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Baked Chicken Tacos

Baked chicken tacos with crispy oven-baked tortilla shells filled with seasoned shredded chicken. Topped with fresh vegetables, cheese, and salsa for an easy, healthy Mexican-style dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
taco seasoning
  • 2 tbsp taco seasoning
corn tortillas
  • 8 corn tortillas Use 8–10 for your desired taco count and shell size.
vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 1 vegetable oil cooking spray
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper To taste.
lettuce
  • 0.5 cup lettuce
tomatoes
  • 0.5 cup tomatoes
shredded cheese
  • 0.5 cup shredded cheese
cilantro
  • 2 tbsp cilantro
sour cream
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
salsa
  • 0.5 cup salsa
lime wedges
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and season the chicken
  1. Season the boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt, black pepper, and taco seasoning. Make sure all sides are coated evenly.
  2. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 6-8 minutes per side.
  3. Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it rest briefly, then shred it. The chicken should look fibrous and evenly shredded.
Bake crispy tortilla shells
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the corn tortillas into taco shells on a sheet pan sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray.
  2. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes until the shells are crisp and lightly golden at the edges. Watch for bubbles and crisping when you gently lift a shell corner.
Assemble and serve
  1. Fill each tortilla shell with shredded chicken. Pile the chicken so it reaches the top edge without overflowing.
  2. Top the tacos with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and cilantro. Add the toppings while the shells are warm so the cheese softens.
  3. Serve immediately with salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges. Finish with a squeeze of lime right before the first bite.

Notes

For extra crunch, keep tortillas from stacking while baking and serve as soon as they come out of the oven. Store assembled tacos in the fridge only briefly—up to 2 days—then re-crisp tortilla shells separately if needed. Freeze shredded chicken up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat. For a lighter swap, use reduced-fat shredded cheese and light sour cream.