Ground chicken is a flavorful, lower fat and useful option as a substitute for other ground meats. You just have to know how to cook ground chicken recipe (Easy, Tacos) and you’ll be off and running!
How to Cook Ground Chicken
There are so many ways to use ground chicken that you will be surprised. In fact, if you can imagine a use for a ground meat, then ground chicken is probably the answer! Way back when, I wrote a comprehensive guide for ground beef and most of what’s in there holds true for ground chicken too!
But no worries, I won’t send you off looking somewhere else for your answers, you can find them right here!
This recipe shows you how to cook ground chicken as a ground meat to use for recipes. You can also use ground chicken for burgers, simply pat it into a burger and use it that way for that purpose (you may want to mix in a bit of ground sausage for flavor and texture).
Other great uses for ground chicken include chicken meatballs, chicken patties, chicken burgers, taco salad, sloppy joes and chicken meatloaf!
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Lean ground chicken like boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Corn tortillas or taco shells, lettuce wraps or favorite rice like brown rice or cauliflower rice
- Favorite toppings and sides like sour cream, green onion, black beans, bell peppers or poblano peppers
- Seasonings (like chili powder, red pepper flakes, fresh garlic, pico de gallo, cayenne pepper, homemade taco seasoning and other blend of spices).
Here’s How You Make Ground Chicken Tacos
A great way to make an easy meal for busy weeknights for the whole family! Pick up the ingredients at the grocery store and have them in your pantry and freezer for this ground chicken taco recipe. It's one of our favorite recipes!
- The first step is to brown your own ground chicken mixture in a couple of minutes in a large skillet on medium high heat.
- Add the seasonings to the chicken mince and cook until it is brown all the way through on the stove top.
- Use the taco meat for an easy dinner by serving in a shell or on taco chips!
Substitutions
- You can substitute the ground chicken for most any other type of ground meat.
- You can sub almost any carb for the shell (like tortillas, rice, potatoes or even cauliflower if you are trying to cut carbs) for easy dinner recipe
- Try vegetable oil, butter, EVO or any other cooking oil for the oil noted.
Tips and Tricks
- Ground chicken is a GREAT substitution for other ground meats. It’s perfect to add to ground pork or ground beef or ground turkey..
- Ground chicken holds together about the same as ground beef and is kind of sticky. You can directly substitute it for other ground meats.
- When cooking ground chicken as a burger or in other ground chicken recipes, allow the meat to completely sear and cook on one side before trying to turn. Otherwise, the meat will stick to the surface and tear the meat.
- Break up the meat into smaller pieces as you are putting it into the pan. Pinch off or break off small pieces to put in the pan, this makes breaking them up with a wooden spoon as they cook much easier.
- Use this cooked ground chicken for all kinds of dishes including spaghetti sauce, chicken meatball recipe, and taco pie!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Yes! Definitely! Simply place into a freezer safe package, remove as much air as possible, write the date on the package and place in the freezer. Store for up to 3 months.
Keep covered in the refrigerator and it will last for up to 5 days.
Watch Me Make This Dish
(This is actually a video on breaking up ground beef, however, it is the same concept for ground chicken)
Can You Give Me A Hand?
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How to Cook Ground Chicken Recipe (Easy, Tacos)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs oil
- 1 lb chicken ground
- 3 Tbs Taco Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup water
- 1 pinch Kosher Salt optional based on taste
- 1 pinch black pepper optional based on taste
Instructions
- In a frying pan set over medium heat on the stove top, add oil to the pan. Use your fingers to break up and pull off pieces of the ground chicken in chunks and put into the pan.
- Once the ground chicken is all added to the pan, use a potato masher to mash and break up the ground chicken into fine, small pieces. Repeat this as the ground chicken cooks.
- Once the ground chicken is no longer pink, add the taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and stir well.
- Add 1 Cup of chicken broth to the pan and put a lid on the pan and allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and if there is still water in the pan, increase the heat to medium high and allow the excess water to cook off. Once cooked off, taste to see if you want to add any salt and pepper.
- Serve hot with taco base of your choice and toppings of your choice.
Notes
- Chicken is very lean and you may not have any fat to drain, don't worry about this.
- Chicken will need more seasoning than beef, usually.
- Allow the meat to cook and sear well before trying to flip or turn. When the meat is completely seared, it will release from the pan, but before that, it will stick and it makes trying to brown the meat a bit nightmarish.
- If you do not have a potato mashing tool, break up with a wooden spoon or spatula as best you can.
- You probably will not need to add salt and pepper at the end, but keep it open as an option. Chicken often needs more seasoning than other ground meats.
Nutrition
This article was originally posted on the pages of Loaves and Dishes on Sept. 13, 2022 and has been updated with new information, an updated recipe card and much more!
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Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you
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