Ground Chicken Tacos

This is a super lean but tasty chicken taco recipe that Dr. Sweetpea and I absolutely love right now. The tacos are healthy, flavorful, simple, and perfect for a weeknight dinner. Definitely going on our regular rotation.

Ground Chicken Tacos with Creamy Salsa

(Source: Sunny Anderson)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, grated on a rasp or minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon (1 packet) sazon seasoning

1 pound ground chicken

2 teaspoons flour

1 cup chicken stock

12 taco shells, kept warm in a 200 degree oven

Shredded lettuce, for serving

In a large saute pan with straight sides over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the red and green bell pepper, onion and then season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Saute until the vegetables are tender then add the garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and sazon seasoning. Cook for a minute or so then add the ground chicken and cook, breaking up the chicken with a wooden spoon while stirring. Make sure to really break up the ground chicken on this step so there are no large clumps.

Once the chicken is cooked through, sprinkle the flour over the top and stir while cooking to allow the flour to blend into the chicken for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock then raise the heat to a simmer and cook until the stock thickens a bit, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve in warm taco shells topped with shredded lettuce and a dollop of Creamy Salsa.

Creamy Salsa

4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 scallion, finely chopped

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, scallion, sour cream hot sauce, garlic powder, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Stir to combine, then season with salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Rotisserie Chicken Taco

I think I have an addiction to tacos. I've collected so many different taco meat recipes over the last several days that I'm tacoed out.  I had about 15+ taco recipes in front of me last night when I decided to make the Chichi's Chimichanga recipe created by Food Network. The only change I made was using the meat to make tacos instead of Chimichangas (I was too hungry to wait for the Chimichanga to bake in the oven). 

As for the flavor?!?! I'm soOoOoOoO glad I made this recipe because it is DELICIOUS!! It's so flavorful, and the chicken meat is soooooo moist. I think this is THE recipe I'll use for Chicken Tacos from now on :o)

ChiChi's Rotisserie Chicken Taco Meat 

2          tablespoons vegetable oil

1           white onion, chopped

3          cloves garlic, chopped

1           jalapeno pepper, diced (remove seeds for less heat)

1 1/2    teaspoons chili powder

1/2       teaspoon ground cumin

1/4       teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt

1           small tomato, chopped, plus more for topping

2          tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1/4       cup sour cream

Various taco toppings

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt; toast 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cilantro and cook until slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken and sour cream and warm through. Remove from the heat and make your tacos using flour tortillas and your favorite taco toppings :o)

Teriyaki Chicken Taco

Tacos made with Teriyaki Sauce?!?!? Yes please!

I love tacos and when I saw the Teriyaki Chicken taco recipe I knew it's a must try! It's sweet, tangy, savory with a hint of Pineapple. Everything you love about Teriyaki Chicken is wrapped into a taco :o) It's a tad bit time consuming but well worth it. Plus, if you're looking for a shortcut, just use your favorite bottled teriyaki sauce to marinate the chicken instead of making the pineapple teriyaki sauce. 

Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki Tacos 

(Todd Wilbur Recipe) 

1 3/4 cups water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup canned pineapple chunk (chunks sliced into quarters)

1/4 cup pineapple juice , from can of pineapple chunks

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

12 chicken tenderloins

12 (7 inch) flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cheese

4 cups iceberg lettuce , chopped very thin or shredded (optional)

1 1/2 cups canned pineapple chunks (chunks sliced into quarters)

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (about 2 medium tomatoes)

1/2 cup chopped green onion (green part only)

Sour Cream (Optional) 

Make the teriyaki sauce by whisking cornstarch into the water in a medium saucepan. Add remaining ingredients, then bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes or until thicker. Let sauce cool before you use it for marinating.

When the sauce is cool, measure out 1 cup of sauce and set it aside. Use the remaining sauce to pour over chicken tenders in a medium bowl. Cover chicken and let it marinate for at least 6 hours. Overnight is even better. When chicken has marinated, preheat a large skillet over medium/low heat. Wipe the pan with a little oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade (and toss out the marinade) and sauté chicken in the pan for 8 to 10 or until chicken is cooked through and browned on both sides. Slice each chicken filet into 3 or 4 pieces and spoon all the chicken into a medium bowl.

Microwave the leftover 1 cup of teriyaki sauce in the oven for 30 to 60 seconds or until it's hot. Pour the sauce over the sliced chicken in the bowl.

When you're ready to build the tacos, preheat another skillet over medium heat. Toss a tortilla into the pan for a minute, then flip it over and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese across the center of the tortilla. Let the tortilla sit in the pan for about a minute or so (until the cheese starts melting) then remove the tortilla and immediately spoon the equivalent of one chicken tender into the tortilla (3 or 4 chunks of chicken). Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of leftover teriyaki sauce from the cooked chicken bowl over the chicken in each taco. Arrange about 1/3 cup shredded lettuce over the chicken in each taco. Follow that up with 1 to 2 tablespoons of pineapple chunks, 1 to 2 tablespoons diced tomato, and a couple pinches of chopped green onion. Repeat process for remaining tacos.


*You can use your favorite bottled Teriyaki Sauce if you don't want to make the sauce at home.