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20 minute ground chicken tacos with poblanos

Name: 20 minute ground chicken tacos with poblanos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 8 corn tortillas; 1 tablespoon avocado oil or organic canola oil; 1 poblano chili pepper or green bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 cup finely chopped onion; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 pound ground chicken; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle, or to taste; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; ¼ cup water; limes, salsa, lettuce, cabbage and avocado for serving

Jump To Recipe July 13, 2017 by Katie // 27 Comments »

These 20 minute ground chicken tacos with poblano peppers come together so fast for an easy healthy dinner recipe.

My mom’s side of the family is from Texas. And they all come up here to spend time on Lake Champlain in the summer. When they’re up here- my uncles and cousins, we love to get together for taco parties.

This is something we’ve been doing since I can remember. My Grandma Ginger started it. She would cook for days in preparation, which always somehow coincided with the hottest possible stretches of weather. She loved to complain that it was too hot, and too much work to do the tacos, but she secretly loved to put on these parties. And trust me, we loved her tacos!

She would cook the beef in an uber retro avocado green electric skillet on four feet. It would sit right on the counter, the meat simmering in all its savory spicy glory!

She would also bring really good corn tortillas to Vermont in her suitcase from Texas, and spends hours over hot oil, frying them, one by one, and bending them into shape with red handled tongs. Then with one hand setting it to the side to cool as she was using the other hand to grab another tortilla to take the plunge.

Can we all now take a moment to imagine how amazing her cottage would smell during this cooking spree. Ahhhhh!

The food was always out of this world: giant boatloads of fresh guacamole with lots of lime and salt- not too much else and tortilla chips. Next would come the assembly line for building your own tacos.

Then a conversation about the cheese needing to go into the shell before the meat so the hot meat would melt the cheese. This is the way it is done. Do not question. Ask me how I know.

Along with Gramma’s amazing tacos, we’d also have yellow squash and cheese casserole with canned green chilis. And a favorite in our family- chili relleno bake made with more cheese. We ate ourselves silly.

We still continue the tradition now, though not as fervently as we did when she was still alive.

How To Make 20 Minute Ground Chicken Tacos

Tacos in 20 Minutes

These ground chicken tacos with poblanos are so silly easy, they are a far cry from the slaving over the stove all day tacos Grandma made. These are ready in 20 minutes flat. There is not a single shred of cheese (you won’t miss it since there is soo much gosh darned flavor going on- seriously!)

Use Soft Corn Tortillas

They are not fried. Just fresh and soft corn tortillas. Though I should say, if you’re following a diet that’s grain free or paleo, you can make your own Paleo Tortillas or Wraps too.

Ground Chicken

The texture of the chicken is so tender. Turkey works too, but if you can find ground chicken I think it’s even better because it is more tender. I recommend Coleman Organic or Smart Chicken Organic.

Add Vegetables To Make it Healthy

I also used diced poblano peppers to bulk up the serving size, but they add very little in the way of additional calories. Bonus- they are high in Vitamin C!

So yeah, these are not the gut busting tacos of my youth, but they are so delicious, and easy and summer wouldn’t be right without tacos!

Steps To Make This Recipe

: 1. Cook poblano, onion and garlic in a large skillet with the oil for 5 to 8 minutes.

: 2. Add the ground chicken to the skillet.

: 3. Break up the chicken into small pieces as it becomes opaque. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked, 4 to 6 minutes.

: 4. Add the chili, powder, cumin, salt and chipotle and stir to coat. Cook for about a minute until fragrant.

: 5. Add tomato paste and water and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the water and it forms a sauce.

: 6. Spoon the filling into tortillas and top with lettuce and salsa and any additional toppings you desire.

What To Serve With Ground Chicken Tacos

These Tacos would be delicious with my Mexican Coleslaw and this Mexican Quinoa Salad.
Or you could make this Mexican Bean Salad or this Mexican Corn Salad.
For a full on Taco Party you could offer this chicken filling and Beef Barbacoa and let folks build their own taco platters.
And don’t forget to whip up a batch of this Guacamole and some homemade Pico de Gallo.

QUESTIONS

Do you have a family tradition of a specific meal like a taco party?
Do you put cheese into the shell before the meat to melt it?
Do you ever travel with food in your suitcase?

If you make these Ground Chicken Tacos, please come back and let me know by leaving a star rating and review!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie