Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe

Store-bought taco seasoning packets often fall flat with bland, one-dimensional flavor that leaves your chicken tacos tasting ordinary. This homemade chicken taco seasoning changes everything with its bold, smoky blend, transforming simple ground chicken into restaurant-quality tacos. The secret lies in the perfect balance of eight carefully selected spices that create layers of flavor without overwhelming heat.

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Why chicken taco seasoning mix works

You can purchase ready-to-use taco seasoning in a store-bought packet, but the store-bought varieties are a little bland. This homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning recipe is bold, smoky, and packed with enough flavor to upgrade your favorite chicken tacos.

The well-balanced blend adds a depth of flavor to the chicken without overpowering the rest of the ingredients in the taco. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to prepare the seasoning.

You can easily adjust the blend to customize the spice level to your taste. Don’t worry about waste; the spice blend stores wonderfully in the pantry and is worth trying on ground beef, ground chicken, grilled veggies, and even roasted potatoes!

Ingredients and why they are in the recipe 

For the homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning, you’ll need:

• Chili powder (McCormick recommended) – provides a little heat and colors the blend. McCormick brand is mild in flavor and spice level. 
• Ground Cumin – contributes a warm, earthy taste. It’s a typical Tex-Mex flavor. 
• Smoked paprika – enhances the blend with a smoky sweetness. 
• Onion powder – brings onion flavor to the mix.
• Garlic powder  – enhances the blend with the taste of mild garlic
• Mexican oregano – adds hints of citrus and floral pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper – gives the blend a stronger traditional black pepper flavor. 
• Salt – heightens the other flavors in the mix. 

How to make taco seasoning for chicken

To prepare this super simple dump-and-mix Chicken Taco Seasoning recipe:

1. Place all the Chicken Taco Seasoning ingredients into a small bowl or zip-top plastic bag. 
2. Whisk to combine the ingredients in the bowl, seal the bag, and shake it to combine everything. Pour it into an airtight container.
3. Store the spice blend in a cool, dry, dark place like a cupboard.

How to use this chicken seasoning 

You can use this Tex-Mex seasoning anywhere, but it is perfect for chicken tacos. Here is a wonderful Chicken Taco recipe that you need to try:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add a tablespoon of olive oil when it is hot and swirl the skillet. 
3. Crumble a pound of ground chicken into the skillet and sprinkle two tablespoons of the taco seasoning you made over the ground chicken.
4. Stir well to coat the chicken with the spice blend. Cook for a few minutes to color the chicken. 
5. Pour a half cup of chicken broth or water into the skillet and bring the liquid to a simmer. 
6. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, five to 10 minutes. 
7. Heat the soft flour tortillas. 
8. Spoon the cooked chicken into a heated tortilla and add your favorite toppings, such as chopped lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced tomatoes. 

What to serve with Chicken Tacos 

The Chicken Tacos recipe above is delicious and goes with tons of sides. Here are three that will turn a couple of Chicken Tacos into a full-on Tex-Mex feast:

Charro Beans – These saucy pinto beans are flavorful thanks to bacon, veggies, spices, and a little fresh cilantro. You can think of them as the south-of-the-border version of pork and beans. This copycat recipe for Pappasito’s Cantina Frijoles a la Charra is an extra delicious yet inexpensive dish you can eat as a main or serve as a side. The best part is it makes a ton, and the beans only get better after a day or two in the fridge. 

Cilantro Lime Rice.  Believe it or not, rice must not be bland. Upgrade your rice with Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice. It’s fresh and fragrant with a citrus tang that elevates whatever you serve alongside it. It would be a shame if it weren’t so easy to make because you would want to have it with just about everything. 

Roasted Street Corn. If you have farm-fresh corn on the cob, it would be a real shame not to try making this recipe for Roasted Street Corn. Roasting the corn concentrates its sweetness and balances out the saltiness of the cotija cheese. A slathering of mayo introduces a rich creaminess to the dish. At the same time, the cilantro brightens everything up with a hint of freshness. 

How to store your homemade seasoning 

The most crucial tip for ensuring your taco seasoning for chicken won’t go bad is to keep it dry and away from direct sunlight. You can keep the blend for months, but the spices will lose their flavor over time. If you use fresh herbs, the mix should still taste wonderful after a month or two.

To prevent clumping, add a few grains of white rice to the airtight container and the spices. Give the container a good shake before using the spice mixture to break up clumps.

Popular homemade spice mix recipes

• Cajun Spice Mix
• Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix
• Old Bay Seasoning
• Outback Steak Seasoning
• Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Check out more of the best DIY recipes on CopyKat!