Crispy Chicken Tacos

Crispy chicken tacos are the ultimate handheld comfort food! They're golden, crunchy shells packed with a flavorful chicken mix. Quick to make and always a hit, they’re perfect for taco night or whenever you’re craving something bold and satisfying!

Course Main

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Diet Low Fat

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings servings (2 tacos each)

Calories 400

Author Kim

Ingredients

avocado or olive oil for greasing pan and brushing on tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking the filling
1 small white onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
3 garlic cloves minced (about 3 teaspoons)
1 cup corn kernels drained if using canned (I used a southwest blend)
1 (15 oz) can black beans rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken
1 cup mild enchilada sauce I like Hatch brand red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend
12 corn or flour tortillas

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425ºF and grease a large metal baking sheet generously with oil. I like to do this using a pastry brush. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add diced onions. Sauté the onions for about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic, seasoning, corn, black beans, chicken and enchilada sauce. Lower the temperature and continue to cook for about 4 minutes.
If using corn tortillas, wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for about 45 seconds to make them more pliable. Place the tortillas on a large baking sheet in a single layer. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your sheet pan.
Add a heaping 1/4 cup of the chicken filling on half of each tortilla. Over the top of the chicken filling, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese (I don't measure this). Fold tortillas over the filling and gently press to adhere. It's okay if some of the filling is coming a bit out of the tortilla. Lightly brush the tops and sides of the tortillas with oil.
Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and use a spatula to push any leaked filling back in. Flip each taco, brush tops with oil, and bake for 5 more minutes. Flip one more time, and bake for 3-5 more minutes or until perfectly crispy.
While the tacos are baking, make the guacamole or other favorite sauce and prep any other toppings you'd like.

Notes

You will likely have extra filling leftover after making the tacos. You can use it to make more tacos later or use it to make chicken nachos.

If you have leftovers, these are so good warmed up in the air fryer, especially when using flour tortillas. I heated mine up at 380ºF for about 5 minutes.

This recipe was originally published October 2019. It was revised and updated with new images and helpful tips June 2025.

Nutrition