20 Minute Mini Baked Chicken Tacos

These mini baked chicken tacos come together in about 20 minutes with just a handful of simple ingredients. They’re perfect for feeding a crowd and simple enough to throw together for an easy weeknight dinner! Street taco corn tortillas are filled with taco-seasoned chicken and shredded cheese then baked to perfection for a crispy chicken taco the whole family will love.

 

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cooked Shredded Seasoned Chicken Breast – My go-to recipe for getting the best shredded chicken taco meat is my three-ingredient slow cooker chicken. You can also use ground beef and make mini beef tacos, or fish or shrimp for seafood tacos. The key though is my homemade chicken taco seasoning – store-bought will work too if you’re short on time!
• Colby Jack Cheese – I love to use Colby Jack Cheese for these tacos. You can also use shredded cheddar cheese, Mexican blend cheese, or your favorite melty cheese.
• Street Taco Corn Tortillas – Corn tortillas are the best option for these mini tacos because they crisp up beautifully in the oven. I like to use the super small street taco tortillas, but regular-size corn tortillas will work as well. You can also use street taco flour tortillas – they will crisp up too though not quite as well as the corn tortillas.
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray – Olive oil cooking spray (or nonstick spray) makes the tacos extra crispy. If you don’t love cooking with olive oil, you can omit this ingredient.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush or spray tortillas with olive oil. Place on a large baking sheet or shallow baking dish. Add a heaping tablespoon of the shredded chicken mixture to the tortilla and top with a heaping tablespoon of shredded cheese.

Bake tacos for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Carefully fold each tortilla in half, gently pressing them together in the shape of a taco.

Bake for another 12-15 minutes or until the corn tortillas begin to crisp on the outside.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro. Enjoy!

Tips

• For the shredded chicken I recommend using my super easy 3 ingredient crock pot shredded chicken breast or my simple instant pot shredded chicken. If you prefer you can also use shredded rotisserie chicken and add 1/2 a cup of salsa and 2 tablespoons or so of chicken taco seasoning (which is made with a variety of spices including cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and paprika).
• This recipe works well with regular-size corn tortillas as well. I love to use the street taco size because they’re so cute and make the perfect handheld tacos, but regular-size corn tortillas will work too!
• You’ll know the tacos are done when the taco shells are nice and crispy on the outside and the cheesy chicken filling is warmed through on the inside.

Variations

Feel free to add your favorites to these mini chicken tacos. Some of our family’s favorites include:

• green chiles
• diced red onion
• diced red bell pepper
• canned corn
• black beans
• refried beans
• a squeeze of lime juice
• sliced green onion
• diced tomatoes

Is it OK to use taco seasoning on chicken?

Yes! Taco seasoning is a great way to season the chicken in these chicken tacos. Combine it with salsa and a bit of water and cook in the instant pot or crock pot and you’ve got perfectly cooked, tender, shredded chicken ready to go!

How do you make taco seasoning stick to the chicken?

In this recipe, you don’t need to worry about getting the chicken taco seasoning to stick because it’s combined with salsa to create a flavorful braise for the chicken. However, in general, the natural moisture found in chicken does a great job of making the taco seasoning stick to it without any extra steps on your part.

Can chicken tacos be cooked in an air fryer?

Yes! The air fryer is one of my favorite ways to cook these mini chicken tacos! While I prefer to bake them in the oven when I’m cooking a big batch, the air fryer works really well when I’m just making a quick lunch for myself and don’t have time to heat up the oven.

Air Fryer Instructions

If you want to make air fryer tacos instead of baked chicken tacos, you totally can! If I’m in a hurry, I actually tend to use the air fryer to make these tacos more than the oven because they take a little less time to cook.

• Set the air fryer to 400 degrees.
• Follow the same recipe instructions and add tacos to the air fryer in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes.
• Carefully fold each taco in half and cook for another 5-8 minutes, flipping them halfway so both sides get crispy.

Stove Top Instructions

You can also cook these crispy chicken tacos in a large skillet on the stove!

• Heat a large skillet (a medium skillet will work too!) over medium heat.
• Add a bit of oil to the pan (or spray the tortillas with cooking spray).
• Add cheese and meat filling to the taco.
• Fold in half and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until crispy.

You Will Love These Baked Chicken Tacos

• Crispy baked tacos the whole family will love! Our family enjoys classic tacos too but these crispy chicken tacos are a fun departure from the typical ground beef taco meat. They’re a blank canvas that starts with just seasoning shredded chicken, shredded cheese, and corn tortillas. This means everyone in the family can assemble their own and add in their favorite flavors or favorite taco toppings! Whether it’s hearty black beans, extra cheese, or diced red onion – this quick and easy meal is sure to become a family favorite.
• They’re perfect for a party! Because we use street taco corn tortillas, these handheld tacos make for the perfect party appetizer. The crispy corn tortillas hold the melted cheese and taco-seasoned chicken for an easy-to-eat, crowd-pleasing snack that your guests will love! Serve alongside my creamy cilantro avocado dip for a delicious game-day app!
• If you loved the taste of this baked chicken taco recipe, be sure to check out my Best Chicken Street Tacos, Easy Cilantro Lime Chicken, and my Instant Pot Chicken Chili.

Serve Mini Tacos With

• creamy avocado dip
• chicken and veggie taco bake
• chipotle sauce
• creamy street corn dip
• creamy street corn soup
• smoked queso dip
• crock pot queso dip
• stuffed peppers
• instant pot taco soup
• easy southwest salad
• vegan black bean soup
• homemade blender salsa
• quick corn salsa
• tater tot nachos
• cilantro lime rice
• Pico de Gallo
• guacamole

Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: These mini tacos can be made ahead, but more importantly, you can prep all the elements ahead of time and store them in the fridge so when you’re ready to eat all you need to do is assemble them! I love to make a big batch of shredded chicken and avocado sauce over the weekend so I’ve got quick and easy lunches ready to make all week!
• Storage: Store leftovers or prepped ingredients in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Freezing: You can freeze these tacos cooked or uncooked. If you want to freeze them uncooked, be sure to heat up the tortillas before assembling them so that they’ll be easy to fold. Then prep them as usual, wrap them in plastic wrap, place them in freezer-safe containers, and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking or reheating.
• Reheating: Reheat tacos on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes or until warmed through and crispy on the outside. You can also reheat them in an air fryer set at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until warmed through.

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