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.
Honestly I’m not sure what I could say that anyone else hasn’t, but I think the reviews and ratings speak for itself!! Easy, delicious, minimal effort, and you can add your own flare with salsas, toppings, or sauces! Now I keep plenty of tortilla wraps in my cupboard to have tacos at the ready. Thanks for making me enjoy meal prepping and cooking!
Such a good recipe for meal prep! I double or triple the recipe often times, and then my husband and I will reheat them in the oven for lunches.
The chicken tacos are great for a quick dinner or easy meal prep! I’ve also used ground beef/ground turkey and can confirm it’s still 10/10. I love how simple it is to make the tacos! I’ve also made a ton at once and froze them and they were still delicious weeks later. If you only have a little bit of time- try this one!
I don’t know why mine didn’t work out. The tortillas crumbled and never became crispy. Tasted fine, because it’s all the same ingredients. But the tortillas were a bust.
Sorry for the taco woes. Usually a crumbly tortilla is a result of not being warm enough before filling and folding. And if you try baked tacos again and have trouble getting the tortillas crispy, a little cooking spray or oil helps speed things up.
No seasoning whatsoever?! 😬🤔
This is really just a base recipe for using cooked chicken. If you’re using plain ol’ chicken, I’d add some type of seasoning.
Do you use crunch taco shells or soft taco shells?
No shells, just the extra thin corn tortillas.
Can I use ground turkey instead?
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!
What kind of chicken do you recommend? I can’t find it on her
Check out the recommendations in the post. I’m partial to my Mexican chicken thighs recipe, but there are lots of other recommendations there.
I’d love to see a picture of the taco packaging. I’m not finding “extra thin” at my store.
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.)
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!