Description
Ready in 15 minutes or less, these Ground Chicken Tacos are a once-a-week staple here at the PWWB House!
Simmer lean ground chicken with onion, tomato paste, and a homemade taco spice blend, creating juicy taco meat with a bold punch of flavor. Serve it in tortillas with your favorite toppings for a fast, feel-good, and fuss-free weeknight dinner that always hits the spot!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken (see Recipe Notes)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, finely diced
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- homemade taco seasoning (below, see Recipe Notes)
- ½ cup water
- for serving, as desired: flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream or avocado crema, salsa of choice, guacamole or mashed avocado, cilantro, etc.
for the homemade taco seasoning:
- 1 heaping tablespoon chili powder
- 2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
- optional: up to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Cook the aromatics: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot and shimmering, add the onion. Season with a good pinch of kosher salt (a pinch of garlic powder is also delicious!) and ground black pepper as desired. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden and fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Cook 1-2 minutes longer, until the tomato paste is darkened in color.
- Brown the ground chicken: Push the onion mixture to the side of the skillet. Place the ground chicken in the skillet and press it down into a thin, flat layer. Cook 2 minutes, until slightly browned, then flip and cook 1-2 minutes longer. Once the chicken is nearly cooked through, use a wooden spoon or a meat chopper to break it into fine crumbles and mix with the onions.
- Season and simmer: Add the taco seasoning to the skillet, stirring to evenly coat the chicken mixture. Pour in the water and simmer until thickened slightly, 1-2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
- Serve the chicken taco meat as desired. We love making ground chicken tacos with warm flour tortillas, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, and sour cream, though the seasoned taco meat is also great on nachos, taco salads, burrito bowls, and tostadas. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Ground chicken: The secret to seriously juicy chicken taco meat (that isn’t dry or tough!) is using ground chicken with a decent fat content. Look for at least 93% lean, though if you can find 90-92%, that’s even better. If you’re purchasing from your grocery store’s butcher counter, ask for ground chicken thighs. If you cannot find 90-93% lean ground chicken or ground chicken thighs, feel free to use ground turkey in its place.
- Taco seasoning: This Homemade Taco Seasoning is a recipe I’ve tweaked and perfected over years – it’s perfectly spiced and aromatic with a great kick of heat. I often mix up a triple or quadruple batch all at once and keep it in a jar on my spice rack for a month’s worth of Once-A-Week Tacos – you’ll use about ¼ cup of the seasoning blend per pound of ground meat. Prefer store-bought taco seasoning? Go for it! Swap the homemade spice blend with your favorite 1- to 1.3-ounce packet of taco seasoning – my personal favorite is Siete Spicy Taco Seasoning.
- Water: A little extra liquid gives the ground chicken taco meat an extra-juicy and almost luscious texture – delicious! In my experience, water works just fine! If you’re craving bolder flavor, swap the water for ½ cup of your favorite beer.
Storage and Freezing:
- Storage and Reheating: Transfer cooled ground chicken taco meat to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a splash of water as needed to help recreate the sauciness of the original batch.
- Freezer Instructions: This chicken taco meat is also a great freezer staple. To freeze, transfer the cooked and cooled meat to a freezer container or divide between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions. Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place the chicken taco meat in the refrigerator overnight. Easily reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a splash of water as needed to help recreate the sauciness of the original batch.