The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (2024)

Published: · By: Kylie · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

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This chicken taco seasoning is made with simple pantry staple spices that will take your chicken from bland and boring to mouthwateringly delicious in no time. Keep a jar of it stocked in your pantry so you can throw together chicken tacos in just minutes on a busy weeknight!

The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

1 You Will Love This

2 Ingredients

3 Instructions

4 Tips

5 Making Chicken Tacos

6 FAQ

7 Make-Ahead and Storage

8 More Family-Friendly Dinner Recipes

9 Chicken Taco Seasoning

You Will Love This

  • The best part about this taco seasoning is that you know exactly what's in it! It's made with pantry staple spices that you've probably got in your kitchen already. It will stay good for up to 6 months in a cupboard, so you can make a double batch and have it on hand for quick and easy weeknight dinners.
  • If you loved this chicken seasoning recipe, be sure to check out my chicken street tacos, easy dry rub recipe, 3 ingredient slow cooker shredded chicken tacos, and cheesy chicken taco spaghetti.

Ingredients

The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (2)

Instructions

Combine seasoning ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar.

The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (3)

Store in anairtight containerin a cool dark place (like the cupboard) for up to 6 months. Use to season chicken breast or to create a delicious chicken marinade and enjoy!

Tips

  • This recipe makes about 4 tablespoons of the best taco seasoning which is enough for about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast. Double or triple the recipe so you've always got some taco seasoning on hand for when a craving strikes.
  • Switch up the ingredients to suit your family's taste! This recipe is super forgiving so if you know your family likes cumin a lot, add a couple extra dashes. If they prefer things on the more mild side, add less chili powder and leave out the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Use this recipe as a blueprint and tweak it to make your own family-friendly tacos without the store-bought packet of taco seasoning mix!
  • This homemade taco seasoning can be used to season chicken breast (or boneless skinless chicken thighs) for chicken tacos but you can also use it in black beans, burritos, taco salads, veggie enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, chicken spaghetti casserole, chicken chili, sheet pan nachos, or sheet pan chicken fajitas. You can also use this chicken taco seasoning to season ground beef or ground turkey as well.
The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (4)

Making Chicken Tacos

  • You can use this chicken taco seasoning by itself to season your chicken breast or add your oil of choice - olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil work well - along with some orange juice and lime juice for an easy chicken taco marinade. Either way, pop the seasoned/marinated chicken into the refrigerator for an hour or so to let the flavors marry.
  • Cook chicken breast in a large skillet or on a grill over medium to medium high heat.
  • Dice chicken and serve inside warmed corn tortillas along with diced red onion and fresh chopped cilantro. Add your other favor taco toppings like lettuce, diced tomato, avocado, sour cream, or crumbled Cotija cheese and enjoy!
  • Check out my full recipe for grilled chicken street tacos here!

FAQ

What's the difference between taco seasoning and chicken taco seasoning?

They are very similar and really can be used interchangeably! They contain a lot of the same ingredients but chicken taco seasoning is generally a bit milder since chicken takes on the flavor of the seasoning very easily.

Does taco seasoning work on chicken?

Sure! Feel free to use taco seasoning on your chicken anytime. But, if you have an extra 5 minutes, throw together my easy chicken taco seasoning instead!

Can you use taco seasoning as a rub?

Of course! Taco seasoning makes a great rub for your favorite cut of meat. If you're looking for a more classic rub recipe though, check out my super easy rib rub!

The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (5)

Make-Ahead and Storage

  • Make-Ahead: This taco seasoning will stay good in the pantry for up to 6 months so it's the perfect make-ahead recipe! You can keep this chicken taco seasoning on hand at all times for easy weeknight meals.
  • Storage:Store this seasoning in an airtight container in a cool, dark place like the pantry or a cupboard.

More Family-Friendly Dinner Recipes

  • The Best Rotel Dip Recipe
  • Easy Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
  • The Easiest Chicken Alfredo Lasagna (with Homemade Sauce!)
  • 30 Minute Beef and Noodles Recipe (One Pan Dinner!)

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Chicken Taco Seasoning

The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (10)

Print Recipe

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

This chicken taco seasoning is made with simple pantry staple spices that will take your chicken from bland and boring to mouthwateringly delicious in no time. Keep a jar of it stocked in your pantry so you can throw together chicken tacos in just minutes on a busy weeknight!

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: about 4 tablespoons of seasoning 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Combine seasoning ingredients.
  2. Store in an airtight container or wide mouth mason jar in a cool dark place (like the cupboard) for up to 6 months.
  3. Use seasoning to make my quick and easy grilled chicken street tacos.

Notes

  • This recipe makes about 4 tablespoons of seasoning which is enough for about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast. Double or triple the recipe so you've always got some chicken taco seasoning on hand for when a craving strikes.
  • Switch up the ingredients to suit your family's taste! This recipe is super forgiving so if you know your family likes cumin a lot, add a couple extra dashes. If they prefer things on the more mild side, add less chili powder and leave out the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Use this recipe as a blueprint and tweak it to make it your own!
  • This homemade chicken taco seasoning can be used to season chicken breast (or boneless skinless chicken thighs) for chicken tacos but you can also use it in black beans, burritos, taco salads, veggie enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, chicken spaghetti casserole, chicken chili, sheet pan nachos, or sheet pan chicken fajitas. You can also use this chicken taco seasoning to season ground beef or ground turkey as well.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 10
  • Sugar: 0.2 g
  • Sodium: 341.1 mg
  • Fat: 0.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 1.9 g
  • Fiber: 0.8 g
  • Protein: 0.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julia

    So my husband can't eat any capsasin peppers of any kind so Mexican is always a challenge. I used this recipe but omitted the chili cayenne paprika and replaced it with 1/2 Tbsp of turmeric (I feel like I could have added more) and 1 tsp of fine ground white peppercorn (not related to capsasin pepper so we can use them). OMG it was the best chicken I've had on tacos EVER!

    Reply

    • Kylie

      YES! I am so glad to hear that, Julia!! This is our go-to taco seasoning also 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review - I really appreciate it.

      Reply

  2. matt crook

    Looks delicious! I might add a little cilantro...

    Reply

    • Kylie

      Great idea, Matt! Cilantro is always a delicious addition!

      Reply

  3. James

    Excellent seasoning. I also used it in my southwestern salad.

    Reply

  4. Pat Yates

    This is super! Hubby has to watch salt so I’m very glad to kick this up with extra spice!

    Reply

  5. Lyn

    Looks like a winner! Is there any reason it can't be used with ground beef or steak?

    Reply

    • Kylie

      No reason at all! This would be delicious with ground beef or steak! Great question, Lyn!

      Reply

  6. Luke

    We will never buy taco seasoning at the store again! This is way better than store-bought and so easy to make. We used it for fajitas too and it was really good.

    Reply

Leave a star rating and review or ask a question!

The Best Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I use if I don't have enough taco seasoning? ›

Packet Taco Seasoning replacement: if you only want to make enough taco seasoning to replace 1 packet, use the following amounts:
  1. 1 tablespoon chili powder.
  2. ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
  3. ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
  4. Pinch of cayenne pepper.
  5. ¼ teaspoon dried oregano.
  6. ½ teaspoon paprika.
  7. 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin.
  8. 1 teaspoon salt.
Mar 16, 2021

What's the difference between chicken and beef taco seasoning? ›

The main difference is the spice level. Typically, chicken tacos are more of a mild spice level. But they can be used interchangeably! Use this seasoning for ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or even shredded chicken!

Do you add water before or after taco seasoning? ›

Pretty much everyone knows the drill: Brown the meat, breaking it up as you go, sprinkle the taco seasoning over it, and add a specific amount of water, simmering and stirring until thickened.

How much taco seasoning for 1 pound of meat? ›

To use: Use about 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning for every 1 pound of meat. Use more or less depending on your preference. Brown meat and drain the fat. Add your taco seasoning along with about 1/2 cup of water.

What happens if you don't add water to taco seasoning? ›

As the water evaporates away, you wonder, hey, what does that water really do, and is it necessary? Turns out it's essential for giving the proper consistency to the taco meat because those seasoning mixes contain cornstarch, which requires water and heat to create a sauce.

What is chicken taco meat called? ›

Pollo is chicken in Spanish. This is a popular choice in tacos as well. Chicken is marinated and then cut into small pieces, making it the perfect filling for your tacos. Some will also prepare it by shredding it before putting in the tortillas.

What is chicken seasoning the same as poultry seasoning? ›

Is Chicken Seasoning The Same as Poultry Seasoning? Yes, but don't confuse chicken/poultry seasoning with chicken bouillon.

Are chicken tacos healthier than beef? ›

Loading your taco with salty beef and fatty cheese is not the healthiest option, although it may be a delicious one. Opting for chicken or meatless tacos has its benefits to your health. Also, adding veggies and healthy fats like avocado and chickpeas to your tacos is another way of making a healthier taco.

What brings out the flavour in chicken? ›

Use a brine

Brining your chicken is a foolproof way to not only add flavour to your roast but also to ensure you don't overcook the meat. Essentially a mix of salt, sugar and water, we love adding herbs, garlic or whole spices such as fennel and cumin to flavour the brine.

How do I give chicken the best flavor? ›

Add a touch of spice to your chicken breast by combining paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ginger, garlic and olive oil to create a paste. Then cover your chicken breast with the paste and pat down to secure.

What spices enhance the flavor of chicken? ›

5 best spice and herbs blends for chicken and meat
  • Paprika and garlic powder. Paprika is a great spice that makes any chicken dish stand out, it comes in many forms sweet, hot, regular and smoky. ...
  • Basil and rosemary. ...
  • Ginger and lemongrass. ...
  • Turmeric and chili. ...
  • Coriander and cumin.

What is the basic rule of adding seasoning? ›

Don't Let the Flavor Disappear - It's best to add ground or cut spices and herbs around the midway point or towards the end of the cooking process, so that their flavors won't disappear. This allows the spices enough time to marry with the food.

Can I use milk instead of water with taco seasoning? ›

But instead, we're going to use our fifth ingredient, milk. Using milk instead of water helps to play on the natural creaminess you'd expect from ranch which adds a really nice mouthfeel to the taco meat. Once we add the seasonings and milk to the cooked chicken, we'll let it all simmer together to become one.

What is the order of taco ingredients? ›

To assemble tacos, layer beef mixture, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes in each taco shell. Serve with salsa; top with sour cream.

What can I add to taco meat to make it go further? ›

Potatoes!! The potato skin to be exact. I asked the waiter about this and he said that's what gives it its creaminess and that his mother used to add potatoes (and sometimes pinto beans) to their ground beef to make it go further.

How do you season without seasoning? ›

Acids act a little like salt in that they help bring out the natural brightness of foods and work to meld flavors together. Try making a quick salad dressing with lemon juice and zest or red wine vinegar with a smidge of oil—or toss veggies and grains with citrus or vinegar to brighten them up.

How do you spice up bland taco meat? ›

For tacos or Mexican dishes, common spices for ground beef include cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne for heat. Adjust quantities based on personal taste preferences.

Can you replace taco seasoning with chili seasoning? ›

It would be a different tasting but fair exchange. Chili seasoning is usually salt, chili powder or flakes, cumin, perhaps dried cilantro, parsley and onion powder. Taco seasoning is not as spicy as chili seasoning so you'll need to perk it up to your taste.

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