Oven Baked Chicken Tacos, a Game Day Snack That Always Wins!
If you’ve been around PWWB a while, you know we’re pretty obsessed with tacos around here…but crispy tacos are our newest obsession. Baking tacos in the oven yields the best golden-crisp result. It’s kind of like tacos meets nachos meets quesadillas – seriously, what’s not to love about that?! 🤩
Earlier this year I cracked the code on deliciously crispy black bean tacos and I’ve been dreaming up more variations ever since. These baked chicken tacos are a new fave! They’re super easy to make. Simply season shredded chicken with a handful of staple spices and stuff it into corn tortillas with cheese. As the tacos bake, they get seriously golden and crispy. It’s so good.
Plus, this baked chicken taco recipe is really simple, making it ideal for quick weeknight dinners or serving a game day crowd on the weekend. All you have to do is set them up alongside a spread of taco toppings and it’s the ultimate build-your-own crispy chicken taco situation. It doesn’t get better than that!
Key Ingredients
- Shredded chicken breast – Feel free to buy rotisserie chicken or quickly cook your own. This recipe is also a great way to use up leftovers you might already have on hand. Check the Recipe Notes, below, for more tips!
- Spices – A simple spice blend of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper gives plain shredded chicken tons of flavor.
Easy Game Day Taco Meal Prep
These tacos come together quickly, but you can save even more time with a bit of meal prep. An especially helpful approach when the game is on and you don’t want to get stuck in the kitchen! See the Recipe Notes, below, for guidance.
How to Make Crispy Chicken Tacos
Crispy chicken taco prep is also super easy. Once everything is prepped, assembly is a breeze – just stuff & bake! It only takes about 30 minutes and the oven does most of the work.
Store-bought shortcut! ⇢ If you prefer using store-bought taco seasoning, go for it – you need 2 heaping tablespoons.
Why? ⇢ Warming the tortillas makes them more pliable and prevents cracking, while a little oil gives each taco its signature crispiness!
Serving Suggestions and Taco Topping Inspiration
The best part about serving baked tacos is creating a spread of toppings to mix, match, and enjoy. IMHO, there’s no such thing as too many taco toppings, so pick whatever you love most!
A few of my fave toppings for crispy chicken tacos:
- Restaurant-Worthy Guacamole – my go-to recipe! It’s creamy and chunky with lots of cilantro, lime juice, and my secret ingredient, Tajín, which adds extra citrusy-tart flavor.
- Quick pico or salsa – Jarred salsa works great! I love the brightness of salsa verde pairs with these tacos! If you’re up for it, you can always whip up a quick pico de gallo with fresh tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime juice.
- Sour cream – Creamy and cooling – a great complement to the spicy chicken tacos. Try my vegan cashew crema, a sauce made with cashews and citrus, for a similar effect without added dairy.
- Quick AF pickled red onions are always in my fridge. They add great color and a pop of bright flavor.
- Shredded lettuce – For a cooling crunch and a bit of crisp freshness.
- Finishing touches – A squeeze of lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro are always welcomed!
Leftovers
These tacos are best enjoyed fresh from the oven. Though you can reheat the leftovers on the stovetop, I recommend only baking up as many tacos as you need to serve immediately. Save any leftover filling and seasoning for later. They come together so quickly that you can simply cook up a fresh batch when the craving strikes!
I can’t wait for you to try these Crispy Chicken Tacos. If you do, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about and seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
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Baked Crispy Chicken Tacos
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Tacos, Burritos & Enchiladas Recipes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American, Mexican & Tex-Mex
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
We’re pretty obsessed with tacos here at PWWB, but our love for these Baked Crispy Chicken Tacos is completely next-level. They’re so quick and easy to prepare, but they’re seriously so satisfying.
Spice up some good ol’ shredded chicken with a simple homemade taco seasoning, then fold it into tortillas with a little bit of cheese. When you bake them in the oven with high heat, the spices become fragrant, the cheese melts, and the tortillas get super crispy. It’s the perfect vessel for a bunch of toppings, so the result is kind of a cross between tacos, taquitos, nachos, and quesadillas…seriously, what’s not to love about that?!
Since they’re so quick an easy to prepare, these tacos are great for a weeknight meal or whenever you need an epic snack for a crowd. Simply set the baked tacos up alongside a spread of taco fixings for the ultimate build-your-own crispy chicken taco situation! The crowd will go wild.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces shredded chicken breast (3/4 pound or approx. 2 heaping cups, see Recipe Notes below)
- 1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
- optional: up to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 8–10 corn tortillas (see Recipe Notes)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces pepper jack cheese, freshly shredded (approx. 3 cups shredded)
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: guacamole, queso, sour cream or cashew crema, pickled red onions, shredded lettuce, finely chopped cilantro, pico de gallo or salsa of choice, lime wedges, etc.
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Gather and prep ingredients according to the Ingredients List, above.
- Season the chicken: To a large bowl, add the shredded chicken. Season with the chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and ground black pepper as desired. Set aside for taco assembly.
- Warm the tortillas: Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp paper towel. Microwave 30 seconds to steam the tortillas, making them pliable enough for taco assembly. Remove from the microwave and set aside for taco assembly.
- Assemble the chicken tacos: Brush the olive oil across the surface of a large rimmed baking sheet. Place the warmed tortillas on the baking sheet, flipping them one or two times to get a nice light coating of oil on both sides. Assemble the tacos by sprinkling a little cheese on half of tortilla, nestling the shredded chicken over top, and sprinkling the remaining cheese over the chicken. Fold the tortillas, creating a taco around the chicken and cheese filling.
- Bake the crispy chicken tacos: Transfer the sheet pan to the oven & bake the tacos 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Working quickly and carefully, use a spatula to flip the tacos. Return to the oven and bake 8-10 minutes longer, until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 2-3 minutes – the baked chicken tacos will get even crispier as they cool.
- Serve the baked crispy chicken tacos warm, finishing with whatever toppings your taco-lovin’ heart desires – guacamole, pickled red onions, queso, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, chopped cilantro, etc. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Option #1: Store-bought shredded chicken: Rotisserie chicken is a great quick and easy store-bought shortcut for these baked tacos. Simply shred it up and use as directed.
- Option #2: Homemade shredded chicken: I’m partial to quickly cooking up a couple of chicken breasts. It’s super simple. generously season 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Heat 2 tablespoons oil or butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown, then transfer to a 375 degree F oven. Roast 12-15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Corn tortillas: To help ensure your crispy chicken tacos do not crack as they bake, look for corn tortillas that are a little thinner and do not appear dry or crumbly. I’ve had good success using the Mission Corn Tortillas labeled “super soft” – yellow or white corn is fine, use whatever you love!
- Storage and Reheating: These crispy chicken tacos are best served fresh out of the oven, though leftovers will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. For crispiest results, reheat for 5-10 minutes in a 250 degree F oven or on the stovetop (quesadilla-style) until warmed through.
- 15-Minute Meal Prep: These crispy chicken tacos come together really quickly once you’ve got all the components prepped and ready to go. To make this an even faster weeknight dinner, eliminate all active prep time by prepping a few things in advance:
- Shred 12 ounces chicken breast. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (<5 minutes active prep).
- Mix the taco seasoning. To a small airtight container, combine all listed spices plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Cover and shake to combine. Store on your spice rack for up to 1 week (<5 minutes active prep).
- Shred 12 ounces cheese. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (<5 minutes active prep).
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These were a bit bland for my husband, he said they only worked with the toppings. I agree, but it was such an easy set up, perfect for a busy night that I think it’s a keeper. We did guac pickled onions and refried beans. I give it 4/5 stars.
Hi Isabel, we always recommend adjusting seasonings as needed according to your taste – and we definitely recommend ALL the toppings!! Glad to hear you still enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
We loved this recipe for an easy weeknight dinner as we usually have shredded chicken on hand. The toppings are a must and really make them!
So happy to hear you loved the tacos, Kelly! Easy weeknight dinners are our favorite 🙂
Love the flavor and texture of these tacos!
Thank you!! The crispy texture truly makes it 🙂 & thank you so much for dropping comments & rating it means so much!!
Hi. Made these and they were great, just upped the seasoning a teeny bit. I used white corn tortillas and they seemed to break up and stuck when I tried to flip them. Not sure if not enough oil or if it was because they were white tortillas? Anyway will definitely make them again!!!
Hi there! We’re so glad you loved these tacos 🙌🏼 – finding a taco that works best can be tricky! While yellow or white corn tortillas should work, we’ve found that corn tortillas that are a little thinner & do not appear dry or crumbly work best. We’ve had success with the Mission Corn Tortillas labeled “super soft”. This information is saved in the recipe notes in case you want to reference next time you make them! 🙂