Chicken Picadillo is a twist on a Latin American classic that is typically made with ground beef. This lightened up version made with chicken is sweet, salty, and savory all in one bite. It’s a versatile dish that’s perfect for meal prep dinners and it is gluten-free and low-carb.
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Picadillo is a popular Latin American dish that is warm and comforting, very similar to a stew or chili with a sweeter taste. There are so many versions of Picadillo across Latin America,we like this one the best. Picadillo is often served with rice and beans, plantains or is used as a filling for tacos, and empanadas.
Once you make this recipe, it will become a regular in your dinner rotation. It’s the perfect recipe to make a big batch when you have time, and eat it during the week because there are so many ways to serve it and you can even freeze it.
The Ingredients
If you have never had Picadillo, you have to change that real soon! Chicken Picadillo is packed with flavor and it’s super easy to make. Here is what you will need to make Chicken Picadillo:
- olive oil
- ground chicken breast
- bell pepper
- garlic
- onion
- adobo sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- raisins
- olives
- ground cumin
- coriander
- oregano
- fresh cilantro
- low sodium or fresh chopped tomatoes and a skillet.
Chicken Picadillo Recipe Steps
(see recipe card below for complete details)
- Prepare the vegetables by cleaning them and chopping them
- Cook the vegetables in a skillet until they begin to soften
- Add the ground chicken and cook until it is almost cooked through
- Stir in the adobo sauce, vinegar and spices
- Add the tomatoes, olives and raisins
- Simmer for 20 minutes
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve
Total Estimated Time to Make This Recipe: 35 to 45 minutes
Chicken Picadillo Variations and Tips
Variations
- Use ground beef or turkey in place of ground chicken
- Add a quarter pound of Mexican Chorizo to the ground chicken while browning it
- Add one cup of diced potatoes at the end of the meat browning
- Stir in ½ cup capers with the olives and raisins
- For a spicy version add one diced jalapeno pepper
Serving Ideas for Chicken Picadillo
- In a bowl fried or baked plantains
- With steamed green beans
- On top of rice or cauliflower rice with beans or without
- On top of a bed of greens in a salad
- Stuffed into a quesadilla, taco or empanada, egg roll skin, or a pepper
- Any combination above or all by itself
How to Store and Freeze Chicken Picadllo
Chicken Picadillo is one of those foods that tastes better the next day. It will keep in your refrigerator for three to four days. After that, I recommend freezing it. Place the Picadillo in a freezer container and store in the freezer. Allow it to thaw in your refrigerator overnight and re-heat on top of the stove.
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PrintChicken Picadillo
Chicken Picadillo is a quick and healthy dish that is full of flavor
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup sliced green olives
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium or fresh diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Add the pepper, onions, and garlic to pan and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften
Cook the chicken with the peppers, onions and garlic until chicken is almost cooked through
Stir in the adobo sauce, vinegar, cumin, coriander, oregano and mix well
Add the tomatoes, olives and raisins and reduce the heat and simmer on low for approximately 15 minutes
Stir in the fresh cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes more.
Notes
Nutrition information is provided by Nutrifox, an online calculator and is meant to be used for informational purposes only. Even though I try to provide accurate information, these figures should still be considered as estimates
Keywords: easy dinner, meal prep dinner, chicken
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Such a fun dinner change up! I love all of these flavors! Thank you!
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Thanks Renee, it is a nice change for dinner
We have great memories of eating picadillo on our trip to Puerto Rico. I would love to make this at home from scratch! Thanks 🙂
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you are welcome Stacey!
Ooh, I never thought to make picadillo with chicken. Such a great idea! And this looks so bold and zesty with all these flavors.
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Thanks, we like it better than beef!
I’ve never tried chicken picadillo, but the combination of adobo sauce and raisins make this dish sounds so good. I’m adding this to my must-try recipe list.
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Currently working on my dinner list for next week and adding this to the very top!
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Such amazing flavors in one dish! I bet picadillo is delicious with chicken.
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This looks so good, and I love the idea of adding that bit of chorizo!
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Thanks, Chorizo is really good in this!
I like the idea of using chicken instead of ground beef in this traditional latin dish.
Thanks Karen! I like it better with chicken
★★★★★
This dish was so full of wonderful flavours! I loved the green olives and raisons giving it a great sweet and salty balance.
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I don’t think I’ve ever had this but now I must change that
This recipe looks so incredibly tasty! I love using ground chicken and am always looking for more recipes that use ground chicken. Saving this one; its a keeper!
Picadillo is such a great, easy dish! We love anything with green olives. I like that your version has a splash of adobo sauce to bring the heat up a bit.
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This looks so delicious! And I love how you’ve lightened it up a bit! Definitely something I’ll want to try for dinner with my family some night!
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I’ve actually never had picadillo even though I’ve heard of it a lot. I really need to just make it because I can tell from all of the ingredients that I would absolutely love it!
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Using chicken is a great twist on picadillo! Bookmarking this idea because the hubby isn’t eating red meat right now. Thanks!
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This sounds so unbelievably good and flavorful! I can’t wait to give it a try – perfect for a weeknight dinner.
This looks like a perfect keto dish! Thank you for sharing a dish from different culture.
What a fun and tasty dinner – my family is going to LOVE it. Definitely pinning for later!
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Yum!! I need to make a big batch of this so I can have this for lunches! I love cooking ahead and meal prepping and this looks like the perfect dish to meal prep with! Loving the adobo sauce!
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I have to admit, i have never tried a picadillo before. But your recipe is so well put together and the pics look lovely, that i want to try this soon.
How have I never heard of this?! I love all the flavours in this picadillo, and I love the combination of green olives and raisins! Yum!
★★★★★