 6-7 hours.
- Freezer: Cool the cooked meat, then transfer it to a freezer-safe bag and press flat to gently squeeze out the air from the bag as it seals. Label and date. To thaw, defrost the meat in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in the skillet with a little extra salsa or tomato sauce, if needed.
More tasty taco recipes:
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Ground Chicken Tacos
An easy recipe for the best ground chicken tacos. These are so juicy and perfectly seasoned, and they're ready in about 15 minutes!
Ingredients
For the taco seasoning (see note 1):
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)
For the tacos:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar (see note 3)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
- tortillas (see note 4)
- shredded lettuce , diced tomatoes, and diced avocado
- minced fresh cilantro and onion
- shredded cheddar cheese or crumbled cotjia cheese
- sour cream
- hot sauce
Instructions
To make the taco seasoning:
- In a small bowl, whisk together chlii powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), Whisk in cornstarch if desired. (Or, substitute one packet store-bought taco seasoning).
To make the tacos:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning, garlic, and oregano until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add ground chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through but still slightly pink, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with tortillas and all your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Taco seasoning: Ingredients for homemade are right in the recipe card in the amount you need. Or, substitute one packet of store-bought.
- Tomato sauce: 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste plus ½ cup water may be substituted for the tomato sauce.
- Brown sugar: Just 1 teaspoon, and feel free to leave it out if that sounds weird to you.
- Tortillas: You can fry soft corn tortillas until crispy or buy crunchy ones from the store. Or, use flour tortillas or even lettuce leaves for taco lettuce wraps.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups chicken taco meat, enough for 4 servings, 1 cup each. You can get 2-4 tacos out of 1 serving depending on how much you use in each taco.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cup (meat only)Calories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 21gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 106mgPotassium: 718mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 850IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
These tacos are now in our weekly rotation and are so delicious and easy to make!
Thank you for the comment, Eric! I’m glad you love them! – Meggan
We couldn’t be happier with this dish. makes a delicious sauce as well as tasty chicken that’s moist, not too spicy with a slight sweetness. Delicious with or without tacos. we added a little lettuce and cheddar cheese. Sabroso
Thanks Jo, so glad you all enjoyed! – Meggan
Comfort food at it’s finest. The brown sugar did sound weird to me but I used it anyway and the chicken was perfectly seasoned. Thanks:)
Love this recipe! So delicious!