This chicken taco recipe has a tangy tomato-based sauce that pulls it all together. It gives the shredded chicken filling depth and piquancy and a nice kind of binder-ish heft. I find them a terrific change of pace from simply seasoned pulled meat tacos or ground meat tacos, and the filling can easily be made ahead and reheated.

I made these with soft flour tortillas, but you can use corn tortillas if you prefer. You could also pile the filling into hard tacos. There may be some rules to tacos that have claims to regional Mexican authenticity, but these are not those kinds of tacos. (Also see How to Warm Tortillas!)

Tacos are a wide and broad category of food, so saying, “I could eat tacos for the rest of my life,” is hardly a limiting statement. If anything, it feels expansive — not to mention highly appealing. Move right along to your next taco meal, be it ground beef tacos, turkey tacos, shrimp tacos, or Greek fish tacos!

Shredded Chicken Tacos: The chicken taco filling is pulled together with a tangy tomato sauce that has piquancy and depth.

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Shredded Chicken Taco Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil – The vegetables get sautéed down in oil before adding the chicken.
• Onion – Adds a sweet, deep flavor.
• Bell pepper – Any color of sweet bell pepper is okay.
• Jalapeño – Remove the ribs and seeds before adding the jalapeño to keep the spice level down.
• Finely minced garlic
• Tomato purée – Cooking the chicken with tomato sauce adds depth and a nice thick texture.
• Spices – Dried oregano, ancho chile powder (or regular chili powder), and ground cumin are the spices that flavor this chicken dish.
• Shredded cooked chicken – Cook your chicken in the slow cooker or instant pot, or poach it before shredding and stirring into the sauce.
• Flat-leaf parsley – Fresh and green!
• To serve – I served these up with diced avocado, sour cream, and some very thinly sliced red bell peppers. You can also think about salsa ranchera or pico de gallo, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, chopped scallions or red onions, and/or fresh cilantro. Or all of the above!

Pure Chile Powder in Tacos

If you have pure chile powder, such as ancho, pasilla, or Hatch, then use that, but if all you have is a chili powder blend, that should work fine. In fact, chili powder blends contain some other seasonings that are already at play in this recipe, like cumin, oregano, and garlic, so it will be right at home.

These tacos aren’t particularly spicy; if you are looking for more heat, bump up the amount of chile or chili powder.

Substitutions for Shredded Chicken Tacos

• If you have crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, you can use that instead of the tomato puree.
• Any color bell pepper will be great, and any color onion.
• If you don’t have jalapeño, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
• And if you have simply cooked leftover shredded pork, that would also be great. I have a similar recipe with shrimp, which I also love. My family is hard-pressed to find a taco they don’t like.

How to Make Shredded Chicken Tacos

1. Sauté the vegetables: Cook the onion and bell pepper in oil until softened. Add the jalapeño and garlic, then the tomato purée and spices.
2. Add chicken: Add the chicken and parsley into the sauce and heat to combine.
3. Warm the tortillas.
4. Serve: Assemble your tacos with chicken, warm tortillas, and salsas or other toppings.

What to Serve With Chicken Tacos

Pineapple Mint Jalapeno Salsa

Vegetarian Black Beans and Rice

Avocado Crema

More Taco Recipes

• Alaska Rockfish Tacos
• Flaky Fish Tacos with Vegetable Slaw
• Skirt Steak Tacos
• Grilled Pork Tacos with Salsa Ranchera