Real Ingredients. Real Easy. Real Good.
My Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning is about to change your mind about those little seasoning packets you’re using for your tacos… I mean, not about buying them because we all know we’re going to keep buying them for those last minute taco emergencies… but about the fact that you can make insanely good and even better taco seasoning with a handful of pantry ingredients in about 5 minutes. Barely longer than it takes to open that little packet.
This recipe is savoury, a little smoky, a little spicy and turns your chicken from plain to taco-mazing. You can use it as a dry seasoning or, with a couple of tweaks, use it to make thick, rich, saucy taco meet. I’ll tell you all about it.
So many taco seasoning recipes I’ve seen are just dry spices mixed up and tossed in with the meat and that’s just not what I want in my homemade version. I want taco meat that turns out exactly like it does when you use a store-bought seasoning. The kind where you brown the meat and then add in the seasoning with a little water to create a rich, saucy mixture that is just so, so good. That’s why this recipe is the best. It does exactly that.
I have been making this easy recipe for years and it is perfect every time. I use it for chicken, for beef, for beans. I’ve even sprinkled it on fish for fish tacos. It’s absolutely foolproof and completely delicious. Just give me 5 minutes and I swear it will change your life. The only homemade taco seasoning recipe you’ll ever need. Dramatic? Probably. True though? Yep.
Scroll past the recipe if you’re looking for tips, substitutions, questions, etc. and details on how to make this recipe, but if you want to get straight to it, here’s my recipe-ish…
Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
For the seasoning mix:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn flour*
- 1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder**
- 1 tsp dried minced onion 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp seasoning salt 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp cayenne
For cooking***:
- 1 pound chicken ground or chopped
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup****
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
Make the seasoning mix:
- Combine the corn flour, chili powder, chicken bouillon powder, minced onion, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, seasoning salt, smoked paprika, cumin, sugar and cayenne in a bowl.
- Whisk well.
To make seasoned taco chicken:
- Heat some oil in a skillet.
- Add in the chicken and brown.
- When almost cooked, stir in the seasoning mix.
- Add in the tomato paste or ketchup (if using, see notes) and the water. Allow to simmer and thicken.
Notes
Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Corn Flour – corn flour is not the same thing as corn starch. Yes, they are both made from corn, but corn flour is simply finely ground whole corn. Corn starch is made only from the starchy part of the corn. I use corn flour in this recipe, but you can sub in corn starch in a pinch.
Chili Powder – the standard, grocery store stuff.
Chicken Bouillon Powder – easily found in the soup section of the supermarket. You can also use bouillon concentrate, just add it in when you cook the chicken instead of into the dry mix or you’ll have a hot mess on your hands. I also sub in beef bouillon when I use this seasoning mix for taco beef, like I do in my Loaded French Fries Recipe (which also uses my easy Jalapeño Cheese Sauce Recipe… just sayin’).
Seasonings – garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder and dried onion are all pretty standard pantry ingredients. Smoked paprika is not as common, but really does give a lovely sweet-smoky element to the seasoning.
Tomato Paste – adding in a little tomato paste (or ketchup) when you cook the meat is a little trick I learned from my sis-in-law and now I can’t make any kind of taco meat without it. It gives just a little extra depth of flavour and tang that is so good.
Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe Variations:
Extra Spicy Version – double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe.
Beef Version – sub in beef bouillon for the chicken and quickly adapt this recipe for homemade beef taco seasoning.
Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe, how to make it…
Start with corn flour. This is what helps everything stick, and what turns dry taco chicken into thick, sauce taco heaven. Add in chili powder because it’s the basis for all good taco things, and chicken bouillon powder because it gives a big umami boost. Throw in some minced onion, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, and seasoning salt. Then we add in a bit of smoked paprika for a touch of smokiness, cumin for depth, a little sugar for balance, and cayenne for some heat. Give it a good whisk and you’re done.
To cook up some taco chicken, heat up a little oil in a skillet and when it’s hot, toss in your chicken and let it cook until golden and browned. When it’s almost cooked, sprinkle in the seasoning mix and give everything a stir.
Add in a spoonful of tomato paste (or ketchup, because sometimes we improvise) and some water. Mix well and let it simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens up and coats the chicken.
looking for other quick and easy ideas like this Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning recipe? try these…
- My Al Pastor Sauce – Easiest Ever also makes the most amazing tacos!
- This Honey Hot Sauce is another 5 minute recipe that you can use so many ways.
- My Arugula Chimichurri with Jalapeño could also go on your chicken tacos to take them up a notch.
- Maybe not for Mexican night, but I think you’ll love this Easy Creamy Goma Dressing too.
If you like this Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe let me know what you think in the comments below and please find and follow me on Social Media!
