When I want to make an easy dinner for my family, I always turn to these baked chicken tacos. They’re a favorite with my kids, and I love that they involve minimal clean up and are super easy. Made in less than 30 minutes, the spicy shredded chicken filling bakes up in the crispy taco shells so fast. I developed this recipe in 2015 and it’s been the ultimate recipe for serving a crowd on game day, Cinco de Mayo, or taco night ever since. Over 2400 home cooks have ranked this recipe a 5-star favorite. I’m so proud of this recipe!
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When I developed this recipe in 2015, I had no idea how many times I’d end up making it. We make it time and time again at our house, in about every flavor combination possible. I always end up coming back to this simple chicken filling, and its a favorite of my kid’s as well. This is the most popular recipe on The Cookie Rookie. It has been viewed over 6 million times and pinned over 2 million times. It’s so simple and delicious, I just know you’ll love it!
What’s in This Baked Chicken Taco Recipe?
- Shredded Chicken: Use fully cooked, shredded chicken for the taco filling. I often use rotisserie chicken for a quick and easy option.
- Taco Seasoning: This blend of spices (chili powder, paprika, garlic and onion powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes) is perfect for any taco recipe and adds so much flavor.
- Taco Shells: Use hard taco shells since they bake up nice and crispy in the oven!
- Cheese: I used Mexican blend shredded cheese, but any blend of melting cheeses will work. Freshly grated cheese gets beautifully melty!
- Green Chiles: Use a can of chopped green chiles for the chicken mixture. It adds a little bit of heat, and it’s really delicious. Just be sure to fully drain them.
- Refried Beans: The creamy texture of refried beans adds a nice layer of texture and flavor beneath the chicken. Use about half a can.
- Tomatoes: A can of diced tomatoes adds more texture to the mix. Again, be sure to fully drain these so you don’t end up with too much liquid in the chicken taco filling.
- Onion: Adds more texture and some aromatics. White, sweet, or red onions all work.
Tips for Success
- There are a few things I do to make sure the shells don’t get soggy:
- Fully drain all canned ingredients so that there isn’t extra liquid in the filling.
- Bake the shells by themselves for about 5 minutes before filling them.
- Layer the refried beans on the bottom, and place the chicken taco meat on top. This helps them hold up better.
- If you’re making these for a crowd or a party, you can keep them warm in the oven as you serve. We usually turn the oven down to about 250°F, and keep them in a baking dish covered with foil.
How to Store and Reheat
I generally recommend storing these baked chicken tacos separately rather than as whole tacos. Store the individual components in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you have leftover tacos after baking everything together, wrap individual tacos in aluminum foil, and place them in a resealable bag. Keep in mind that the shells might get soggy if stored this way. To reheat, assemble tacos and bake as instructed in the recipe card, or until the chicken is fully heated through (165°F).
Serving Suggestions
These easy chicken tacos make Taco Tuesday a snap. They’re quick to prep for a Cinco de Mayo party, and they also make delicious game-day food. Pair them with Mexican grilled corn, Mexican rice, or Esquites for a rounded meal.
This is one of our family’s favorite meals to make on busy nights, or for a celebration. We hope you love it as much as we do.
5-Star Reviews
“I rarely leave reviews for recipes, but this was SO good and so simple, I had to say thank you! So thanks for the great recipe, it’s going in the regular rotation!” – Christy
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“We have made these several tomes snd they’re well loved! Sure go fast! I couldn’t even get a photo of them all!!!” – Melissa
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“I use the chicken filling for so many things other than this recipe!! It’s so good for taco salads, quesadillas, soft tacos, the list goes on. I make a double batch and eat the variations throughout the week!” – Catie
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“This is a go-to in our household. It’s so quick, simple, and delicious- and since it’s just my husband and I, we have enough for two days! :)” – Brittany
Baked Chicken Tacos Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound shredded cooked chicken We used Rotisserie chicken
- 1 ounce taco seasoning (click for recipe!)
- ½ cup diced onion
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes fully drained (1 can)
- 4.5 ounces diced green chiles fully drained (1 can)
- 10 hard taco shells We used Old El Paso Stand 'N Stuff
- 8 ounces refried beans (½ can)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Optional Toppings
- Sliced jalapeños
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Shredded lettuce
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add onion to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and fragrant.½ cup diced onion
- Stir in the chicken, taco seasoning, tomatoes (fully drained), and green chiles (fully drained). Stir to combine fully. Reduce to simmer and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes.½ pound shredded cooked chicken, 1 ounce taco seasoning, 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, 4.5 ounces diced green chiles
- Place the taco shells in the baking dish, standing up. We were able to fit 10 taco shells in the dish by adding 2 on each side.10 hard taco shells
- Bake the taco shells for 5 minutes by themselves to allow them to crisp up. Remove from the oven.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of beans into the bottom of each taco shell. Top with the chicken mixture, almost to the top of each shell.8 ounces refried beans
- Sprinkle each shell generously with shredded cheese, the more the better!2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted and the edges of the shells are browned.
- Remove from the oven and top with your favorite items such as jalapenos, sour cream, shredded lettuce, cilantro, and salsa.Sliced jalapeños, Sour cream, Salsa, Chopped fresh cilantro, Shredded lettuce
Video
Becky’s Tips
- Between the taco seasoning, green chiles, and jalapenos (my favorite topping, though it’s completely optional), this baked chicken tacos recipe is relatively spicy, but not overwhelmingly hot.
- When I want to make them less spicy, I skip the jalapeños on top. The green chiles can be quite mild, but if you or the kids are sensitive to spice, simply skip over them when making the chicken filling.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Chicken Tacos Step by Step
Sauté the Onion: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add ½ cup of diced onion to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and fragrant.
Simmer the Filling: Stir in ½ pound of shredded cooked chicken, 1 ounce of taco seasoning, 14.5 ounces (1 can) of diced tomatoes (fully drained), and 4.5 ounces (1 can) of diced green chiles (fully drained). Stir to combine fully. Reduce to simmer and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes.
Bake the Taco Shells: Place 10 hard taco shells in the baking dish, standing up. We were able to fit 10 taco shells in the dish by adding 2 on each side. Bake the taco shells for 5 minutes by themselves to allow them to crisp up. Remove from the oven.
Fill the Tacos: Spoon 1 tablespoon of refried beans into the bottom of each taco shell. Top with the chicken mixture, filling almost to the top of each shell.
Top with Cheese: Sprinkle each shell generously with 2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese, the more the better!
Bake and Serve: Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the edges of the shells are browned. Remove from the oven and top with your favorite items such as jalapenos, sour cream, shredded lettuce, cilantro, and salsa.
As a Brit I was looking for a authentic Taco recipe and this did not disappoint at all !! I got confused with the cilantro ( we call it coriander 🌿) but overall these were fantastic ! Xx
Thanks for sharing!
Coriander is the spice/seed. Cilantro is the herb/leaf. Same plant though.
These are amazing! On my menu again this week. I shared this recipe with my daughter and she made it twice in the same week!
That’s awesome!
I added a layer of Spanish rice on top of the refried beans and then the chicken mixture. My family said this a new meal I must make more often.
Looks amazing!!
This is a new weekly meal for us. Super easy to put together. Thanks for the recipe!!
Thanks for stopping by and letting us know!
Made this several times!!
Sooooo yummy!!
They look delicious, Pam!
OMG! These are fabulous and so easy to make. The whole time my Hubs was eating, he was going “Mmmm, these are great! Where did you find this recipe? It’s definitely a keeper. Thank you, Babe for making this dinner!” The only downside, I didn’t get a pic!
Share a picture with us next time!
So good!!! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe! This was a twist on “regular” tacos and it’s a welcome one, since my family and I are taco addicts. Love the crunch. Baking these was clever and yummy. Thank you:)
Thanks for stopping by, Julie!
This has been my go-to quick dinner recipe for years. Everyone loves it – and there are some picky eaters at our dinner table!
That’s awesome!
Made for the first time and came out amazing. Thanks for sharing. Any idea how many calories per taco?
233 calories!
No offense meant, but there’s an awful lot of verbiage here for a very good, but very simple recipe. 10 pictures, 5 topping suggestions/other suggestions, 3 tips about draining tomato/peppers, 3 mentions about being most popular recipe, etc. That’s quite a bit to muddle through when simply looking for a quick idea. It’s a tasty recipe though. Carry on….
In order to get high on the search page when you google recipes, those long blog post stories and repetitive words are necessary! We don’t think we need to write a story or repeat ourselves with every recipe, it’s just how it works. Without it, this recipe could end up on the 50th “O” on your google search page! The ads are a necessary evil to keep this website and the recipes free to use. Please use the “⬇ Recipe” at the top of the page to skip everything and go straight to the recipe card!
I agree with too much redundancy, I understand the need for ads. But the pop-ups are annoying when you can’t X them out…. X
I totally get the Google thing, we have to deal with it, too, for our ministry. But, in your defense, not everyone is well versed in the kitchen and may need the repetitive reminders of things to do, like thoroughly drain the chilies and tomatoes. I don’t need that kind of help, so I just click “Jump to recipe” and voila, I’m at the recipe! Keep producing these great recipes!
Personally I never read all the text. I jump to recipe and then also read the reviews. If something is unclear in the recipe I’ll find it in the text and see what it says. As for the ads, that is how these bloggers get paid for the work they do, if it wasn’t for the ads we would have to either pay for a subscription, cookbook, or per recipe.
Now I’m off to cook for dinner, I’ll let you know what the family thinks.