Ground Chicken Tacos With Smoky Spice and Juicy Tomato Paste Sauce
By Emma Collins
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
15 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
This ground chicken taco recipe takes 15 minutes to make and is a good meal choice for a fast family taco dinner. The ground chicken is sautéed with onion, tomato paste, and taco seasoning. Serve with flour tortillas and other typical taco toppings.
Olive oil is used to cook diced yellow onions and tomato paste, which helps to brown other ingredients and improve the flavor and color of the filling. Ground chicken that is at least 93% lean meat is suggested for use in the filling, though less lean ground chicken or thighs may also be used for added moisture in the filling. Homemade spices for the filling include chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, brown sugar, and cayenne, if desired.
The pan must be hot and well greased when you add the onion. Simmer the tomato paste in the pan for one minute or so to darken it. Pound the chicken so it browns well when crumbled. Tips for preventing problems include selecting chicken with enough fat so that the filling is moist and well coated with sauce, not dry and stringy.
Serve meat with flour tortillas and toppings such as shredded lettuce and sour cream and cheese. Other ideas for using the meat include nachos, taco salads and burrito bowls, and tostadas. Additional taco toppings include salsa, mashed avocado or guacamole, cilantro, and hot sauce. Double a recipe to make meal planning easier and use leftovers by adding water when reheating.
Why this recipe works
- A one-skillet weeknight recipe cooks ground chicken, onion, tomato paste, spices, and water into taco filling in 15 minutes.
- Children and adults can prepare tacos with flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. Known taco ingredients may make familiar toppings useful at the table.
- Meal-planning families should cook double the amount of seasoned meat, as the recipe says to cook double the amount of meat to serve all week.
- The spicy mixture can be used as a topping for other dishes, including nachos, taco salad, burrito bowl, and tostadas, to offer a variety of dishes using one batch of mixture.
- Ground turkey can substitute for chicken as needed. The seasonings and tomato paste give the stuffing color and flavor.
- Leftover meats can be reheated by adding water. Reheating with water keeps the meat coated with its sauce or gravy and stops it from drying out.
Ingredients
- •1 lb 93% lean ground chicken
- •3 tbsp olive oil
- •½ yellow onion (finely diced)
- •kosher salt (to season)
- •ground black pepper (to season)
- •1 tbsp tomato paste
- •¼ cup homemade taco seasoning (or 1 to 1.3-ounce packet store-bought taco seasoning)
- •½ cup water
- •flour tortillas (for serving, as desired)
- •shredded lettuce (for serving, as desired)
- •shredded cheese (for serving, as desired)
- •sour cream or avocado crema (for serving, as desired)
- •salsa (for serving, as desired)
- •guacamole or mashed avocado (for serving, as desired)
- •cilantro (for serving, as desired)
- •1 tbsp chili powder (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •2 tsp ground cumin (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •1 tsp garlic powder (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •1 tsp onion powder (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •1 tsp dried oregano (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •1 tsp smoked paprika (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •1 tsp kosher salt (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •1 tsp brown sugar (heaping; for homemade taco seasoning)
- •½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional; up to 1/2 teaspoon for homemade taco seasoning)
Instructions
- 1
Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot and shimmering, add the onion and season with a good pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired.
- 2
Cook the onion, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, 3-4 minutes.
- 3
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes longer, until the tomato paste is darkened in color.
- 4
Push the onion mixture to the side of the skillet. Add the ground chicken and press it into a thin, flat layer.
- 5
Cook the chicken for 2 minutes, until slightly browned, then flip and cook 1-2 minutes longer.
- 6
When the chicken is nearly cooked through, use a wooden spoon or meat chopper to break it into fine crumbles and mix it with the onions.
- 7
Add the taco seasoning and stir to evenly coat the chicken mixture.
- 8
Pour in the water and simmer until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
- 9
Serve the chicken taco meat as desired in tortillas with toppings, or use it for nachos, taco salads, burrito bowls, or tostadas.
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