Chicken Taco Potato Bowls – Super Flavorful, High-Protein, Quick & Easy Dinner
Do you ever crave something comforting, easy, and packed with protein? Well, these chicken taco potato bowls might just become your go-to comfort food! They are loaded with seasoned chicken, crispy potatoes, pico de gallo, and the best part is – smoky yogurt lime sauce!
I came up with these bowls during a very hectic week where I needed some quick meals that wouldn’t bore me on day two. On my first attempt at making the dish, I crowded the pan with way too much chicken at once and ended up with pale and watery chicken pieces. Since then, I’ve been cooking the chicken in batches, and the results are amazing!
Now let me walk you through exactly how to make these super easy chicken taco potato bowls!
Ingredients
Taco Potatoes
- 900g all-purpose potatoes (around 2 pounds)
- 1 tsp onion powder (3g)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (3g)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (2g)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (2g)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (1g)
- 1/4-1/2 tsp chili powder/cayenne pepper (1g)
- Salt & cracked black pepper (as needed)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (15ml)
This recipe calls for smoked paprika, which adds that delicious smoky note and leaves the potatoes smelling like they are grilling!
Chicken
- 900g boneless skinless chicken breast (2 pounds)
- 1 tsp onion powder (3g)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (3g)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (2g)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (2g)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (1g)
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- Salt & cracked black pepper (as needed)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (15ml)
I choose chicken breasts here because they will stay lean while cooking and won’t dry out. However, don’t overcook it!
Pico De Gallo
- 220g cherry tomatoes (around 1 1/2 cups diced)
- 1 small red onion (around 100g / 3/4 cup diced)
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- 5g cilantro /coriander (2 tbsp chopped)
- Juice of 1 lime (2 tbsp)
- Salt & black pepper (as needed)
I find that reducing the pulp of the tomatoes prior to chopping them reduces the amount of liquid in the pico. This is something I noticed while meal prepping this dish several times already.
Smoky Lime Yogurt Sauce
- 200g plain Greek yogurt (3/4 cup)
- 5g cilantro /coriander (2 tbsp chopped)
- Zest of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1-2 tbsp chipotle hot sauce (15-30ml)
Greek yogurt not only adds creaminess to the sauce but also keeps the whole bowl light and fresh.
Preparing the Potatoes
Start by thoroughly washing the potatoes (with the skin on). Slice them in half, then quarter each half and cut into large bite-sized pieces.
It is important to cut all the potatoes into even-sized pieces. On my first attempt, some potatoes were completely soft, while others remained hard in the middle.
Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, and oil.
Right after you add the spices, you will notice that distinct smoky scent of the cumin/paprika mixture that fills up the whole house!
Next, transfer the potatoes into an air fryer or spread them on a baking sheet.
Tip: Leave some space between the potatoes so that their edges can be nicely browned.
Season the Chicken
Cube the chicken in a similar way as you did with the potatoes (the same size as potatoes).
Put the chicken cubes into a large mixing bowl and season them with onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, chili flakes, salt, pepper, and oil.
Make sure that every single cube gets covered in the spices (they should form a nice smoky-red coating). Also, you can wait a minute or two before proceeding with cooking.
Tip: Fresh chicken pieces can contract and toughen up in the pan. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Prepare the Pico de Gallo
Dice the tomatoes and add them to a bowl. Then finely chop the red onion and the jalapeno.
It is better to chop all ingredients similarly in order to achieve even consistency in the sauce.
Add the cilantro and lime juice to the bowl. Stir everything together, adding some salt and pepper.
The smell at this stage is absolutely delightful – sharp onions, sour limes, and tomatoes combined with cilantro. I cannot stop myself from inhaling this wonderful aroma every time I prepare it.
Taste the pico to ensure that it is tasty. Some extra lime juice can be added at this point if the tomatoes are not sweet enough.
Tip: If your diced onion has an unpleasantly sharp smell, just rinse it with cold water for 30 seconds before incorporating it into the sauce.
Mix Smoky Lime Sauce
Combine the Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, and chipotle hot sauce.
Lime zest is an ingredient that makes a big difference as far as its aromatic qualities are concerned. It brings some freshness that cuts down on the fattening effect of the chicken.
Stir all the ingredients until completely smooth and creamy. The sauce should have a pale orange color with small bits of green.
I suggest storing this sauce in a squeeze bottle for better serving.
Cooking the Potatoes
Cook the potatoes for 18-24 minutes at 200ºC /390ºF in an air fryer. Shake the basket halfway through the cooking process.
If you cook potatoes in an oven, do so at the same temperature until the potatoes are golden-brown and cooked.
Once done, the outer edges of the potatoes should be crunchy and golden while remaining soft on the inside. At this stage, you can smell the roasted potatoes, and the kitchen should be filled with smoky aromas. When you pierce the potatoes with a fork, it goes through smoothly.
At first, I pulled the potatoes out of the air fryer too early, although they looked perfect on the outside. But now I make sure to check their consistency with a fork before finishing cooking.
Cook the Chicken
Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat and add a little bit of oil.
First of all, you should cook the chicken in small batches so as to retain a high heat. Place a couple of cubes in a pan and leave them alone for around 2 minutes.
While cooking, you should hear constant sizzling sounds rather than wet steam. Then stir and flip the cubes.
Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Transfer the chicken cubes into a separate bowl and add all cooking juices to it. These juices contain plenty of flavor.
Tip: If you notice that the chicken starts producing too much liquid, remove some pieces from the pan. It means that you overcrowded the pan.
Preparing The Bowls
Add around 150g of potatoes per bowl and 170g of chicken.
Next, add roughly 80g of pico and 40g of yogurt sauce per bowl.
This combination is what makes the bowl so amazing. You have warm, crispy-smoky chicken, cool fresh pico, and creamy yogurt sauce. And the potatoes complete this bowl with their smoky flavor.
I even enjoy the leftovers because these elements become perfectly blended together after sitting in the fridge overnight.
Mistakes To Be Aware Of
Crowded Pan
Too much chicken can spoil the outcome, as they would steam and turn pale. Therefore, cook the chicken in batches to retathe in high temperature of the pan.
Uneven Slicing of the Potatoes
This may lead to burning the thin slices while the larger ones remain uncooked. So try to cut the potatoes of equal size.
Under Seasoned Potatoes
The potatoes require a little bit more seasoning than usual. After they have been cooked, taste a potato and add some more salt.
Sauce Added before Storage
Putting all ingredients together in advance may result in soft potatoes. Hence, put the sauce and pico aside and add them after warming up.
Early Removal of Chicken
Even though chicken breast cooks fast, thick pieces of it should cook long enough. Make sure to check the internal temperature after 3-4 minutes of cooking.
Ideas For Variation
Use Sweet Potatoes
This swap will give your bowl an additional sweet taste that works great with smoky spices.
Add Corn Or Black Beans
If you want your bowl to become more nutritious, add some beans and corn. It tastes great with corn due to chipotle sauce.
Replace Chicken Breast With Thighs
Chicken thighs are juicier and have a more pronounced flavor. It is especially suitable for an indulgent meal.
Storage Options
Since these chicken taco potato bowls work well with freezing and meal prepping, I use them a lot in hectic weeks.
- Fridge storage: 4 days.
- Freezer storage: 3 months without pico and sauce.
- Pico de Gallo storage: 3-4 days.
- Yogurt storage: 1 week.
As far as reheating goes, microwave the chicken and potatoes for 2-3 minutes. After warming up, place the pico and yogurt sauce on top.
I enjoy eating this bowl with both warm and cold sauces/pico. Their contrasting temperatures make the whole bowl feel fresh.
These chicken taco potato bowls are quite easy to make but so delicious at the same time. Moreover, they can be prepared in advance and reheated later.
I hope this dish will become a staple in your cooking routine!
