Crispy Cheesy Baked Chicken Tacos – a fast and easy sheet pan chicken taco recipe to spice up your taco night!
Crispy Cheesy Baked Chicken Tacos
Fresh corn tortillas, seasoned chicken, and melty cheese baked until crispy on a sheet pan! I’m always looking for ways to switch up our taco night, and this oven-baked method is a winner that is going into regular rotation. I used ground chicken in this recipe, but it works perfectly with rotisserie chicken too! We have also tried baking them with salsa, enchilada sauce, and taco sauce, and all work perfectly, so they are easy to customize.
Ingredients for Crispy Cheesy Baked Tacos
- Ground Chicken – shredded rotisserie chicken works great too!
- Taco Seasoning – use to prepare ground chicken according to package instructions.
- Corn Tortillas – standard size corn tortillas, about 6 inches.
- Oil – Olive oil or vegetable oil for keeping the chicken from sticking to the pan and for brushing the tortillas
- Shredded Cheese – freshly shredded or a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend. Any good melting cheese.
- Salsa – or enchilada sauce or taco sauce. An extra layer of moisture helps hold the meat together and prevents it from drying out in the oven.
- Taco Toppings – crispy lettuce, diced tomatoes, ripe avocado, fresh lime juice, and cilantro.
How to Make Crispy Cheesy Baked Chicken Tacos
Please scroll to the end of the post for the complete recipe card with instructions and amounts.
- Prepare the chicken. Use ground chicken flavored with taco seasoning or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Steam the Tortillas. Microwave in a damp paper towel to make them soft a pliable.
- Arrange the tacos on a baking sheet. Brush tortillas with oil on both sides. Layer the tortillas, meat, cheese, and sauce on half of the tortilla and fold over.
- Bake until Crispy.
- Add Toppings – gently lift taco shells and fill with your favorite taco toppings.
Recipe Tips
- I’ve tested the recipe with shredded chicken and ground chicken, and both work great! I’ve also tested this baked taco method with shredded beef and ground beef, but found the tacos come out too greasy, so that is a work in progress!
- I used a jumbo sheet pan, which is slightly larger than a half sheet pan, to give me a little extra workspace when assembling the tacos.
- Use parchment paper or spray the sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray to ensure the cheese doesn’t stick.
More of My Favorite Mexican Recipes
- Easy Mexican Rice Recipe
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Slow Cooker Refried Beans
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Skillet Enchiladas
- Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos
- Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
Crispy Cheesy Baked Chicken Tacos
Servings: 10 tacos
Equipment
- Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 10 corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 1 cup salsa or enchilada sauce or taco sauce
- lettuce
- tomato
- fresh limes
- avocado
- cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉ and line baking sheet with parchment paper. I used a jumbo sheet for this recipe.
- In a skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, breaking up is it cooks until cooked through. Add taco seasoning and prepare with water according to package instructions.
- Wrap stack of tortillas in damp paper towel and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until tortillas are soft. Arrange tortillas evenly on baking sheet and brush both sides lightly with remaining oil.
- Divide ground chicken evenly onto one side of each tortilla, followed by cheese, and 1-2 tablespoons of salsa. Fold tortilla over and bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tacos are crispy.
- Carefully open taco and add lettuce, diced tomatoes, fresh lime juice, avocado, and cilantro.
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
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