Crispy Chicken Tacos

Chicken, cheese and crispy corn tortillas. Taco night just got better with the Crispy Chicken Tacos.

Quick Crispy Chicken Tacos made with simple ingredients to get dinner on the table fast. In just under 1 hour, these easy to make, crispy tacos are ready, making them perfect for those busy weeknights. Just fill, bake until crispy and serve with your favorite toppings.

We eat tacos just about every week around here. We love our Carnitas Tacos, Birria Tacos and any other kind you can think of. My go to here recently has been these Crispy Chicken Tacos, because they are so easy to make. The whole family loves them, especially when served with Guacamole for dipping.

Since we raise chickens for meat, I am often looking for new recipes to use chicken in. I don’t often use chicken in tacos, but it works perfectly in this recipe. I take the shredded chicken and toss it with a finely chopped chipotle and a little adobo sauce to give it a nice smokey flavor. Since I am making these crispy chicken tacos for my kiddos to eat too, I only use 1/2-1 whole chipotle pepper. Which is enough to flavor the tacos without making them too spicy. If you like spicy, I recommend using 2-3 of the chipotles. They are delicious!

More Chicken Recipes to Try

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Chicken Enchiladas

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup with Chicken

How to Make Crispy Chicken Tacos

The full recipe is in the recipe card below.

Cook Chicken– Pat dry and season the chicken all over with the spices. Sear the chicken and bake until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.

Shred Chicken– Shred chicken and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the chipotle and adobo sauce.

Stuff Tacos– Evenly divide the cheese and chicken among each softened tortilla, fold to make a taco.

Bake Tacos– Bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve Tacos– Pile on your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

Need to use up some leg quarters? I have made this recipe using 4 leg quarters. Depending on the size of the leg quarters used, you may need to adjust the seasonings.

What Kind of Shells Should You Use to Make Crispy Chicken Tacos?

I prefer to use soft corn tortillas when making these Crispy Chicken Tacos. Soft corn tortillas are easy to stuff and get deliciously crispy when baked. You can use flour tortillas if you do not have soft corn tortillas.

What Toppings Go with Crispy Chicken Tacos?

Just about anything you normally eat on tacos can be eaten with these Crispy Chicken Tacos. I am a sucker for Guacamole and Pico de Gallo, so I almost always serve them with tacos.

  • Shredded Lettuce
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Hot Sauce
  • Sour Cream
  • Cilantro Lime Crema
  • Guacamole
  • Pico de Gallo

What are Crispy Chicken Tacos Made Of?

These Crispy Chicken Tacos are made with soft corn tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken, shredded cheese and chipotles in adobo sauce. They are then coated in oil and baked until crispy.

Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispie Treats

These Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispie Treats are a yummy twist on the classic marshmallowy treats we all know and love. Freeze dried strawberries, vanilla Oreos and a little extra vanilla extract take the classic rice krispie treats up a notch, or two.

How do You Get Crispy Chicken Tacos Crispy?

The key to getting crispy chicken tacos crispy is to coat the pan and corn tortillas in oil before baking. After baking for 10 minutes the side touching the pan will be crispy. Then you will need to carefully flip the tacos and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp up the other side.

Want to make this recipe even faster?

Using leftover chicken is a great way to make this recipe even faster. Rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken or just pre-cooked and shredded chicken are perfect for this recipe. Just toss the chicken with the seasonings and chipotles before filling the tacos.

Another great way to save time is to use premade Taco Seasoning in place of the seasonings for the chicken.

Tried This Recipe?

Leave a review below, I would love to hear how it turned out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Crispy Chicken Tacos

Quick Crispy Chicken Tacos made with simple ingredients to get dinner on the table fast. In just under 1 hour, these easy to make, crispy tacos are ready, making them perfect for those busy weeknights. Just fill, bake until crispy and serve with your favorite toppings.

Crispy Chicken Tacos
Prep Time 35 mins Cook Time 20 mins Total Time 55 mins Difficulty: Beginner Cooking Temp: 450  °F Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat an oven to 375° F.  Season the chicken all over with the spices.  Place an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat.  Add in the olive oil and chicken.  Sear on both sides and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

  2. Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.  

  3. meanwhile, turn the oven up to 450°F.  Brush a sheet pan with olive oil.  Place the tortillas in a damp towel, cover completely, and warm in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Flip and microwave for 20 more seconds.

  4. Shred the chicken and place in a medium bowl.  Add the finely chopped chipotle pepper and a little of the adobo sauce to the chicken.  Mix to fully combine.  Taste to see if you want more of either.

  5. Brush one side of a tortilla with olive oil, place that side down on the prepared pan.  Place some of the chicken mixture and shredded cheese on one side of the tortilla, fold over, press down gently and repeat until all of the fillings are used.

  6. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and carefully flip each taco.  Place back in the oven and bake for 10 more minutes.  Serve with your favorite toppings.  Enjoy!

Note

This recipe makes approximately 15 tacos.  The total amount will vary depending on the amount of filling you put in the tacos.

*I like to use a combination of cheeses for these tacos.  I typically use half shredded cheddar cheese and half queso fresco.  

Shredded Quesadilla cheese is another great option.

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Sky Pilgreen

A Food and Homesteading Blogger

Hello, I'm Sky!  Welcome to Simply Scratch Made, where I share my passion for all things food!  This blog focuses on sharing from scratch recipes and tips on homesteading for everyone.

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