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You are here: Home / Recipes / Cuisine Category / Mexican Recipes / Ground Chicken Tacos

Ground Chicken Tacos

May 29, 2023 by Mahy 10 Comments

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This ground chicken taco recipe is a great alternative to the ever-popular beef taco.  It’s just as delicious and easy to make. These Ground chicken tacos are made with fresh ingredients that are simple to prepare yet create an amazing taste sensation!

A board of ground chicken tacos loaded with toppings like avocado, green onions, salsa, cilantro and lime wedges

Well it’s no secret, we LOVE tacos here–and who doesn’t? Our Birria Tacos were a HIT online and so we had to make Lamb Birria and Lamb Tacos which were amazing! If you’re in the mood for fish, I can’t urge you to make Mahi Mahi Tacos and Fish Taco Slaw or even better make Salmon Tacos. For a super light and fulfilling meal, try our Taco Salad— You’ll LOVE it! 

Now for the ground chicken tacos, in all honesty, ground chicken isn’t one of our favorite meats. It’s very underused and so we thought the best way to put ground chicken to the test is by making tacos! And we were so GLAD we did THAT!! We now have a new favorite taco recipe to add to our weekly rotation! 

 

You can experiment with different toppings and salsas that pair nicely with chicken–perfect for the chicken lovers out there. At the same time, it’s so easy to pull together, making it ideal for a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will ask for over and over again.

Ingredients for Ground Chicken Tacos

Ingredients for ground chicken tacos including ground chicken, homemade taco seasoning, fresh salsa, cilantro, lime, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, taco shells

  • Ground Chicken
  • Homemade Taco Seasoning (similar to the seasoning I used here with Lamb Tacos)
  • Salsa (Homemade Salsa Recipe )
  • Cilantro
  • Cheese
  • Taco Shells
  • Lime
  • Avocados
  • Tomatoes and onions, diced
  • Scallions

How to Make Ground Chicken Tacos

This is a simple recipe that packs some punch. All you need to make this recipe is a few ingredients, and you have a favorite weekday meal on your hands.

Making the ground chicken

homemade taco seasoning for the ground chicken in small bowls including onion powder, garlic powder, chilli powder, oregano and cumin

Firstly, you need to make the seasoning blend by mixing the salt, pepper, chilli powder, cumin, oregano, and granulated garlic.

Then, pour a generous amount of olive oil into a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the ground chicken and seasonings and stir together, making sure they combine evenly.

Ground chicken mixture cooking in a cast iron skillet with onions, bell peppers and spice

Keep cooking on medium-high heat until nearly fully cooked, and then add in your chopped cilantro and salsa — Homemade Salsa ROCKS! and let the mixture bubble for a bit before turning it off the heat.

A hand holding homemade salsa to be added into the ground chicken mixture

Preparing your corn tortillas and taco shells:

Lay your soft tortillas out, then sprinkle a generous about of cheese onto them and melt in the oven briefly. Once your cheese has melted, place it around the hard shell and let the tortilla attach to the taco.

A hand sprinkling a generous amount of cheese on the soft shell tortillas on a baking sheet ready to melt in the oven

 Then bake again if needed for 5 more minutes –this is to ensure the shells have completely stuck together. At that point  your tacos are ready to be assembled. 

Once the cheese melted on the same baking sheet, a hand placing a hard shell tortilla and sticking it to the soft cheesy shell by pressing it down.

Putting your ground chicken taco together

Once your tortilla and taco shells are prepared, and your ground chicken is fully cooked through, it’s time to put the ground chicken inside the taco shells. use a generous amount, but don’t overfill, as you still have fresh ingredients to add.

A hand loading the ready tacos with the ground chicken mixture filling up the taco shell

Add the avocado, fresh onion, Jalapenos, and freshly chopped tomatoes on top of your ground chicken or turkey, and they’re ready to serve.

A hand holding a finished and loaded ground chicken taco with avocado, jalapenos, scallions and more

You can easily serve with a few extra Mexican favorites for preference, such as black beans and sour cream. Repeat with the remaining tacos and arrange them on a wooden tray. Make sure to load each differently as some people prefer more avocados than others, sour cream, salsa etc. 

Close up of each assembled ground chicken taco showing different toppings for each one

Or even BETTER-let everyone assemble their own by setting up a taco bar. To do that simply fill out every taco shell with the cooked ground chicken mixture, and have small bowls of every possible topping. Then let everyone add more or less of each topping they like! SO GOOD!!

Taco Variations

There are a number of ways you can vary up this recipe by making it into either a ground chicken taco bowl or a ground chicken taco salad.

Ground chicken taco bowl

To make ground chicken taco salad, follow the same instructions to cook the ground chicken, but instead of serving with taco shells, you serve it in a bowl with freshly cooked rice, fresh salad ingredients, sour cream and black beans if you want to add those. Similar to the Sushi Bowl and Falafel Bowl , which are HIT recipes to make!

This is a great option for those who want to avoid tortillas or taco shells.

Ground Chicken taco salad

To make ground chicken taco salad, you again need to follow the same method for cooking the ground chicken or turkey, but this time add it to fresh salad ingredients including fresh shredded lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, sliced red onion, and any other salad ingredients you like. Use exactly the same recipe as this Taco Salad and same dressing.   

Chicken Crunchwrap Supreme

Lighter than the original one, this ground chicken mixture could be used to me the Taco bell favorite Crunchwrap Supreme with all the fixings including our viral Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe! SO TASTY!!

A hand stretching the ground chicken tacos breaking up the shell and showing the cheese pull

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

  1. Use homemade or store bought Taco Seasoning, I love homemade and I use it in this Lamb Tacos.
  2. Cook the onions and peppers for a few minutes before adding in the ground chicken, this allows the flavors to become richer and deeper. 
  3. Ground turkey is a great substitute for ground chicken if you’d like to make it even lighter.
  4. Once the ground chicken is cooked and ready, I love adding Homemade Salsa or store bought and cook that for 5 minutes with a tablespoon of water. This helps deglaze the pan and also add extra moisture to your ground chicken!  
  5. The chicken mixture can be cooked a week in advance and stored in the fridge or frozen for 3 months.
  6. Use your favorite taco shell–we used a combo of soft and hard with a layer of cheese in the middle for a sturdy cheesy taco shell.
  7. The toppings and salsa you can use here are endless!

Can I use beef taco seasoning for chicken?

Yes, you absolutely can. You can use whatever taco seasoning you like or have on hand. It will change the flavor ever so slightly, but it doesn’t affect the end result.

Can I use ground beef in this recipe?

Again, while this recipe uses ground chicken, you can actually use what ever ground meat you want too.

Is ground chicken or ground turkey better for this recipe?

Both ground chicken and turkey work really with this recipe. But if you want a slightly leaner meal then you should use ground turkey ( though the difference is only slight).

How long should you cook ground chicken?

To cook your ground chicken fully through, you should cook it for 5-7 minutes on medium high heat until it crumbles and the crumbles separate and harden.

A large plate of ground chicken tacos loaded with avocados, tomatoes, onions, alongside a bowl of homemade salsa and lime wedges

A large plate of ground chicken tacos loaded with avocados, tomatoes, onions, alongside a bowl of homemade salsa and lime wedges
5 from 10 votes
Print

Ground Chicken Tacos

This ground chicken taco recipe is a great alternative to the ever-popular beef taco.  It's just as delicious and easy to make. These Ground chicken tacos are made with fresh ingredients that are simple to prepare yet create an amazing Taco experience!

Course Main Course, Main Dish, street food, tacos
Cuisine Mexican, Tacos, TexMex
Keyword chicken tacos, ground chicken, ground chicken recipe, taco recipe, taco recipes, tacos
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 532 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

Taco Seasoning

  • 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons chilli powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Chicken Tacos

  • 1 tablespoon oil neutral oil like avocado
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 bell pepper small, diced
  • 1 red onions diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/3 cup cilantro minced, divided
  • 1/2 cup Homemade salsa or store bought
  • 1-2 tabelspoons water

Taco Assembly

  • 8 Taco shells
  • 8 soft flour tortillas
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • 2 avocadoes diced
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes diced
  • 3 scallions diced
  • 1/3 cup cilantro minced
  • 1 lime cut into wedges
  • 1/2 cup homemade salsa
  • 1/4 cup jalapeños slices

Instructions

  1. Start by mixing the Taco seasoning together in a bowl.

    homemade taco seasoning for the ground chicken in small bowls including onion powder, garlic powder, chilli powder, oregano and cumin
  2. Now start cooking the chicken filling for the ground chicken tacos. Start by adding the oil in a heavy duty skillet over medium high heat.

  3. Then add in the onions and bell peppers and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

  4. Now add in the chicken, taco seasoning, garlic and half the cilantro. Cook while mixing over medium high heat until the chicken has cooked through. This takes 8-10 minutes.

    Ground chicken mixture cooking in a cast iron skillet with onions, bell peppers and spice
  5. At that point add in the salsa and water, and lower the heat to medium. Let the chicken absorb some liquid from the water and salsa.

    A hand holding homemade salsa to be added into the ground chicken mixture
  6. The chicken is ready after 5 minutes when you add the salsa, so turn off the heat and add in the remianing cilantro.

  7. For assembling the tacos shells: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a baking sheet, spread the soft tortillas in a singla layer and sprinkle a layer of cheese of each one.

    A hand sprinkling a generous amount of cheese on the soft shell tortillas on a baking sheet ready to melt in the oven
  8. Place the tray in the oven for 6-8 minutes until the cheese has melted completely. Remove from the oven and place a hard shell tortilla over the melted cheese then press the sides of the soft tortilla around it.

    Once the cheese melted on the same baking sheet, a hand placing a hard shell tortilla and sticking it to the soft cheesy shell by pressing it down.
  9. Now start assembling your tacos: Place a genrous amount of the ground chicken mixture in each taco shell.

    A hand loading the ready tacos with the ground chicken mixture filling up the taco shell
  10. Top with your favorite taco toppings listed above. Finish with a lime wedge, more cilantro and enjoy

    Close up of each assembled ground chicken taco showing different toppings for each one

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Expert Tips and FAQ's

  1. Use homemade or store bought Taco Seasoning, I love homemade and I use it in this Lamb Tacos.
  2. Cook the onions and peppers for a few minutes before adding in the ground chicken, this allows the flavors to become richer and deeper. 
  3. Ground turkey is a great substitute for ground chicken if you'd like to make it even lighter.
  4. Once the ground chicken is cooked and ready, I love adding Homemade Salsa or store bought and cook that for 5 minutes with a tablespoon of water. This helps deglaze the pan and also add extra moisture to your ground chicken!  
  5. The chicken mixture can be cooked a week in advance and stored in the fridge or frozen for 3 months.
  6. Use your favorite taco shell--we used a combo of soft and hard with a layer of cheese in the middle for a sturdy cheesy taco shell.
  7. The toppings and salsa you can use here are endless!

Can I use beef taco seasoning for chicken?

Yes, you absolutely can. You can use whatever taco seasoning you like or have on hand. It will change the flavor ever so slightly, but it doesn't affect the end result.

Can I use ground beef in this recipe?

Again, while this recipe uses ground chicken, you can actually use what ever ground meat you want too.

Is ground chicken or ground turkey better for this recipe?

Both ground chicken and turkey work really with this recipe. But if you want a slightly leaner meal then you should use ground turkey ( though the difference is only slight).

How long should you cook ground chicken?

To cook your ground chicken fully through, you should cook it for 5-7 minutes on medium high heat until it crumbles and the crumbles separate and harden.

 

Taco Variations

There are a number of ways you can vary up this recipe by making it into either a ground chicken taco bowl or a ground chicken taco salad.

Ground chicken taco bowl

To make ground chicken taco salad, follow the same instructions to cook the ground chicken, but instead of serving with taco shells, you serve it in a bowl with freshly cooked rice, fresh salad ingredients, sour cream and black beans if you want to add those. Similar to the Sushi Bowl and Falafel Bowl , which are HIT recipes to make!

This is a great option for those who want to avoid tortillas or taco shells.

Ground Chicken taco salad

To make ground chicken taco salad, you again need to follow the same method for cooking the ground chicken or turkey, but this time add it to fresh salad ingredients including fresh shredded lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, sliced red onion, and any other salad ingredients you like. Use exactly the same recipe as this Taco Salad and same dressing.   

Chicken Crunchwrap Supreme

Lighter than the original one, this ground chicken mixture could be used to me the Taco bell favorite Crunchwrap Supreme with all the fixings including our viral Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe! SO TASTY!!

Nutrition Facts
Ground Chicken Tacos
Amount Per Serving
Calories 532 Calories from Fat 342
% Daily Value*
Fat 38g58%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Monounsaturated Fat 18g
Cholesterol 126mg42%
Sodium 1293mg56%
Potassium 1534mg44%
Carbohydrates 24g8%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 2415IU48%
Vitamin C 70mg85%
Calcium 284mg28%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Chicken, Mexican Recipes, Parties, Recipes, Videos Tagged With: avocado, chicken dinners, chicken taco, chilli powder, cilantro, ground chicken, Guacamole, oregano, salsa, spicy recipes, taco seasoning, tacos, tortilla

Previous Post: « Lamb Tacos
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sara Welch

    June 6, 2023 at 2:09 pm

    5 stars
    Enjoyed these for dinner last night and they were a hit all around the table! Easy, hearty and delicious; definitely, a new favorite recipe!

    Reply
  2. Nikki

    June 6, 2023 at 1:39 pm

    5 stars
    This ground chicken tacos are bursting with so many wonderful flavors and textures. They are perfect for taco Tuesday or any busy weeknight meal.

    Reply
  3. TAYLER ROSS

    June 6, 2023 at 1:07 pm

    5 stars
    We had these tacos for dinner last week and they were amazing! We’re making them again tonight for taco Tuesday!

    Reply
  4. Maayke

    June 6, 2023 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    I love tacos and can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  5. Suja md

    June 6, 2023 at 12:28 pm

    5 stars
    I just love this and this was such a pleasing experience!

    Reply
  6. Michelle

    May 30, 2023 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    W had these for dinner last night and they were so tasty. Everyone loved them! Will be adding these to my weekly rotation for sure.

    Reply
  7. Andrea

    May 30, 2023 at 12:28 pm

    5 stars
    Love that you add peppers, onions and salsa to the ground chicken for the tacos. It really makes them taste fantastic.

    Reply
  8. Hayley Dhanecha

    May 30, 2023 at 12:17 pm

    5 stars
    These tacos were so good, packed with flavours and so easy recipe. Can’t wait to make it again.

    Reply
  9. Cara Campbell

    May 30, 2023 at 11:38 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was so easy and flavorful. I loved wrapping the hard taco in a soft taco – definitely the best part!

    Reply
  10. Sara Welch

    May 30, 2023 at 11:18 am

    5 stars
    Enjoyed these for dinner last night and they did not disappoint! Easy, hearty and delicious; excited to make these again later in the week! My whole family loved them!

    Reply
5 from 10 votes

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Mahy PicHi, I'm Mahy, a recipe developer, food stylist, culinary instructor, photographer, wife and busy mom! Welcome to my blog!...Read More

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