Chicken
$1.67per plate
Prep
10 min
Chicken · Ground Chicken
Ground Chicken Taco Skillet
Ground chicken is one of the cheapest lean proteins in the meat case, and it takes on whatever seasoning you give it. This page starts with our go-to budget ground chicken dinner, an easy taco skillet that feeds four for about $1.65 a plate, then links out to more cheap ground chicken and chicken recipes on the site. Every one shows the cost per plate before you shop, because that is the whole point of Budget Plates.
$1.65per plate
Estimated recipe total
$6.58 · serves 4
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
4
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/ground-chicken-recipes
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Wooden spoon, for breaking up the meat
- Instant-read thermometer
Variations
- Stir in a drained can of black or pinto beans with the tomatoes to stretch the filling further.
- Swap the corn tortillas for flour, or spoon the filling over rice for a burrito bowl.
- Top with avocado, sour cream, or shredded lettuce for a fresher, cooler bite.
1 How to make it
1
Brown the ground chicken
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high and add the ground chicken. Break it up and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until it is no longer pink and reaches 165 F on an instant-read thermometer. Ground chicken is lean, so the oil and a hot pan are what give you browned, flavorful bits instead of steamed gray meat.
2
Add onion and seasoning
Stir in the diced onion and the taco seasoning and cook 3 to 4 minutes until the onion softens and the spices smell toasted. Blooming the spices in the hot fat for a minute deepens the flavor far more than dumping them in at the end.
3
Simmer with tomatoes
Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juice and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until most of the liquid cooks off and the filling is thick and saucy. Taste and adjust the salt now, since ground chicken needs a bit more than beef.
4
Melt the cheese and warm the tortillas
Scatter the shredded cheese over the top, cover the skillet, and let it melt for 1 to 2 minutes off the heat. Warm the corn tortillas in a dry pan or the microwave, then spoon the filling in and top as you like.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey for ground chicken. Ground turkey cooks and seasons exactly the same way and is often the same price or cheaper. Use whichever the store has on sale that week.
- Salsa for canned tomatoes. A cup of jarred salsa can stand in for the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning together, since it already has the spices and acid. A fast shortcut when the pantry is thin.
- Serve over rice instead of tortillas. Skip the tortillas and spoon the filling over a pot of cheap white rice for a burrito bowl. It stretches the meal further and costs less than tortillas.
- Add a can of beans. A drained can of black or pinto beans stretches the pound of chicken across more plates and adds fiber for about a dollar. Stir it in with the tomatoes.
3 Budget tips
- Ground chicken often costs less per pound than ground beef and takes seasoning just as well, so it is one of the best swaps for stretching a meat budget.
- Because it is lean, a pound of ground chicken browns down less than beef, so pair it with tomatoes, beans, or rice to fill plates without buying more meat.
- Mix your own taco seasoning from pantry spices instead of buying packets. A batch costs pennies and skips the fillers and extra salt.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate the cooked filling in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep tortillas and toppings separate so nothing goes soggy.
Freezer
Freeze the cooled taco filling flat in a bag for up to 3 months. It thaws fast and reheats in a skillet, which makes it a great make-ahead base for quick dinners.
Reheating
Reheat the filling in a skillet over medium with a splash of water for a few minutes, or microwave until steaming. Warm fresh tortillas separately so they do not toughen.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
370
Protein
26g
Fat
16g
Carbs
30g
Estimates per plate of taco skillet, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Is ground chicken cheaper than ground beef?
Often, yes. Ground chicken is usually priced at or below ground beef and is leaner, so it is a smart swap for stretching a tight meat budget. The tradeoff is that it browns down more, so lean on tomatoes, beans, or rice to fill the plate.
How do you keep ground chicken from being dry or bland?
Cook it in a little oil over higher heat so it browns instead of steaming, season it more assertively than you would beef, and do not overcook it. Simmering it in a sauce, like the tomatoes here, keeps it moist.
What are the best budget ground chicken recipes?
A taco skillet like this one, rice bowls, and anything saucy where the seasoning carries the dish. Ground chicken is a blank slate, so the cheapest wins are recipes where pantry spices and a can of tomatoes do the flavor work.
How is the price per plate figured?
About $6.58 for the taco skillet, divided across four plates, which is roughly $1.65 each. The pound of ground chicken is most of the cost, so a sale on it moves the number the most.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
Cooks up quick in one skillet - also part of our easy skillet meals collection and our 30 minutes or less collection.
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