These Ground Chicken Tacos make a delicious and healthy option for an easy weeknight dinner. Transform lean ground chicken into a delicious taco filling in just 10 minutes!
Recipe Price: $11.89 | Per Serving: $2.97 | Yield: 4 Servings
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A Word on “Tacos”
Traditional Mexican tacos are usually NOT made with ground meat, are usually made with small corn tortillas, and are usually topped with white onion and cilantro, with lime or hot sauce on the side. These are absolutely delicious and what I would consider a “real Mexican taco”.
However, in the US we have taken many creative liberties with tacos, and ground meat tacos are the classic middle-of-America version. I am actually a huge fan of both traditional recipes and modified versions to suit palates of different cultures.
Without this progress (some say bastardization of traditional recipes) we would not have the amazing fusions of foods that we see today. I will, however, concede that there are certainly some negative outcomes associated with ignoring traditions and making modern versions of these foods.
The modern form of this by recipe bloggers can be a form of cultural appropriation, and I think we should be aware of this if we are going to take a traditional food, modify the methods and ingredients, and then call it by the same name.
I think the term “taco” has stretched far and wide across the world and it is almost used in the general way that we use the term “sandwich”. So these tacos are similar to the Americanized tacos I ate growing up in the US, and should not be considered Mexican tacos.
Why You Will Love This Ground Chicken Taco Recipe
- Easy to make! We’re browning chicken, adding a few pantry staples, and bringing it all together with salsa. Extremely simple!
- Crowd pleaser! Tacos are always a hit! Set everything up on the table with lots of toppings to choose from and let everyone build their own tacos.
- Healthier Tacos. These tacos are made with lean protein and a homemade seasoning mix.
If you want to discover more delicious ways to cook ground chicken, try these Orange Ground Chicken Rice Bowls. They’re so good!
Ingredients
- Ground chicken: I’m using a blend of chicken breasts and thighs, but feel free to use turkey, beef, or pork if you’d prefer.
- Ground chicken seasoning: I use a combination of dried oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes to make a simple ground chicken taco seasoning at home!
- Salsa: This is my secret ingredient that I’ve been putting in taco meat for years! We’re only adding a little, but it amps up the flavor so much. You can use any salsa you enjoy. Red or green, mild or hot — they all work!
- Corn tortillas: Choose taco size corn tortillas! You can also swap these for cassava flour tortillas or any store bought tortillas you like!
- Lime: 90% of meals should be finished with a little bit of acidity and tacos are no exception. Serve with lime wedges to bring a bright freshness to each bite.
- Avocado: I like sliced avocado for creaminess and healthy fats, and because it fits better than cubed avocado – but feel free to use your favorite guacamole instead!
- Cheese: Cotija cheese is a crumbly white cheese used on traditional Mexican tacos. If you can’t find it you can also use feta cheese, which is what I’m using in these images.
- More toppings: Choose a purple slaw or sauerkraut on top along with black beans or refried beans.
How to Make Ground Chicken Tacos
Step 1: Cooking the ground chicken. Add the olive oil and ground chicken to a heated skillet. Add the spices and break up the chicken with a wooden spatula as it cooks.
Step 2: Add the salsa. Once the chicken is browned and nearly fully cooked, add the salsa and mix it in. Cook for another 2 minutes to infuse the chicken with the flavor of the salsa.
Step 3: Warm the tortillas. Place the tortillas one at a time in a heated skillet to warm. Cook on each side for 30-60 seconds until they’re puffing up just a little or developing a little color. You want them pliable but not crunchy.
Step 4: Assemble your ground chicken tacos. Add the meat to each warmed tortilla along with your preferred toppings!
Serving Suggestions
Tacos with ground chicken are great with avocado and black beans, but you can use your favorite taco fillings! Keep it simple with a little lettuce and shredded cheese. Or jazz it up with some onions, cilantro, lime, and maybe some spicy salsa verde. There are so many possibilities, so you do you!
Enjoy this with my homemade black bean dip — spoon it on top of your tacos instead of refried beans or it makes a tasty side dish too along with some cilantro lime rice.
This black bean salad with salsa also makes a tasty side and if you’re feeling adventurous, add some mango salsa on top!
Expert Tips
- Store: Place the ground chicken for these tacos in a container and store in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for three months. Store the tortillas and toppings separately. Reheat the ground chicken taco meat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. If it seems a bit dry, you can add some more salsa or a bit of water.
- More than tacos. There are so many ways to use the taco seasoned ground chicken. Try it as a topping for taco bowls or salads, and it makes a tasty filling for quesadillas or burritos. I love it with my breakfast tacos!
Recipe FAQs
My favorite way is the skillet. But this isn’t the most efficient when you need to cook a larger amount of tortillas. In this case, you can also heat them in the oven or the microwave with decent results. For the oven, sprinkle them with a bit of water, wrap in foil, and place in the oven to heat. If you prefer the microwave, wrap them in a paper towel with a bit of water sprinkled over and heat in 30-second intervals until heated.
In ground meat tacos, no, the seasoning is the same. However, there are a lot of different traditional mexican taco meats that do have very specific seasonings to match the meat. (For example – carne asada, al pastor, etc.)
Yes! You can make this taco recipe with any type of ground meat you prefer!
More Ground Meat Recipes
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Ground Chicken Tacos
These Ground Chicken Tacos make a delicious and healthy option for an easy weeknight dinner. Lean ground chicken is cooked with simple seasonings and salsa transforming it into a delicious taco filling. Serve up in tortillas with your favorite toppings any day of the week for a delicious meal!
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Ingredients
Optional additional toppings
Instructions
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil and 1 pound of ground chicken. Season with salt, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes and break up the chicken with a wooden spatula. Stir and cook until chicken is browned and nearly fully cooked.
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Add the salsa and stir to combine, cooking for another 2 minutes to infuse the chicken with the flavor of the salsa. When this is fully cooked, set aside.
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Warm the tortillas – regardless of your choice of tortilla (corn, flour, cassava), you want to warm them up! The easiest way to warm tortillas, in my experience, is in a skillet or over an open flame. Simply heat to medium-high and warm each side for 30-60 seconds until they’re puffing up just a little or developing a little color so they’re pliable but not at all crunchy. However, if you’re warming up a lot of tortillas at once, you may prefer the oven or microwave option (see below).
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Add a few Tablespoons of meat to each warmed tortilla. Prepare any toppings such as sliced avocado, guacamole, black beans, or shredded cabbage slaw, then build your tacos!
Notes
To warm tortillas in the oven, sprinkle each tortilla with a little bit of water and loosely wrap with aluminum foil. Warm on 350ºF for 10-15 minutes. You can also remove the foil and spread them out on a sheet pan for the last 2 minutes if desired. To warm tortillas in the microwave, wrap in a damp towel and microwave in 30 second intervals until to your liking.
Top this with your favorite toppings!! Growing up, my taco was a flour tortilla with seasoned ground beef and a little lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese. In high school, influenced by Taco Bell, I liked the “ranchero style”, which was chopped chicken with a little bit of ranch dressing mixed with salsa. In my early twenties I lived in San Diego and fell in love with the simplicity of carne asada or lengua with onions, cilantro, lime, and maybe some spicy salsa verde. In grad school in Baltimore, I was obsessed with Sweet Farm curtido kraut as my taco topping. You do you!
Nutrition
Calories: 517kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 29gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 628mgPotassium: 1114mgFiber: 11gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 287IUVitamin B1: 0.3mgVitamin B2: 0.5mgVitamin B3: 9mgVitamin B5: 2mgVitamin B6: 1mgVitamin B12: 1µgVitamin C: 10mgVitamin D: 0.04µgVitamin E: 2mgVitamin K: 16µgCalcium: 165mgCopper: 0.4mgFolate: 53µgIron: 3mgManganese: 0.5mgMagnesium: 121mgPhosphorus: 599mgSelenium: 20µgZinc: 4mgCholine: 93mg
