Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos
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OH-SO-CRISP, crunchy, cheesy chicken tacos completely baked to absolute PERFECTION. A super easy weeknight meal!
Super crispy, crunchy, cheesy chicken tacos that do not require any kind of deep-frying? Yes, please! I know, it’s hard to believe that these are baked but they are completely 100% baked start to finish.
With an easy chicken filling and the most fragrant spices, cilantro and a little bit of cheese, these come together very quickly. And that little brush of oil prior to baking help these bad boys crisp up in the oven so so perfectly.
Ground pork or ground beef can easily be substituted for the chicken, and you can even make these miniature-size using smaller corn tortillas (I used 5-6 inch corn tortillas here). Serve with your favorite toppings as needed – guac, pico, and/or sour cream are all favorable choices here!
Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
- 8 flour or corn tortillas, warmed
For serving
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole
- Shredded lettuce
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground chicken, onion and garlic, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in green chiles, chili powder, paprika, oregano and cumin until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 1 cup cheese until well combined.
- Working one at a time, spread chicken mixture on half of the tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon cheese, folding over to seal. Repeat with remaining tortillas to make 8 tacos.
- Place tacos in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil.
- Place into oven and bake until toasted and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made these tonight and they taste very good. My problem was with the tortillas. They browned too quickly. I used corn and flour to see which one I liked better. After about 5 minutes they were getting very brown. Turned off the oven and cracked the door. Recipe says 12-15 minutes Any suggestions?
As a couple other posters commented, I too would like to know specifically what tortillas you used to make these. Could you please share? Thank you!
My teenage daughter and I made these when my husband was out of town, we loved them so much we had to make them again for him a couple of weeks later. They are a HUGE hit with everyone! A bonus, they make a lot and reheat very nicely in a toaster oven or air fryer.
As everyone else mentioned, these are great. The whole family loved them! I used olive oil because that’s what I had. My only advice is to make extra because they’re going to go fast!Â
This recipe was amazing. My husband and children loved it. Thank you “Damn Delicious” for always having full proof recipes that are excellent.
Absolutely loved trying out the new recipe from this site! The flavors were exquisite, and the presentation was a delight. I even served it with my beautiful jug and glass set, adding an extra touch of elegance to the dining experience. The step-by-step instructions were clear and easy to follow, making the dish a breeze to prepare. Can’t wait to explore more recipes here and showcase them in my lovely dining collection. Thank you for such a wonderful culinary adventure
Would these work in an air fryer??
These tacos feature soft, juicy chicken encased in a crisp, golden crust, perfectly cooked for a healthier alternative to the traditional fried versions. With each bite, you will experience a satisfying texture contrast, from the crispness of the chicken to the softness of the tortilla. Served as a fun weeknight dinner or a delicious party snack, crispy baked chicken tacos are sure to be a hit with both family and friends. Get ready to enjoy a delicious and satisfying taco experience that is both easy to make and incredibly tasty. 🙂
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Love this recipe! A few more steps than opening a packet of taco seasoning on top of ground meat but so much more delicious and about the same time to prep. I now have a new go-to weeknight taco recipe. Â Â
These are super easy and delicious! They reheat nicely and are super good cold! Ive tried so many of your recipes and they really all are so so good!
These tacos are delicious. They are crispy enough to pick them up to eat them. I thought I’d have to eat them with a fork, but my husband picked one up and shoved guacamole inside of it, and ate with his hands. I used half beef and half chicken. I wish I had made these for my kid when they were home for the holidays. I think a soy chorizo would work well for those of my crew who are vegetarian. I did take the advice of the person who posted a review and suggested putting the tacos in the oven for 1 or 2 minutes, and then taking them out and folding them. They folded nicely, and I painted on a little olive oil, and they turned out perfect. I did use less cheese, because we don’t eat much dairy. Very tasty. I will make them again. I did get 12 tacos out of the meat.
Fantastic recipe – a family favorite. Thank you!
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These were amazing! Thanks for posting the recipe. Healthy and delicious!
We love these!!!! I thought I thawed out ground chicken but it was ground beef so I used that instead and they were delicious!!! It’s one of my favorite recipes!!! I’m just wondering if you have any idea what the calorie content would be? Thank you so much
Delish! I used corn tortillas. I brushed them with oil and baked them flat on cookie sheet for about 4 minutes then added the meat and folded them over. No tearing.Â
I did not have any green chilies in my dish. I did use 1/2 corn tortillas and 1/2 flour tortillas. To prep the corn tortillas, I put 5 of them on a plate in the microwave for 30 seconds, and they did not crack. I also flipped all the tacos over after their initial 12 minute oven cooking time, because the underside was a bit under-done. I still think the flour tortillas tasted better with this recipe. I paired with guacamole and mild salsa. Appreciate the quick and easy dish.
We only had ground beef. This was super delicious and we will definitely be eating it again. Very versatile.
Crispy baked chikan tacos are a delightful twist on traditional tacos. The golden, crunchy chicken adds a satisfying texture to every bite. A must-try recipe!
Outstanding. We have added this to our meal rotation and make it often!Â
Any idea how many calories in one taco?
These tacos were Damn Delicious and my family loved them. Very easy and a tasty twist on good old tacos. I made mine with beef and prepared the meat mixture the night before, then next day heated it and added cilantro and lime before stuffing the tacos. Served with fresh guacamole, mmmmm cant wait for leftovers tonight. Thanks!
To make them crispy, fry each corn tortilla in oil for a few minutes, don’t let get hard, just until pliable. Â Then they will fold easy and crisp when baked.
Loved these! We used ground turkey, pepper jack cheese and flour tortillas and they were delicious. There’s only two of us so we just made 6 tacos and plan on using the extra turkey mixture in omelets for breakfast!
My family really liked these- EVEN though they did not look anything like the photos. I would be interested to know what tortilla type was used. I used corn tortillas. Some split when filled, none of them got this beautiful brown like the website pictures. I put less filling in after the first couple split. I had a lot of meat mixture left over so I made the rest as tostados. This worked much better. However, I can make this easier with a taco mix. Due to how mine turned out, I would not make this again.Â
YUMMY!! Will def make again.
Very tasty recipe. I also had trouble getting the corn tortillas to fold. I should have read the other reviews before I started. Anyway, I will definitely make these again.Â
Corn tortillas didn’t work at all, even after warming up. They wouldn’t stay folded. We ended up with tasty tostadas.Â
I used some inexpensive ground turkey that came out a little dry so I added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce. Â That was the only variation to the recipe I made and overall the taste was fantastic. Â
I had to bake in batches and my first batch all split along the seam so for the  second batch I baked 1 min open faced, then removed from oven and folded the tortilla, brushed with oil and put back in the oven for approx 10 more min.  None of my second batch split 🙂Â
Everyone loved it and it was an easy meal prepÂ
Thank you for this tip! Worked great and so good!
We loved these. We had trouble using corn tortillas, but flour did the job.
Any hints on how to use corn tortillas? Ours just crumbled, even tried steaming them a bit in the microwave before using. Thank you!
Made these for company and they loved them had to send recipe! Will be a favourite for sure…thanks for the recipe
Yummy, tasted just like fried taquitos! All your recipes turn out so great. I premade all the meat the day before and warmed it a bit and added the cilantro right before adding it to the tortillas to bake. Thanks much
Our new go to tacos! Chef’s kiss!
Excellent, and so simple! Liked it a lot.
Fantastic recipe! Pairs well with lime margaritas and MLB baseball.Â
I just made these last night and while they didn’t exactly look as crispy as in the recipe photo, they tasted absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making them again. 🙂
These were absolutely delicious! I will definitely make these again.
These were quick and easy to make for dinner! What is a good option for reheating any leftovers tacos?
These were delicious! Love that there is less prep work and clean up than traditional tacos. They are a little tricky to eat, but we will definetely be making them again.
Very good, very easy! Â Loved this.
First time cooking chicken tacos and they did not disappoint. So flavorful and delicious!!! Thank You for a wonderful recipe.
Can I use!Â
Can noise flour tortillas?