When making chicken tacos for a group, one of the most important questions is how many chicken breasts you need per person. The number of chicken breasts needed per person depends on several factors:
Taco Size
The size of the tacos is a key consideration. Are you making bite-sized tacos or full-sized tacos? Bite-sized tacos will require less chicken per person than larger tacos that are meant to be a full meal.
As a general guideline:
- For bite-sized tacos, plan on 1/4 to 1/3 chicken breast per person
- For full-sized tacos, plan on 1/2 to 2/3 chicken breast per person
Obviously, the more generous you want to be with the chicken filling, the more you would allocate per taco.
Other Fillings
Tacos are often filled with a variety of ingredients, not just chicken. If you are including other fillings like cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, beans, rice, etc., you may need less chicken per taco. The chicken can be complemented by other ingredients.
Appetizers
If serving appetizers or sides before the main taco course, people may fill up a bit so you can reduce the chicken per taco.
Leftovers
Consider if you want leftovers. Providing slightly more chicken than needed allows for leftover chicken which could then be used in salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes or other recipes.
How Much Chicken Per Person
Taking these factors into account, here are some general recommendations for how much chicken breast per person when making tacos:
| Type of Taco | Chicken Per Person |
|---|---|
| Bite-sized tacos as an appetizer | 1/4 to 1/3 breast |
| Full-sized tacos as a main dish | 1/2 to 3/4 breast |
| Tacos as the main entree with other fillings | 1/3 to 1/2 breast |
| Tacos as the main entree with appetizers | 1/3 to 1/2 breast |
As you can see, the recommendations range quite a bit based on the factors noted above. A good rule of thumb is 1/3 to 1/2 a chicken breast per person. To play it safe, you may want to go on the higher side or add an extra breast or two to have leftovers.
How to Estimate Chicken Breasts Needed
When determining exactly how many chicken breasts to purchase and cook, follow these steps:
1. Decide on taco size
First, determine if you’ll be making bite-sized tacos or full-sized tacos. This will drive how much chicken you need per taco.
2. Estimate chicken per taco
Based on the taco size, estimate how much chicken you’ll put in each taco. For bite-sized maybe 1-2 oz per taco, for full-sized maybe 3-4 oz per taco.
3. Estimate number of tacos per person
On average, plan on people eating 2-3 tacos each if it’s a meal, or more like 3-5 tacos each if bite-sized.
4. Multiply it out
For example:
– Full-sized tacos with 3 oz chicken each
– 3 tacos per person average
– For 10 people
– That’s 3 oz * 3 tacos * 10 people = 90 oz chicken needed
– Convert ounces to chicken breasts (1 breast is typically 6-8 oz)
– So you’d need around 12 chicken breasts for this scenario
Doing the math for your specific case will give you a good estimate of exactly how many chicken breasts to buy and prepare.
Cooking the Chicken
Once you know how much chicken you need, here are some tips for preparing it:
– Pound the chicken breasts
Pounding the chicken to an even thickness will help it cook evenly. Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and use a meat mallet to gently pound to about 1/2″ thickness.
– Season the chicken
Season chicken with spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to add flavor. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes up to overnight.
– Cook the chicken
You can bake, grill or pan fry the chicken. Make sure it is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Then let it rest 5 minutes before slicing or shredding.
– Slice or shred the chicken
For tacos, sliced or shredded chicken works best. After chicken is cooked and rested, cut into 1/4″ slices or shred with two forks.
Now your perfectly cooked chicken is ready to be assembled into tacos and topped with all your favorite ingredients!
Serving Tacos
Here are some tips for serving chicken tacos once they are assembled:
– Keep tortillas warm
Serve tacos with warmed tortillas wrapped in foil or a cloth napkin to keep them warm and pliable.
– Set up a taco bar
Let guests build their own tacos by setting up a taco bar with the chicken, tortillas, and various toppings like pico de gallo, cheese, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, beans, rice etc.
– Serve tacos on a platter
For a sit-down meal, arrange assembled tacos on a large platter for people to grab from the table along with any side dishes.
– Make it interactive
Have guests assemble their own tacos, then sit down to eat together family style. Get the conversation flowing!
However you serve them up, chicken tacos made with the right amount of chicken make for a flavorful, fun meal. Follow these guidelines on chicken quantity per person and enjoy taco night!
Conclusion
Determining how much chicken to prepare per person for tacos depends on the size of the tacos and number you expect people to eat. As a general rule of thumb, plan on 1/3 to 1/2 a chicken breast per person. For bite-sized tacos, go with 1/4 to 1/3 breast. For full-sized tacos, go with 1/2 to 3/4 breast. Take into account any other taco fillings and appetizers you plan to serve. To estimate the exact amount needed, determine the taco size, chicken per taco, and number of tacos per person. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness, season them, then cook throughly. Slice or shred the chicken and serve it up taco bar style for a fun and flavorful meal. With the right amount of chicken, you’ll have perfectly portioned tacos everyone will enjoy.