Easy Baked Chicken Tacos: A Flavorful Weeknight Winner
Crispy, cheesy, and packed with bold flavor! 🌮🔥 These Easy Baked Chicken Tacos are the ultimate weeknight winner—filled with juicy seasoned chicken, melty cheese, and all your favorite toppings. 🍗🧀🌶️ Just assemble, bake, and enjoy golden, crunchy tacos with minimal cleanup. Perfect for busy nights, family dinners, or feeding a hungry crowd fast. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guac for extra flair! 🥑🍅🎉
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 tacos 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound cooked, shredded chicken (use rotisserie chicken or poached chicken breast for ease)
- 1 ounce taco seasoning (or homemade with a mix of chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes)
- ½ cup diced white or yellow onion
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
- 10 hard taco shells (preferably flat-bottomed, stand-up style)
- 8 ounces refried beans (about half a standard can)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese
Optional Toppings (for serving):
- Shredded lettuce
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Lime wedges
Preparation Notes:
- Be sure the chicken is fully cooked and shredded before beginning. You can use leftover chicken breast, store-bought rotisserie chicken, or slow-cooked chicken thighs.
- Draining the canned tomatoes and green chiles helps prevent sogginess in the taco shells.
- To make your own taco seasoning, mix 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon each of cumin, paprika, and onion powder, and ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder and red pepper flakes.
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or a light coating of oil.
- Sauté the Onions
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil.
- Once hot, sauté the diced onion for 2–3 minutes, until softened and slightly translucent.
- Add Chicken and Seasoning
- Stir the shredded chicken into the skillet with the onions.
- Add the taco seasoning, stirring well to coat all the chicken evenly.
- Cook for 1–2 minutes to warm everything through.
- Add Tomatoes and Green Chiles
- Pour in the drained diced tomatoes and green chiles.
- Stir to combine and simmer the mixture for another 2–3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Prepare Taco Shells
- Stand all 10 taco shells upright in the prepared baking dish.
- If they don’t stay upright, use crumpled foil or extra beans to help them stand.
- Layer Beans and Chicken Mixture
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of refried beans into the bottom of each taco shell.
- Top the beans with a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture, filling each shell about ¾ full.
- Add Cheese
- Sprinkle shredded cheese generously over the top of each taco.
- Use as much cheese as desired; 2 cups total should be enough to cover all the tacos.
- Bake
- Place the baking dish in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the taco shells are lightly golden and crisp on the edges.
- Garnish and Serve
- Remove the tacos from the oven.
- Let them cool for 2–3 minutes.
- Garnish with your favorite toppings like lettuce, cilantro, avocado, or salsa.
- Serve with lime wedges for an extra burst of freshness.
Notes
- Use Rotisserie Chicken for Speed
- Buying pre-cooked rotisserie chicken saves time and adds extra flavor. Just shred and season it in the skillet.
- Avoid Soggy Shells
- Drain all canned ingredients thoroughly before adding to the chicken mixture.
- Adding beans as the first layer also helps create a barrier against moisture.
- Cheese Choices Matter
- A Mexican blend melts well and complements the seasoning, but feel free to use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby.
- For extra cheesy tacos, add some cheese under the chicken mixture as well.
- Support Upright Shells
- If the shells don’t stay upright in the dish, use balled-up foil or a muffin tin to support them while baking.
- Make Ahead Tips
- Prepare the chicken mixture up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
- Assemble and bake the tacos fresh when ready to eat.
- Customize for Kids
- Tone down the spices for kids by reducing or omitting red pepper flakes from the taco seasoning.
- Serve with a side of plain rice or corn to round out the meal.