My baked crispy chicken tacos have an irresistibly crisp, crunchy texture without any frying. They are filled with seasoned shredded chicken and plenty of cheese for restaurant-quality results! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos
If your family is anything like mine, today’s recipe is going to be a big hit at the dinner table! These baked crispy chicken tacos defy all expectations of a baked taco recipe–they are perfectly crisp, profoundly flavorful, and incredibly satisfying. Even more exciting, they are actually quite simple to make and require just a few ingredients.
This is one of our favorite easy weeknight dinners and is possibly my favorite way to use my homemade taco seasoning recipe. It’s also great for prepping in advance; sometimes I’ll prep the chicken/sauce in advance then assemble everything when I’m ready for dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with flavor, from the saucy seasoned chicken filling down to the lacy caramelized cheese bits.
- Crisp texture similar to a fried taco shell, but there is absolutely no frying happening here today.
- Comes together quickly in less than an hour. While the tacos cook, you can whip up your favorite side dish, like some corn salad, refried beans, or avocado salsa.
- Use what you have: the chicken can be prepped in Instant pot or on stovetop. Honestly, it’s quicker and easier in the Instant pot, but I know not everyone has one so I wrote the recipe both ways.
What You Need
Just seven ingredients in today’s recipe! These tacos are so simple to make, yet so flavorful.
- Chicken breasts. We’ll season and sear these on one side first before letting them finish cooking in a mixture of chicken broth, salsa, and taco seasoning. This technique creates incredibly flavorful and juicy shredded chicken that is perfect for filling our tacos! If you prefer a different meat (ground chicken, ground beef, etc.) check out the FAQ section below.
- Taco seasoning. I recommend using my homemade taco seasoning recipe, but a packet of your favorite store-bought seasoning would also work.
- Salsa. Use your favorite! Any jarred salsa (red or green) would work just fine here.
- Shredded cheese. Pick your favorite brand of Mexican blend cheese. This usually includes cheddar, queso quesadilla, Monterey jack, and asadero cheeses. If I’m shredding my own, I’ll usually opt for a 50/50 blend of Monterey and cheddar.
- Corn tortillas. I like corn tortillas (5-6″ in diameter). Either white or yellow corn will do just fine here–just make sure you heat them up before filling or they’ll be more likely to fall apart. Flour tortillas would also work.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t forget the toppings! We like to dunk/top or tacos with additional salsa, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, etc.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Crispy Chicken Tacos
Cook + shred the chicken
Sear the chicken until golden on one side, then flip and simmer in the salsa, chicken broth, and remaining taco seasoning. Once fully cooked, remove the chicken and shred, reserving the sauce/liquid from the pan for later.
Assemble
Heat the corn tortillas briefly to make them more pliable. You could do this in the microwave, but I prefer to cook each one for a few seconds in a skillet.
Arrange the tortillas on a parchment lined baking sheets. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of cheese on one half of the tortilla only. Add the chicken, drizzle with a few teaspoons of reserved sauce, then top with another tablespoon of cheese.
Fold each tortilla over and brush the tops lightly with oil (this is key for that crunchy exterior — too much and they’ll be soggy!).
Bake until golden and crispy. Since you’ll be rotating the baking sheets halfway through, check to make sure the tacos don’t pop open in the oven–if they do, use a spatula to press them back down. If you skip this, it’s not really a big deal, just gives you some space to add your toppings inside the tacos instead of on top of them.
SAM’S TIP: You don’t want to pry open the tacos to fill them with toppings; I just dip them in the toppings or spoon a bit on top before eating. So good!
Frequently Asked Questions
For “toppings, I recommend finely shredded lettuce and tomato, guacamole, homemade salsa, and sour cream (or crema). As mentioned above, they won’t actually go in the tacos (you’d have to pry them open), just dip them in or scoop them on top before each bite.
For sides, we like my black beans or refried beans, Mexican street corn salad, or Texas caviar.
Definitely! They will have a different flavor (which I personally do not love as much as the corn tortillas), but on the other hand, they will probably be a bit easier to work with since they are less prone to falling apart.
Sure! You can skip the chicken, broth, and salsa and fill the tacos with precooked and seasoned ground beef, turkey, or chicken instead. The flavor will be different, but you really can’t go wrong here!
Looking for more dinner inspiration? Try my southwest chicken soup or taco salad next!
Enjoy!
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Crispy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cooking oil (I use avocado or olive) + additional for brushing
- 1 lb (454 g) chicken breast
- 1 batch taco seasoning (can use storebought or click the link for my homemade taco seasoning – my preference)
- ½ cup (140 g) salsa
- ½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth + additional as needed
- 12 corn tortillas (5-6” tortillas)
- 8 oz (226 g) Mexican blend cheese shredded
Recommended Equipment
- Large skillet with lid (or instant pot!)
Instructions
- Arrange your oven racks to be in the middle and upper third of your oven and preheat oven to 425F (220C).
- (Note: If you'd like to prepare your chicken in an instant pot, see the notes section below and skip to step 4). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.1 ½ Tablespoons cooking oil
- Add chicken to skillet, sprinkle top of chicken with half of your taco seasoning, and cook chicken on one side until golden (about 3-5 minutes).1 lb (454 g) chicken breast
- Flip chicken over, add remaining taco seasoning, salsa, and chicken broth, and cover with lid. Cook, covered, until chicken is fully cooked through and easily shreddable with a pair of forks. As the chicken cooks, you can prepare your tortillas.½ cup (140 g) salsa, ½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth
- Heat a small skillet on medium/high and warm tortillas one at a time, about 10 seconds on each side. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm while you finish cooking your chicken.12 corn tortillas
- Once chicken is fully cooked, transfer from skillet onto a plate and immediately pour/scrape the sauce from the skillet into a measuring cup. If the amount of sauce remaining doesn’t amount to ½ cup (118ml), add additional chicken broth to the measuring cup until you reach ½ cup (118ml). Stir, and set aside.
- Shred the plated chicken, then assemble the tacos.
Assemble & Bake
- Assemble: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and arrange 6 warm tortillas flat on each sheet. Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon (8g) of cheese over half of each tortilla. Evenly divide chicken over the cheese, then drizzle 2 teaspoons of the reserved sauce over each portion of chicken. Top with another 1 tablespoon (8g) of cheese, fold the tortilla over itself and lightly brush the top with oil. Repeat with all tortillas (if the tortillas don’t want to stay closed, they may have just cooled a bit too much, I’ll usually weight them with a utensil until I’m ready to put them in the oven).8 oz (226 g) Mexican blend cheese
- Bake: Arrange tacos on prepared baking sheets and bake in preheated 425F (220C) oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the trays and switching racks halfway through (if any of the tortillas have come open, use a spatula to gently close them again). If you are only baking one tray at a time, bake each in center rack for 15-20 minutes.
- Enjoy warm, we like to serve guacamole, sour cream, and salsa on the side for dipping.
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.Reheating
Reheat in 350F/175C oven in an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet until warmed through (usually 5-10 minutes).Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Ari
These were delicious and yummy! I had trouble getting the tortillas to stay closed (mine had cooled off too much) and was worried they’d open in the oven but only 2 of them did which was an easy fix when I turned the trays. Very good!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you enjoyed them Ari! Those tortillas can be a pain 😅
Lettuce-and-Tomatoes
I made your taco seasoning and it’s sitting in a jar on my countertop. These chicken tacos look quick, easy and delicious. The recipe makes a lot and they look like they will freeze well, so I’ll definitely make them soon. Fantastic job!!!
Sam
Thank you! Hopefully your tacos stay closed! 🤣
Penelope P Hanser
Instead of brushing them with oil, would a cooking spray work?
Sam
Hi Penelope! Personally I like the butter flavor a little more, but a cooking spray will work. 🙂
Cat
Thanks for making me hungry at 9 am! I know what I’M making for dinner this weekend. These look heavenly!
Sam
I hope you love them! 🙂