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
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
- Crispy Chicken Carnitas
- Oven Roasted Chicken Al Pastor
- Chipotle Lime Grilled Chicken Breast
- Mexican Smoked Chicken Breast
- Chipotle BBQ Chicken Tacos
- Smoked Pulled Chicken
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
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.
Can I use flour Tortillas?
Yep! I’ve seen lots use flour. They tend to be a bit thicker and take longer in the oven to get crispy, though.
These are so good and so easy to make. I did add refried beans to mine and since its the first time making them some of the tortillas did break in half. I think next time I am going to keep the tortilla flat and add the toppings then when they are done I can add lettuce and sauce. Thanks for the recipe.
Delicious and very easy to make!
I love these because my husband usually grills or smokes a big batch of chicken breast on sundays and this recipe is so easy with that chicken! I just chop up the grilled chicken or throw it in the kitchen aid and shred it. As a macro counter these are a great staple for when people come over and you want to have “”normal” food but not break your macro count. Thanks Mason!
I love how easy and delicious these are! I’ve tried several recipes and never a disappointment!
I made these for a friends game night and they were amazing. Everyone loved them. Super easy to make. I’ve been asked to make them for the Super Bowl.
I LOVE THESE.
I’ve made them multiple times, and recommend them to everyone I know. They’re crispy and tasty and I love how I can dip them into salsa and sour cream (or pile both on top) and just nosh.
A few people I’ve sent this link to didn’t pay attention to the extra thin corn tortilla recc. It’s SUPER important for making tacos that don’t break. Regular corn tortillas are too brittle (IMO) even when warmed. Go out of your way to get the Mission Extra Thin.
Both these and the beef version of the baked tacos are really really good. I like to add black refried beans to mine!
Let me start by saying I am far from a taco conniseur. My idea of a tasty taco was the Jack in the box 2/$.99 special. But the baked chicken tacos recipe hit on all the same notes that I liked about those JITB versions with way fewer calories and I can make a large batch to eat over a week for roughly what one trip to the drive thru costs me. In addition the baked chicken tacos reheat much better and maintain their crispness longer.
I made these last week for my meal prep with corn tortillas. I don’t have an air-fryer and I thought the oven worked great. I think I baked mine a bit too long so next time I would add an ingredient like refried beans or a bit of fat free sour cream, even greek yogurt to help keep them from drying out.