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These crispy chicken tacos are made by stuffing tortillas with ground chicken, taco seasoning, and cheese, and baking them to perfection.
When it comes to tacos, the options are endless - from spicy shrimp tacos to carne asada tacos to chorizo tacos to smoked pulled beef tacos.
But all of those tacos are your traditional tacos with warmed up tortillas. These crispy chicken tacos get their crispiness from baking them in the oven. I mean who doesn't love crunch!
Why This Recipe Works
- Crispy - Yes it is in the title and that is for an actual reason. It is similar to the pre-made hard taco shells you buy at the store.
- Easy - By using taco seasoning and ground chicken, it is just as simple as those beef tacos you grew up eating on Taco Tuesdays!
- Flavorbomb - You get the typical spices expected in tacos, but the avocado cilantro sauce adds pops of freshness.
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Ingredients Notes
- Chicken - ground chicken works best for these tacos.
- Taco seasoning - where most of the flavor comes from.
- Cheese - make sure you use a block and shred yourself.
- Tortillas - corn tortillas work great with this recipe.
- Avocado cilantro sauce - by pureeing the cilantro with avocado, yogurt and lime, you get some creaminess and brightness that complements the tacos.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can mix up the ingredients. Some variations include:
- While I prefer ground chicken, you can also use rotisserie chicken. If you want another meat, ground pork and ground beef works great.
- I like the ease of store-bought taco seasoning, but you can use homemade taco seasoning as well.
- I'm a fan of pepper jack cheese, but any cheese will work.
- I like the flavor of the corn tortillas, but you can use flour tortillas as well. You could even make your own blue corn tortillas.
- Instead of making the avocado cilantro sauce, you could make homemade guacamole.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Cook the ground chicken in a skillet until browned with taco seasoning.
Dip the tortillas in a shallow pan with olive oil, making sure it is coated.
Add some chicken to half of a tortilla and top with cheese before folding.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake the tacos for 5-8 minutes at 425°F, before flipping and baking another 5-8 minutes.
Make the avocado cilantro sauce in a food processor or blender while the tacos are baking.
FAQs
I prefer ground chicken as it makes it very similar to ground beef tacos everyone had growing up.
However you can also cook chicken breasts or thighs or even use rotisserie chicken.
Yes. Flour have a different flavor and will make it a slightly different texture but they still work great.
I highly recommend it as it makes them more pliable when adding the filling and folding. There are a few different ways you can accomplish this:
• Heat individual tortillas in skillet for 20 to 30 seconds per side
• Wrap a stack of tortillas in foil and place in 325°F oven until warm
• Moisten a paper towel and wrap stack of tortillas and place in microwave for 30 seconds or until warm
Yes. Just prepare the filling and store in the fridge up to 1 day. Add to the tortillas right before baking.
You can also prepare all the way up to baking and place in the freezer for 3 months. Once ready to serve, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes before uncovering and baking at 425°F for another 15-20 minutes.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
While great on their own, you can always add some delicious toppings, dips or sides. Some options include:
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the recipe turns out. What is needed is the following:
- Skillet - make sure it is large enough to cook the chicken.
- Spatula - need to be able to flip the tacos easily.
- Baking sheet - how you bake the crispy chicken tacos.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Brown the chicken properly. You want to cook over medium-high heat to develop a rich flavor.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you fold them up.
- Instead of dipping the tortillas in oil, you can also spray with cooking spray.
Other Taco Recipes
If you’ve tried these crispy chicken tacos or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Crispy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Tacos
- 3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 taco seasoning packet
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 12 corn tortillas
Avocado Cilantro Sauce
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup water
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and halved
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, cooking for 5 minutes, or until browned. Add the taco seasoning and water, cooking for another 5 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and cook the tortillas for about 15-30 seconds on each side until soft and pliable. Remove and transfer to a plate, covering with foil to keep warm.
- Add remaining olive oil to a small baking sheet or shallow bowl. Add the tortillas to the oil, so it gets a light coating on both sides.
- To make the tacos, add some of the chicken meat on half of the tortilla and top with some cheese. Try not to overstuff the tacos. Fold the tortillas, creating a taco around the filling. Repeat with remaining tortillas and ingredients. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-8 minutes, before flipping and baking another 5-8 minutes or until the tortillas are golden-brown and the cheese is melty.
- While the tacos are baking, make the avocado cilantro sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blending until combined. Serve with the tacos
Notes
- Brown the chicken properly. You want to cook over medium-high heat to develop a rich flavor.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you fold them up.
- Instead of dipping the tortillas in oil, you can also spray with cooking spray.
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