Chicken Picadillo is a twist on a Latin American classic dish that is typically made with ground beef. It’s sweet, salty and savory all in one bite.
Once you make this recipe, it will become a regular in your dinner rotation. It’s an easy, healthy ground chicken recipe that everyone will love. Make a double batch because it tastes even better the next day and it’s easy to freeze.
This recipe was originally posted in 2017, it’s been updated for content and photos.
What is Picadillo?
Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries and the Philippines. It’s warm and comforting, very similar to chili with a sweeter taste.
It’s made with ground meat, tomatoes, raisins and olives along with other ingredients that can vary depending on the region. Picadillo is often served with rice or is used as a filling for tacos, and empanadas.
Here is what you will need
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olive oil or avocado oil
ground chicken breast
bell pepper
garlic
onion
adobo sauce or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
raisins
green olives
ground cumin
coriander
fresh oregano or dried oregano
fresh cilantro
diced tomatoes (fresh or canned low-sodium diced tomatoes)
skillet
Here is how to Make Chicken Picadillo
Prepare the ingredients: chop the bell pepper, garlic, onions, olives, cilantro and tomatoes if you are using fresh tomaotes; set them all aside.
Add the olive or avocado oil to the skillet; and the bell peppers, garlic and onions and cook for a few minutes.
Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the adobo sauce, vinegar and spices.
Next add the tomatoes and mix everything together.
Stir in the olives and raisins, reduce the heat and simmer.
Sprinkle the chicken picadillo with fresh chopped cilantro and serve.
Total Estimated Time to Make This Recipe: 35 to 45 Minutes
Chicken Picadillo Variations
Replace the ground chicken with ground beef or turkey.
Add a quarter pound of Mexican chorizo to the ground chicken while browning it for extra flavor.
Add one cup of diced potatoes at the end of the meat browning for a Cuban style picadillo.
Stir in 1/2 cup of capers with the olives and raisins.
For a spicy version add one diced jalapeno pepper.
Serving Ideas
Picadillo is usually served with plantains or rice, we also like it with cauliflower rice for a low carb version.
It tastes great stuffed into a quesadilla, taco, empanada, pepper, egg roll skin or wrapped in pizza dough for a picadillo calzone.
Top a bed of greens with picadillo, add avocado chunks and cheese for a filling chicken picadillo salad.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Store leftover chicken picadillo in your refrigerator for three to four days in an airtight container.
Freeze chicken picadillo in a freezer-safe container like this stasher bag.
Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or place the bag into a bowl of cold water.
Re-heat your picadillo in the microwave or in a saucepan over low 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 tablespoons fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium or fresh diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: chop the peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes if you are using fresh and set them aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and peppers and cook them until they begin to turn soft.
- Add the chicken and cook it until it is almost cooked through – you may need to add a little bit of oil if chicken is sticking to the pan.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon corrainder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 2 teaspoons oregano.
- Next add 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, raisins and olives – mix everything together.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the picadillo with the chopped cilantro, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes longer and serve.
- Sprinkle the picadillo with
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
Recipe Variations
Replace the ground chicken with ground beef or turkey.
Add a quarter pound of Mexican chorizo to the ground chicken while browning it for extra flavor.
Add one cup of diced potatoes at the end of the meat browning for a Cuban style picadillo.
Stir in 1/2 cup capers with the olives and raisins.
For a spicy version, add one diced jalapeno pepper.
Keywords: easy dinner, meal prep dinner, chicken
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.
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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!
★★★★★
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!
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