You won’t find many recipes on my blog that are easier than these baked chicken tacos. You can get as creative as you’d like with the filling choices, and they only take a few minutes to assemble. That means you can make a giant batch of crispy, cheesy tacos and refrigerate or freeze for later.
And if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that having crispy tacos at the ready is one of the biggest life upgrades out there.
How to Make Baked Chicken Tacos
You’ll need a wire rack and baking sheet or two baking sheets, extra thin corn tortillas, shredded cheese, and your choice of cooked chicken for filling. I’ll give you a few recipes and ideas for chicken below.
The actual process for making the baked chicken tacos is super easy. Simply microwave the corn tortillas to make them pliable, fill one half with toppings, fold and cover with the second baking sheet, and bake. That’s it!
The microwaving step or heating the tortillas in one way or another is a vital step. Good luck folding a room temperature corn tortilla without cracking or breaking. If you’re making a big batch of baked tacos, you can microwave in batches as you work and keep wrapped in a paper towel.
In case you’re wondering, placing the second baking sheet on top ensures the tacos stay closed during baking and helps seal the edges with the melted cheese. This prevents the filling from falling out during storage and reheating.
How to Make Air Fryer Tacos
You could air fry these chicken tacos, but you’ll still want to put something on top of them for the same reasons above. In my air fryer quesadillas recipe, for example, I used the wire rack that came with my air fryer. For time and temperature, 400ºF for 8-10 minutes should do the trick.
My air fryer quesadillas also call for a corn and flour hybrid tortilla, which is an awesome substitute if you have a few extra carbs to spare. You get the awesome corn tortilla flavor with the strength and pliability of a flour tortilla. If you can’t find them in store, you can make your own.
As a final tip for air fryer tacos, avoid layering the tacos inside the air fryer. Cook them in separate batches for best results.
Baked Chicken Tacos Filling
As you can see in the photos, I used some of my Fajita Chicken and Peppers recipe for the taco filling, but you could get creative with these ingredients. Here’s a handful of recipe ideas (just cook and shred or chop) I think would work great:
- Mexican Shredded Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Chicken Carnitas
- Oven Roasted Chicken Al Pastor
- Chipotle Lime Grilled Chicken Breast
- Mexican Smoked Chicken Breast
- Chipotle BBQ Chicken Tacos
You could even use something like rotisserie chicken or even ground beef like in my beef and cheese oven baked tacos.
How to Reheat the Baked Chicken Tacos
These tacos are best reheated in an oven or air fryer. I’d reheat them using the same temperature you cooked them at for 2-4 minutes. They won’t take long to get crispy and warm throughout.
You can microwave, but the shells might get a little chewy instead of crispy.
Final Recipe Notes
The only warning I’ll give is to avoid overfilling and/or over baking your tacos. Put too much inside and the tacos may ooze out during baking. And the extra thin tortillas can be unforgiving in the oven and go from golden brown to dark brown in a heartbeat.
And that’s about it. Be sure to let me know what you think about these baked chicken tacos!
Baked Chicken Tacos
Cooked chicken and other fillings stuffed inside corn tortillas and baked until crispy. Perfect for a quick meal or prepping in bulk.
Ingredients
- 6 Extra Thin Corn Tortillas, I used Mission
- 6 oz Cooked Chicken Breast, chopped or shredded (or your choice of filling)
- 1/2 C (56g) Shredded Cheddar , or your choice of cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Wrap the tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 45-60 seconds, flipping halfway through. (This will make the tortillas easier to fold.)
- Add the chicken and peppers (or your choice of filling) to one half of each tortilla. Top with cheese before folding over. Gently press down to seal each taco. (If you notice any tearing in the tortillas, you need to microwave the tortillas for another 15-30 seconds.)
- Place a baking sheet or flat surface with a bit of weight on top of the tacos to press them down. This prevents the tacos from opening during baking and helps the cheese fully seal the tacos so they stick together after baking.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the tortillas are golden brown. Be careful not to burn. (If you’re having trouble getting them crisp, remove the second baking sheet towards the end of cooking since the tacos will be sealed by then. And using a baking sheet instead of a wire rack on the bottom will take a bit longer.)
Notes
- Each baked chicken taco has 3 Smart Points.
- Nutrition facts may vary based on your filling selection. These nutrition facts are with plain, cooked chicken breast.
- To reheat prepped tacos, bake or air fry at the same temperature you cooked the tacos for 2-4 minutes or until warm throughout and crispy again.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 tacos Serving Size: 1 tacoAmount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 3gCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 12g
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Crystal
Sunday 6th of November 2022
These have become a family favorite I've been making them for a few years. I use thighs and dice them and marinade in Mccormick grill mates chiptole pepper seasoning they come out soo good!
Mason Woodruff
Friday 25th of November 2022
Thighs save lives. Good call!
Jennifer LePage
Monday 29th of November 2021
A Mason Fit favorite that's perfect to make ahead and airfry on football Sundays - extra great in the airfryer with the added crunch. I use crockpot shredded chicken, shred with the handmixer and add water and taco seasoning. Add the chicken to the tortillas with fat free cheddar and people can dunk in salsas, sour cream, etc. Love!
Nicole
Monday 9th of August 2021
I’d love to see a picture of the taco packaging. I’m not finding “extra thin” at my store.
Mason Woodruff
Thursday 12th of August 2021
Here's a link to the tortillas I used: https://www.missionfoods.com/products/extra-thin-yellow-corn-tortillas/ (They have a store locator as well.)
Alayna Miller
Wednesday 28th of July 2021
What kind of chicken do you recommend? I can’t find it on her
Mason Woodruff
Saturday 31st of July 2021
Check out the recommendations in the post. I'm partial to my Mexican chicken thighs recipe, but there are lots of other recommendations there.
Abigail
Sunday 20th of June 2021
Can I use ground turkey instead?
Mason Woodruff
Monday 21st of June 2021
Definitely. Check out my baked beef tacos for an example. You could swap ground beef for ground turkey. Or cook your ground turkey however you want!