These Ground Chicken Tacos are a healthy, 30-minute meal loaded with veggies! Lean protein meets juicy flavor in one skillet for the easiest Taco Tuesday.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Whether it’s buffalo chicken tacos, chicken street tacos or Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos, we love chicken in tacos!
However, these ground chicken tacos are one of the easiest tacos we have on iFoodReal – I used 1 pound of lean ground chicken breast, loaded it with over 1 pound of veggies and made it all in one humongous size skillet.
Here is why I think you and your family will love it too:
- One pan meal: No need to prepare toppings separately, they all cook together in one skillet!
- Quick: This ground chicken taco recipe is a true 30 minute meal! Quick enough for your busiest weeknights.
- Healthier and balanced: A lean, gluten-free, and dairy-free meal high in Vitamin C, calcium, and fiber.
- Sauciness factor: The addition of tomato sauce ensures the lean chicken stays juicy, never dry.
Reader’s Review
I won’t make the regular tacos again after trying this recipe! I used ground chicken and just the Old El Paso taco seasoning because I had on hand. Topped with avocado and Greek yogurt, it was delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Lisa
Ingredients for Ground Chicken Tacos
- Ground chicken: You can use store-bought ground chicken which is usually a combination of white and dark meat. Or you can grind your own chicken breasts or chicken thighs in a food processor, that’s what I did.
- Bell peppers: I like to use a combination of green and red bell peppers for flavor but you can use only sweet pepper if you are not a fan of bitter green pepper. Any other color works.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic.
- Corn: Canned, fresh or frozen corn for more “veggie factor”, sweetness and extra crunch.
- Radishes: Strengthen the “veggie factor”, and “sauciness”, extra crunch and peppery zest to the taco meat. You can use less or let everyone add at the table.
- Tomato sauce: To add moisture to the dry chicken meat.
- Spices: I make my own taco seasoning, then smoked paprika and salt.
- For serving: Corn tortillas, flour tortillas or hard taco shells; lime, cotija or feta cheese, cilantro, sour cream and any other favorite toppings.
Variations
- Add heat: Stir in chopped jalapeno peppers, minced chipotle in adobo sauce, or a dash of cayenne pepper or any hot sauce for a spicy kick.
- Extra seasonings: Boost the earthiness by adding extra cumin or chili powder to the mix.
- Add beans: You can add canned or cooked black beans (I like Instant Pot black beans) with the sauce for extra protein and fiber.
- Sauce swaps: While I use plain tomato sauce, you can substitute with picante sauce or your favorite jarred taco sauce.
- Make it low carb: Skip tortillas and serve over lettuce, salads, or bowls style over cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
How to Make Ground Chicken Tacos
Here is a quick overview how to make ground chicken tacos. You can also find full recipe card below.
- Sauté the vegetables: First pan fry the garlic and onion, then bell peppers on medium high heat with a bit of oil. This allows their taste to be absorbed by other ingredients.
- Add ground meat and spices: Sauteing spices in oil is a quick way to deepen their flavor. Ground chicken cooks really fast, just make sure to break it into small pieces with spatula.
- Add tomato sauce and corn: Simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Sauce will “marry” taco meat filling together and add the “sauciness” factor.
- Last add radishes, cilantro and salt: Radishes added at the end will retain crunch and zest, cilantro adds a fresh taste and salt strengthens all other flavors.
Tips for Best Results
- Don’t overcook: Follow the recipe and cook vegetables just enough to soften them or become flavorful.
- Meat swaps: Use ground turkey if you do not have ground chicken. Ground beef or ground pork could be used as well, but make sure to drain the fat after sauteing.
- Other vegetables: Skip radishes or use shredded jicama or turnips instead. Cauliflower rice is an obvious choice!
- Char your tortillas: If you have gas stove, warm up tortilla right on the burner to char the edges. Or make a crispy tostada shell if you have air fryer!
- Cilantro substitute: If you have the “soapy” gene, swap cilantro for fresh parsley or add a pinch of ground coriander to the spice mix instead.
Toppings Ideas and How to Serve
For serving tacos later, I placed taco filling in small slow cooker and turned on “keep warm”. This is a great option for both busy weeknights or game day parties!
The only fix-ins I had to prepare were limes, crumbled feta cheese and Greek yogurt (or sour cream).
But here are a few more ideas:
- Fresh crunch: Shredded lettuce, diced white onion, or pickled red onions.
- Creamy additions: Diced avocado, Greek yogurt guacamole, or salsa guacamole.
- Extra zest: Sliced black olives and a side of fresh pico de gallo.
How to Store and Make Ahead
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 5 days. Since filling is saucy and radishes are sturdy, there is not much to get soggy in this ground chicken taco meat.
Reheat: Reheat on a skillet with a splash of water or chicken broth on low heat. That’s it!
Freeze? I don’t recommend it because there are a lot of vegetables in a chicken mixture.
To make ahead and cook later: You can chop garlic, onion and bell pepper and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also slice radishes. That is when meal prep containers with 2 sections come in handy.
Then just cook when ready. Makes a weeknight healthy dinner a breeze.
FAQs
Don’t overcook it! Ground chicken cooks very fast. Plus, the tomato sauce and juicy bell peppers in this recipe act as a built-in safety net to keep everything moist.
I love both! Chicken is more lean than beef, however I believe in everything in moderation and if you drain fat after cooking extra lean ground beef, it becomes one of wholesome dinner options.
Use a large skillet with tall walls (like a ceramic non-stick) so you have plenty of room to stir in the veggies and sauce without making a mess.
Yes. You can use previously cooked Instant Pot shredded chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken. Just stir it in with the sauce and vegetables. This cuts your cook time down to about 25 minutes.
More Tacos Recipes to Try
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Tex mex chicken and zucchini
- Ground chicken stuffed peppers
- Taco skillet
- Chicken tostadas
- Ground chicken chili
- Ground chicken burgers
- Chicken burritos
Ground Chicken Tacos
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large bell peppers, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil, for frying
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, low sodium
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup tomato sauce, low sodium
- 1 1/2 cups corn, fresh, frozen (thawed) or 1 can (drained)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 bunch radishes, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 corn tortillas, or flour tortillas
- Lime, cheese and Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add garlic and onion, sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add bell pepper and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken, taco seasoning, smoked paprika and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking chicken into pieces.
- Decrease heat to low, add tomato sauce and corn, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Add cilantro, radishes and salt; stir.
- Serve hot over corn tortillas with lime, crumbled feta or shredded Monterey Jack cheese and Greek yogurt.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate filling leftovers up to 5 days in an airtight container. Since filling is saucy and radishes are sturdy, there is nothing to get soggy. Reheat on a skillet with a splash of water or chicken broth on low heat.
- Make ahead: Chop garlic, onion and bell pepper and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also slice radishes. Then just cook when ready.
- For serving cooked tacos later, I placed taco filling in small slow cooker and turned on “keep warm”.
- Warm tortillas: If you have gas stove, warm up tortilla right on the burner to char the edges or in the microwave.
- Other vegetables: Skip radishes or use shredded jicama or turnip instead. Cauliflower rice is an obvious choice!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Was very good I have two picky eaters when it comes to trying new recipes but they loved it and want it again!…added extra taco seasoning with a 1/4 of water
Thank you for your wonderful review, Kay!
I never use recipes from blogs and this week, I have used several of yours. They are so easy and healthy and my husband LOVES them! Thank you!
Made me smile. Happy to hear, guys! 🙂
So delicious and easy!! It’s a favorite in our home!
So happy to hear, Miranda!
Just wondering if we don’t have radishes on hand. What would be a alternative?
You can just skip radish.:)
Can’t believe I haven’t left a review yet. I’ve already made these tacos three times since I found this recipe recently. I guess that says how much we love this dish. Yesterday I added black beans instead of corn to it and it was delicious.
Haha. So happy to hear! Tried any of my other tacos yet?
YES! Black BEANS! No corn! More protein!
This has been my favorite recipe to try so far! I’ve been cooking for my family (parents and brother) a couple times a week to help them with eating healthy and to show them that meals can be tasty, convenient, and healthy! We are all so busy, but I like to take a little time out to make healthy eating convenient for them (not to mention cheaper than eating out). Also, I doubled this recipe and there were no leftovers haha I am turning into your biggest fan 🙂
Yay! Good for you! I think there is a stigma that healthy food is not tasty. That’s a very old wives tail from back who knows when. And other problem is people do not try new things. I think it’s just comfortable life and human nature. It blows my mind how many people just don’t care what they eat. So, good for you!!!
HI Olena, I’m on week 2 of your meal plan and used your version of this with ground turkey instead of ground chicken, It was delicious. Family wiped it out!
Yay!!! Ground chicken tacos or ground venison tacos – doesn’t matter. I use any meat and venison a lot because my mom supplies us with it.
Delicious ground chicken tacos my whole family enjoyed. Even super picky 3 year old went for seconds.
I don’t quite understand how this taco seasoning works… What is it made of? How does it taste? These tacos look great! Now I know what I am gonna do this week end! I LOVE TACOS! that is one of the 2 or 3 things stereotypically correct about Mexicans.
Taco seasoning is a mix of certain spices, you can make it at home yourself, here is the recipe. I don’t think you will be able to find it in Mexican grocery stores because I think it was invented by Americans who really love anything Mexican. You literally can add taco seasoning to any food and it becomes Mexican.:)
yeah, that is definitely not Mexican, I have never tried something like that in my tacos, but it sure sounds delicious! hahahahaha that is a nice way to just turn food into mexican style
After reading your post, I knew I was making this for dinner. What I thought was extra tomato sauce that I had tossed in the freezer to use at a later date, ended up being enchilada sauce. I just moved forward with the recipe but didn’t add the extra spices, tossed in all the fresh and frozen veggies I could find. It was DELICIOUS. I LOVE TACOS, and now I have a healthy version that I can whip up in no time. Thanks for the wonderful recipe and inspiration.
I would do the same. You are welcome!:)