Primal Blend Chicken Tacos

Jump to Recipe

Sometimes a new product hits the shelves and it makes so much sense you wonder why it’s just now becoming a thing. Primal blends made with chicken, turkey or beef are really leveling up the ground meat game, and they’re showing up in more and more stores as people discover how easy and versatile they are to use. Added bonus: they taste great and pack in extra nutrients. One of my favorite ways to work with these new blends is in these absolutely savage primal blend chicken tacos.

So what is a primal blend? It’s a combination of the more common cuts of meat such as chicken breasts and legs, ground with offal such as heart and liver. This is great for those of us that understand that these organs hold precious nutrients that we just aren’t going to get in the same quantities from the more muscular cuts of meat. And as many have been shocked to learn, myself included, these organs are usually pretty easy to prepare, and can be absolutely delish.

What’s great in particular about primal blend is that you can sub them out in your regular recipes that use ground meats. And if you don’t tell anyone else at the table, they will be sitting there trying to figure out why dinner tastes 15% better tonight. I’ll let you decide if it’s a good idea to let them know why.

Feel Good Vibes

• Nutrient Dense: Organ meats are nutritional powerhouses, delivering concentrated amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, vitamin A and B12.
• Protein Power: Primal blend chicken provides complete protein to support muscle health and keep you feeling satisfied long after dinner.
• Variety Is the Spice of Life: All those colorful toppings bring more than just flavor to the table. Avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and fresh herbs add fiber, healthy fats and an assortment of vitamins and antioxidants, making these tacos a more satisfying, well-rounded meal.

Primal Blend Chicken Taco Ingredient Substitutions

• Onion powder: Fresh minced onions, dehydrated onions, onion granules and even onion salt all work. You will need to play around with the amount you add in depending on your preference. Using onion salt? Reduce sea salt.
• Garlic powder: Fresh minced garlic, garlic granules and garlic salt are all ok to use. Same as the onion powder, you will need to play around with the amount you add in depending on your preference. Using garlic salt? Reduce sea salt.
• Smoked paprika: Sweet paprika and a pinch of chili powder.
• Ground cumin: Omit.
• Avocado oil: Grapeseed oil or any other neutral high smoke point oil.
• Primal blend ground chicken: Regular ground chicken, beef, pork or turkey. 
• Corn tortillas: Any type of tortilla you prefer.
• Shredded cheese: Omit, but if you skip I highly recommend using avocado.
• Sour cream: Crema, crème fraîche or even Greek yogurt works in a pinch.
• Diced avocado: Homemade or store bought guac, or omit. Highly recommend topping with some good cheese if you’re skipping this one.
• Diced tomato (if in season): Pico de gallo, oven dried tomatoes or even mild salsa work.
• Shredded lettuce: Shredded cabbage or even a handful of mixed greens will get the job done.
• Fresh cilantro: There is no substitute for cilantro, but some freshly sliced green onions would also be nice.
• Yucatan Habanero Salsa: Enter your favorite hot sauce.

Primal Blend Chicken Taco Recipe Tips & FAQs

• Where can I buy primal ground chicken?
  • Atlanta: Grateful Pastures at the Freedom Farmers Market on Saturdays.
  • Online: I’ve been enjoying this Force of Nature brand.
• Advantages and disadvantages of making your own taco seasoning:
  • Advantages: no anti-caking additives. Control over the spice index.
  • Disadvantages: it won’t last as long without getting clumpy. You can always blitz it in a spice grinder if this happens!
• How do I know when the chicken is done? The chicken will go from pink to beige and the juices will run clear, meaning that it’s ok for the chicken to still be a little wet. Dry chicken is the worst! The chicken is completely cooked and those microbes are dead as a doornail at 165˚F, so no need to go above that!

Primal Blend Chicken Taco Serving Suggestions

• Dress an easy side salad with the Chipotle Lime Dressing from my Southwestern Cobb Salad.
• Add a schmear of refried beans to the tortillas for flavor (and fiber).
• Craving veggies? Add some Grilled Vegetables to your tacos.

Storage and Shelf Life

Make Ahead: Spice blend can be made a couple days in advance. If it sits too long it will clump. Blend in a spice grinder to break it up.

Refrigerate: Leftover components can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Freezer: Not recommended.

Reheat Instructions

Reheat the meat and the tortillas separately on the stovetop on medium low heat until warmed through completely.

Final Thoughts

Since I got back from my recent “mini-mester” abroad in Italy, I’ve been focusing on eating a more balanced diet. And for me, that diet includes offal. This Primal Blend Chicken Taco recipe is one of the easiest ways I’ve found to actually make that happen. 

See, it’s hard to get a certain someone in my house to sit down for a cow heart steak, and that reality is never going to change. As hard as I try to convince that someone that a cow heart is surprisingly similar to a regular shmegular steak, he’s never gonna buy it. Look, I knew what I was getting myself into when I married a picky eater. I’m not asking for sympathy here.

He will, however, eat these tacos. Gladly. And we both agree that primal ground chicken tastes even better than regular ground chicken, which is to say, it tastes better than a wet cardboard box. I’m sorry, but it’s true! Grocery store chicken these days isn’t completely flavorless, but it leaves a lot to be desired in that department.

So instead of seeing this as a choice to eat healthier, I guess we can just look at it as a chance to eat better. Better taste, better nutrients, better choice. 

Have you tried this recipe yet? If so, tell us how it turned out in the comments below. I hear that leaving positive comments on recipe websites is an easy way to bank some good karma. And don’t forget to sign up for the Everyday Alchemy newsletter here.