Chicken Taco Seasoning

The best homemade chicken taco seasoning and an instant new favorite. It’s a perfectly balanced, delicious blend of flavors. With chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, oregano, garlic powder and black pepper – its the medley of spices in just the right amounts that makes the most irresistible chicken tacos you’ll ever have!

This chicken taco seasoning recipe makes THE BEST chicken tacos! It can be whipped up in 5 minutes or less and if you make a large batch, it keeps for up to six months making taco night as easy as can be.

Having homemade chicken taco seasoning on hand makes taco night a breeze on busy weeknights! Homemade seasonings cut out all of the yucky preservatives, artificial flavors, sugar and extra salt you find in store-bought packets and seasoning blends for a fraction of the price. Move over McCormick, we’re making our own now!

Having a perfectly balanced blend takes out the guess work. If there’s too much of any one spice, it can be overpowering so getting those ratios right is the key here. Everyone that tries this seasoning blend raves and I got a “these are the best tacos I’ve ever had” comment from a dinner guest just a few days ago. Yup, it’s that good.

You can use it on any kind of tacos you like, including my ground turkey tacos, but I like using it on chicken tacos best. You can substitute it for the seasoning blend in my crockpot chicken tacos recipe or whatever chicken recipe you prefer for tacos!

Ingredients and Substitutions

The simple ingredients for this are pretty basic and if you cook regularly, you probably already have them in the spice cupboard. While ordinary on their own, they come together to be absolutely mouth watering combined.

This recipe is great for diets like Keto, low-carb, whole 30, paleo, or any other diet that emphasizes protein and doesn’t allow sugar. You can easily customize the ingredients to fit your needs or preferences as well.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• chili powder – make sure to use a Mexican chili powder blend.
• paprika – or swap for smoked paprika for a tasty twist.
• ground cumin – essential to any taco recipe.
• salt – I use Himalayan for it’s purity and taste but use what you prefer.
• oregano – any will work but if you have the option, choose Mexican oregano instead of Italian.
• garlic powder – basic but essential for flavor, I buy mine in bulk.
• onion powder – subtle but adds flavor.
• pepper – black pepper adds a touch of spice without making it overly spicy.

This spice blend makes enough to season 2 pounds of chicken. It is customizable and made for family-friendly tacos so if you want it spicy add a dash of cayenne pepper or some crushed red pepper flakes. If you are on a low-sodium diet, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.

How to make it

Making your own taco seasoning is as simple as they come with just two easy steps:

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl
2. Stir and Voilà, it’s done and ready to use.

Make a big batch and keep it on hand for every time you make tacos! Just make sure to store it in a tightly sealing jar in a cupboard with the rest of your spices and it will keep for as long as your spices maintain their potency.

Ways to use this seasoning for chicken

While I love the diced and sautéed method I shared, I’m a sucker for any and all tacos. Luckily you can use this authentic Mexican seasoning for all of your favorite taco recipes, in any way, shape or form you prefer.

Here are some ideas for cooking methods:

• Diced and sautéed
• Oven baked, then shredded
• Crockpot for 6 hours, then shredded
• Grilled whole and then diced
• Instant pot and then shredded
• Sliced and sautéed with peppers and onions for fajitas
• Ground chicken (add diced peppers and onions for more nutrients and flavor)

And of course you can use it to season scrambled eggs, black beans, avocado toast or any other type of tacos you’re preparing too!

Storage

Once mixed, store the Mexican chicken spice rub in a tightly sealed glass airtight container away from direct light (like in a spice cabinet or pantry) for up to 6 months. A mason jar works great. It will probably still taste fine after that point for up to a year but the paprika and chili powder may loose their freshness.

To make a bigger batch, use the + and – symbol at the top of the recipe card to increase the serving size the batch size you want to make. I typically make make a double batch or even a triple batch by adjusting the serving size to 12 or 16, so that I always have some on hand.

How to use this seasoning to make chicken tacos

I love using this Mexican chicken seasoning blend to make shredded chicken tacos or on diced chicken for quick stove top authentic chicken tacos. The version pictured here is our favorite chicken taco recipe lately. It’s kind of like the diced chicken you get at a Chipotle, but better since the chicken is fully immersed in seasoning.

Cooking this way makes for juicy little flavor bombs. You can definitely rub whole chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs with seasoning and dice after cooking but then each piece doesn’t get as smothered in seasoning.

And to turn that beautiful chicken taco seasoning into actual chicken tacos, you’ll also need:

• 2 lbs. of chicken breasts or thighs, about 3 chicken breasts or 5-6 thighs
• fresh lime juice
• oil (I use avocado oil since it has a high smoke point)

Here’s how to make diced chicken tacos with this seasoning:

1. Cut the chicken into small 1/4″ pieces, rubbing with 1 Tbsp. oil and then all of the seasoning.
2. Let the chicken sit for at least half an hour (cover and refrigerate if longer).
3. After marinating in seasoning, heat oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken over medium heat. Sauté chicken until it’s no longer pink inside (6-8 mins).
4. Squeeze the juice from a lime on top, toss and serve with your favorite taco fixings. 
5. When you’re done making the chicken, top with all of your favorite taco toppings and dig in. Your end result is beautiful chicken tacos that are juicy, full of flavor and will be loved by one and all.

How much taco seasoning per pound of meat?

Use a little over 2 Tablespoons. The recipe is written to season 2 pounds (about 1 kg) of chicken.

Originally published August 18, 2020. Content has been updated since then.