Chicken Picadillo
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This chicken picadillo is an easy, healthy recipe to make for dinner on a busy night. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
A Mexican-themed dinner ends up on my meal plan just about every week. There are so many family favorites, including my vegetarian enchilada casserole, Mexican frittata, and sweet potato black bean enchiladas. Taco night has many different looks in my house.
Traditional Mexican picadillo is often made with ground beef, and it typically includes potatoes. This chicken picadillo recipe is a variation that features chicken breast and a flavorful tomato and green pepper sauce.
Picadillo can be served as a filling for tacos or tamales, and it can also be eaten on its own. I like to serve this chicken picadillo with rice for a hearty, healthy dinner.
Chicken Picadillo Tips
Chop the chicken breast into small pieces (about 1/2 inch cubes). This will help with quick cooking and even distribution throughout the dish.
You can also make this meal with ground chicken for a more traditional picadillo texture. To make this substitution, simply brown the ground chicken in place of the chicken breast, and proceed with the recipe as written.
The combination of chicken broth and lemon juice gives this dish a little zing to it. I love the slightly tart flavor, but you can adjust the amount of lemon juice to suit your tastes.
The raisins give this meal a sweet element as well. Let them soften a bit while the picadillo simmers. The sweetness is a great contrast to the other flavors.
Serve this chicken picadillo with rice, or stuff it into tacos for a delicious, healthy dinner. Garnish with cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, or whatever other toppings you like on tacos.
Ingredients
- 2 tbs avocado oil
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 chopped green pepper
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- Pour one tablespoon of avocado oil into a large skillet and add the chopped chicken. Saute over medium heat, stirring and turning the chicken pieces, until all the pieces are cooked through to an internal temperature of 160 degrees (about 5 minutes).
- Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil along with the onion to the pan. Sauté over medium heat until translucent.
- Add the garlic and green pepper, cooking over medium low heat until the pepper starts to soften.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, lemon juice, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir together and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for five minutes to reduce the liquid.
- Add the cooked chicken and raisins to the skillet and cook over medium low for another two minutes, stirring occasionally. It’s done when it’s thickened to your liking and the raisins are softened.
- This can be served on its own or with rice.
Nutrition
Price Breakdown
This recipe costs $7.74 to make, or $1.94 per serving. Try this chicken picadillo for a quick, healthy dinner on a busy night.
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2012, and it was updated in 2019.
Thanks for the comment! I’m looking forward to trying your honey lime chicken in the near future.