These Ground Chicken Tacos are made with the most flavorful filling with all other fixins in charred soft tortillas - A quick weeknight dinner idea on a busy day or feeding a crowd.
This post was originally published on 10/02/2020 and modified on 02/21/2022. However, the recipe, photos and video remains the same.
Ground Chicken Tacos
This is the ultimate easy recipe. They are great for serving a crowd, taking to a potluck, chowing down on for a tailgating party, taco Tuesday and of course, Cinco de Mayo! They are easy and tasty skillet dinner made in under 20 minutes, super flavorful and customizable with your favorite toppings.
We love tacos around here, be it for taco Tuesday? Or maybe or taco Saturday? They make a simple dinner any day of the week. My family gets excited any time there's Mexican on the menu.
Chicken is always one of our go to meat, when it comes to Mexican. Ground meat is even more convenient, since it cooks much more faster and is extremely versatile.Be it for weeknight dinner or meal prepping, it's fresh, tasty and you get to control the heat and salt.
You might want to double the minced meat recipe and freeze extras. They are delicious made into burrito bowls, nachos, lettuce wraps, wraps and so much more.
This recipe is made with our most popular Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe. We use it on everything from omelettes to chickpeas. It is so much better tasting than anything store bought.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE?
- Stovetop meal - The minced meat is cooked on the stovetop in a skillet using an amazing homemade seasoning and store bought salsa ---> Can't get easier than that!
- Customizable - Load up with your favorite Tex-Mex toppings to make this recipe your own.
- Chock full of flavor - The meat is jazzed up with delicious seasoning and salsa and then topped with delicious toppings.
- Make ahead - The ground mince is perfect to be made ahead and delicious made into these burrito bowls, lettuce wraps or served with cilantro lime rice.
What is chicken taco meat called?
Pollo is the word for chicken in Spanish. It is usually marinated, cooked and cut into small pieces, making it a perfect filling to be stuffed into tortillas.
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead?
Sure can! Saute chopped onion and garlic in oil. Add homemade seasoning and chopped rotisserie meat, stir fry for couple of minutes, add salsa and cook until most of the moisture evaporates and it looks like thick filling.
Crispy or Soft Tortillas?
Both works! Good quality corn tortillas adds roasted corn flavor and makes the perfect vehicle. That being said, the meat filling is soft and juicy making it perfect to be spooned into hard shells and topped off with shredded lettuce, avocado and sour cream.
IINGREDIENTS
The ingredients are pretty basic and the spices are probably items you already have in your pantry:
- Ground Chicken - Like for all ground chicken recipes or the chicken and green beans stir fry, one pound is perfect for this recipe. Feel free to use ground turkey instead.
- Salsa - Use a good tasting salsa (refrigerated or jarred).
- Seasoning - We highly recommend our most popular seasoning recipe for the best tasting dish.
- Corn tortillas - Yellow/White corn, Wheat/corn , Flour ---> Use whatever you have around.
- Toppings - Lettuce, Avocado, Cheese, Sour cream, Cilantro, Jalapeños.
TOPPING IDEAS
Now, it's time for fun toppings! You can use anything that your heart desires. Keep it simple with chopped lettuce and avocado or use any of the following ideas:
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, cotija cheese, or your favorite cheese.
- Avocado - Sliced, chopped ripe avocado, guacamole or Avocado Crema.
- Lettuce: chopped Romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce – anything with a nice crunch.
- Pico de Gallo - This recipe is made with salsa, so it does not need any more tomatoes in my opinion, but you can feel free to use if your wish.
- Vegetables: Shredded lettuce or cabbage, fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños.
- Something Creamy: Plain sour cream adds creaminess and balances any spiciness.
- Citrus: A squeeze of lime or lemon juice can be the perfect finishing touch.
Variations
- Make a lettuce wrap - Skip tortillas, and spoon filling into lettuce cups and top with your favorite toppings <---- carb free
- Replace avocado with your favorite guacamole (I like this recipe)
- Skip avocado and sour cream in the recipe and replace with Avocado Jalapeno crema.
- Make a burrito bowl - Skip the tortilla, assemble all other ingredients over some cilantro lime rice.
- Make it SPICIER – You can turn up the heat by making following adjustments -
- Increase cayenne in seasoning
- Add chopped jalapeños along with the onion and garlic while making filling
- Finally, load up on sliced jalapeños
How to cook ground chicken?
Heat a tablespoon vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet. Add ground meat, chopped onion, garlic and seasoning. Cook in medium high heat, until meat is cooked. Add salsa and a pinch of sugar, cook, stirring occasionally, until all moisture has evaporated.
How do you know when it is cooked?
You want to cook it so that all the meat is golden brown in color. If you are using a thermometer you want your ground chicken to be at least 165°F but closer to 170°F. Any pink means that you should cook it longer.
How to assemble?
- Fill a corn tortilla with cooked minced meat and top with all your favorite toppings like lettuce, avocado, Mexican cheese, jalapeños and cilantro.
- Fold and enjoy!
Side dishes for Mexican night
Cilantro Lime rice, Easy Nachos or simple cooked black beans with cojita cheese are all great accompaniments.
How to store?
Cooked meat can be refrigerated for up to 4 days (reheat in microwave before using) or frozen in a sealed zip lock bag for up to a month (thaw overnight in refrigerator and heat in microwave until heated through). This freezes exceptionally well.
To Reheat - When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Warm in microwave or skillet with a tablespoon of water, to make it juicy,
How to Make ahead
This is a fabulous recipe to double, or triple! Freeze leftovers in portion size bags for a quick thaw and heat dinner.
FAQs:
Homemade can be made healthier with lean meat and opting for fresh, healthy toppings when compared to restaurant ones, which can be loaded with fat and calories.
It consists of well seasoned filling (meat, seafood or vegetarian), iceberg lettuce, pico de gallo, fresh/pickled jalapenos, shredded cheese, sour cream, sauce, salsa, cilantro, creamy slaw, hot sauce or cabbage.
There are 268 calories in each soft taco.
Turn your gas burner to medium-low and using tongs, place tortilla, one at a time, directly over the flame. As soon as it starts to brown, give a quick flip to color the other side and then take off heat. Alternatively, you can cook tortillas in a cast iron skillet - Place tortilla in a hot cast iron skillet, for about 15 to 30 seconds on each side. You want to look few browned or darkened spots on both sides. Keep them warm wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.
More Taco Recipes to try
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Ground Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Ground Chicken Taco Meat
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 recipe chicken taco seasoning highly recommended
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 large garlic minced
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 pinches sugar
Additional Taco ingredients
- 8 corn tortillas warmed
- butter lettuce leaves or chopped iceberg lettuce
- Sliced ripe avocado
- Cheddar or Mexican blend
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapeños
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Make ground chicken taco meat
1. Heat a vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat, add ground chicken, taco seasoning, onion and garlic. - Cook stirring constantly (trying to break up the chicken), until cooked (7 to 9 minutes). Add salsa and sugar, increase heat to high and cook (stirring occasionally), until all moisture evaporates.
- (While chicken is cooking, warm tortillas and prep other ingredients)
- Assemble chicken tacos
Spoon cooked chicken meat on each warmed tortilla and top with lettuce, cheese, avocado, sour cream, jalapeno and cilantro. Fold and enjoy.
To warm Tortillas You can use any of the following methods:
- In a skillet - Place tortilla in a hot skillet, for about 15 to 30 seconds on each side. You want to look for few browned or darkened spots on both sides. Keep them warm wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.
- Over open flame - Turn your gas burner to medium-low and using tongs, place tortilla, one at a time, directly over the flame. As soon as it starts to brown, give a quick flip to color the other side and then take off heat and keep them warm wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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