Make these Creamy Baked Chicken Tacos for the perfect weeknight meal or even a party. Everyone can add their own toppings and enjoy!
Weeknight-easy
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: The secret to creamy taco filling
Worth It: It builds a stash for stress-free meals later
Bonus: Options to add a little extra kick
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy weeknight dinner – I love making this baked chicken taco recipe for a quick and simple taco night weeknight meal. It comes together so easily for quick weeknight dinners and it’s something the whole family will enjoy
- Perfect for meal prep – Make a big batch of this chicken tacos recipe and you will have the perfect leftovers for an easy dinner to enjoy throughout the week.
- Great for a crowd – These crispy chicken tacos are not only a family favorite twist on classic tacos, but also amazing for a taco Tuesday or cinco de Mayo party! It’s easy to make a bunch of them, so it is a great way to serve a crowd. Then serve them alongside a bar of all different toppings. The toppings are the best part!
Serving Suggestions
You can add to get as creative as you want with your favorite toppings on top of each shell for your crunchy chicken taco. I love serving them with my favorite items like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes or pico de gallo, limes for a squeeze of lime juice, fresh avocado or guacamole, and shredded mexican cheese, or cotija cheese. Pickled red onions are also a great addition!
If you want to add some greens to the meal, my favorite way to incorporate them is to make a quick salad with this copycat chipotle vinaigrette. For additional sides, you could make Mexican rice or refried beans.
For an easy beef tacos recipe, try these ground beef baked tacos. For a vegetarian option, you could try these spicy chickpea tacos.
Ingredients
- Salsa verde – use your favorite jar of salsa verde from the grocery store to add so much flavor to the base of your marinade for the chicken
- Kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin – this simple blend of spices creates a homemade taco seasoning that gives the chicken breasts the perfect flavor. I didn’t add black pepper, but feel free to
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – use boneless and skinless chicken breasts to keep this recipe simple. You can also use chicken tenderloins
- Cream cheese – the cream cheese adds a perfect tang and creaminess to the chicken mixture in your baked tacos
- Corn tortillas – I love using small soft tortillas because they are very pliable and get perfectly crispy tacos
- Mexican blend cheese – use your favorite shredded Mexican cheese blend to add inside your tacos
Ingredient Substitutions
To make this recipe even quicker, you could use rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts. If you have ground chicken, you could saute that in a large skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes and then add it to the sauce. For slow cooker chicken tacos, you can put the same mixture and chicken in a crock pot on low heat for 6-8 hours.
For added fiber, you can also add black beans in your chicken filling or on top of your crispy taco shells. I used a Mexican cheese blend, but you could use cheddar cheese or colby jack cheese.
Cream cheese creates the perfect texture and flavor, but you could also use sour cream instead. If you use sour cream, be sure your sauce is not too hot when you add it.
Many people prefer soft flour tortillas of corn tortillas, so you can certainly substitute them if you would like. Look for the smaller size flour tortillas that are between 5 and 6 inches in diameter.
To make these spicy chicken tacos, add chili powder or cayenne pepper to your homemade chicken taco seasoning. You can also layer green chiles, sliced jalapeños or pickled jalapeños in with the chicken taco filling and cheese before baking.
How To Make
Step 1: Prepare Chicken and Sauce
Mix salsa verde with kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder and cumin (Image 1) and pour into a small sauce pot (Image 2). Add chicken breasts to the pot and make sure they are covered with the liquid.
Preheat oven to 375F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Step 2: Shred Chicken
Bring liquid to a boil, cover pot and reduce to a simmer. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.
The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165F. Remove chicken from pot and place cream cheese in the pot with the warm salsa. Shred with 2 forks (Image 3). Mix cream cheese in with the salsa and then mix shredded chicken back in (Image 4).
Step 3: Bake the tacos
Place 6 tortillas on each sheet pan and top each tortilla with a thin layer of shredded cheese. Add ¼ cup of the shredded chicken mixture on one side of each tortilla (Image 5).
Place in the oven to bake at 375F for 5 minutes to get melty cheese. Fold tortillas in half, return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes (Image 6). If you want a crispier shell, spray the tortillas with cooking spray like an olive oil nonstick spray. Repeat everything on the second baking sheet.
Allow to cool slightly and then add any toppings and enjoy!
Storage, Reheating and Freezing
To keep the tacos warm as you are serving them, transfer them to a baking dish and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. To avoid getting soggy, place your crunch chicken taco on a wire rack.
Allow the oven baked chicken tacos to cool completely and then transfer leftover chicken tacos to an airtight container in the fridge. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or toaster oven at 250F until warmed through. You can also air fryer tacos to reheat them.
To freeze your easy chicken tacos, wrap them in plastic wrap and foil first and then place in a plastic freezer friendly bag or freezer-safe containers. Keep frozen for up to 3 months.
Check Out These Other Great Recipes for Tacos
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Creamy Baked Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 16 oz salsa verde
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 12 corn tortillas about 5.5” in diameter each
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Instructions
- Mix salsa verde with kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder and cumin and pour into a small sauce pot. Add chicken breasts to the pot and make sure they are covered with the liquid.
- Preheat oven to 375F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Bring liquid to a boil, cover pot and reduce to a simmer. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and place cream cheese in the pot with the warm salsa. Shred with 2 forks. Mix cream cheese in with the salsa and then mix shredded chicken back in.
- Place 6 tortillas on each sheet pan and top each tortilla with a thin layer of shredded cheese. Place ¼ cup of the shredded chicken mixture on one side of each tortilla
- Place in the oven to bake at 375F for 5 minutes. Fold tortillas in half, return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly and then add any toppings and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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