Chicken Tacos

Servings: 12 tacos

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds ground chicken (not extra-lean all breast meat)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (see note)
• 12 hard taco shells
• 2 cups shredded lettuce or purple cabbage, optional for topping
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, optional for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Heat the olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, red peppers and green peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and just starting to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more.
3. Add the ground chicken, paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt. Turn the heat to high; use a wooden spoon to stir and break the chicken into small clumps until the chicken is partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, then turn the heat down to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking chicken into smaller clumps, for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
4. Meanwhile, remove the taco shells from the package and lay sideways on baking sheet. Pull the stack apart, overlapping the edges slightly. Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until crisp. Spoon the chicken into the shells and serve with toppings.
5. Note: To save time, you can chop the bell peppers and onions in a food processor; just be sure not to purée them. You can also use 1 teaspoon ground coriander in place of the fresh cilantro; add it along with the other spices.

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