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The best salsa verde Crispy Chicken Tacos. These tacos are fully loaded with flavor and a crisp texture. Up your taco night game with this fun switch up.
Why Make These Crispy Chicken Tacos
The flavor in these tacos will blow you away. Pick any one of your favorite green/verde salsas and enjoy the flavor explosion in every bite. Try my Chicken Crunch Wrap Supreme for another yummy meal.
- Easy. A few simple steps
- Healthier. Baked not fried!
- Customizable.
Ingredient Notes
Shredded Chicken. Homemade or Rotisserie will work great.
Salsa Verde. This is the big flavor component here so choose one that you love. This is our favorite
Olive Oil.
Onions. White onions are best.
Garlic. Fresh is best.
Seasoning. Salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper.
Corn. Frozen or fresh.
Black Beans. I did canned.
Cream Cheese. Vegan cream cheese will also work.
Corn Tortillas. Small taco sized.
Shredded Cheese. Cheddar or a Mexican blend
Cilantro. For garnish.
Avocado. For garnish or dipping (optional).
Steps To Make Crispy Chicken Tacos
Step One. Preheat oven to 400º and make the chicken mixture!
Step Two. Bring the chicken mixture to temperature on a low simmer. Add in the cream cheese and stir it in well. Once the cream cheese is nice and melted into the mixture, turn off the heat.
Step Three. Assemble the Crispy Chicken Tacos.
Step Five. Use a spatula to lift tacos to a plate, add garnish and toppings of choice and enjoy immediately or place in the microwave on a plate to keep warm while you cook the next batch. Enjoy!
Crispy Chicken Taco Pairings
These tacos are wonderful on their own, but they pair wonderful with my White Bean Chicken Chili or Taco Rice Bowls.
You can also serve them with a great Southwest Salad or my Smoked Queso. The options are endless.
Recipe Tips
- Always use fresh corn tortillas. Make sure they aren’t stale other wise they will crack easily.
- It’s ok if some of the cheese oozes out and gets crispy. This is a must. The crispy cheese is good!
- Storing Leftovers: Let the tacos cool completely. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Got leftover shredded chicken? Make my Mexican Chicken Soup with it!
Recipe FAQ’s
Can these be made dairy free?
Yes, just use a plant based cheese and plant based cream cheese.
Yes, small flour tortillas will work great in place of corn tortillas. The corn tortillas do crisp up a bit better.
Other Taco Recipes To Try
If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here.
Crispy Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- baking sheet
- skillet
Ingredients
- 3½ cups shredded chicken , *rotisserie or homemade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup corn kernals
- 1 15 oz canned black beans, drained
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cracked pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1¼ cup salsa verde, use more as needed
- ⅓ cup cream cheese
- ¾ cup shredded cheese
- 8-16 fresh corn tortillas , flour will also work
- 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped , for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º Heat the oil in a skillet and add chopped onions. Sauté the onions for about 3 minutes, add in the garlic, seasoning, thawed corn, black beans and chicken. Sauté for another 4 minutes and then add in the salsa verde.
- Bring the chicken mixture to temperature on a low simmer. Add in the cream cheese and stir it in well. Once the cream cheese is nice and melted into the mixture, turn off the heat.
- Wrap the corn tortillas (6-8 at a time) in a damp paper towel on a plate and microwave them for 45 seconds. While they are hot, spray with a little oil one at a time, place 3-4 tbsp of the chicken mixture on one side of the tortilla. Add a pinch or to of cheese to the top of the mixture. Fold the tortilla in half and gently press it down. Place the tacos into the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the exterior of the tortillas are lightly browned and crispy with cheeses melted.
- Use a spatula to lift tacos to a plate, add garnish and toppings of choice and enjoy immediately or place in the microwave on a plate to keep warm if you have to make a second batch. Enjoy!
Notes
- Always use fresh corn tortillas. Make sure they aren’t stale other wise they will crack easily.
- It’s ok if some of the cheese oozes out and gets crispy. This is a must. The crispy cheese is good!
- Storing Leftovers: Let the tacos cool completely. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Got leftover shredded chicken? Make my Mexican Chicken Soup with it!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look so good and I want to make them – but have never tried salsa verde. What brand(s) do you recommend? 🙂
Any brand is usually delicious, but I do love Safeway Select brand salsa verde the most! Newmans Own also makes a tasty one found at Walmart and most retailers :). Happy Eating!
These were amazing! Definitely going into the rotation.
So happy to hear this! We love them too 🙂
Even my three boys loved these! I had to use shredded chuck roast that I had slow-cooked the day before and I accidentally bought green enchilada sauce but they were perfect! (I can’t believe I did that!)
Hi, a question — when you say to spray the corn tortillas with a little oil when they are warm, do you mean outside or the inside or both? thanks in advance! The recipe looks great and I’m making it tonight!
Hi Barb! Great question, I would spray both sides, if they are older tortillas they can tend to crack easily so warming them and then oil helps a lot. Enjoy!
I made these for my family and they were so easy and so good! Will be making these again.
Seriously a new family favorite. We love them SO much! We love making a huge batch and reheating the next day. They disappear fast! We have been crisping these on the Blackstone. Restaurant quality for sure!
Hi Lori!
Thanks so much for the great feedback, thrilled to hear you enjoy them as much as we do! I will try it on the Blackstone this is a great idea.
Followed recipe to the letter but found that 24 ounces of salsa verde was way too much and subsequently made the taco filling very loose. Flavor was still delicious but next time I will add much less salsa.
Hi Jeff, we had the same issue! That amount of salsa verde was way too much. We thought it must have been a typo, as 3oz would have been enough but the recipe called for 24oz ?!?
Hi Lauren! We have made this recipe several times with great success and others have as well following the amount of salsa, I think it depends on if you are using a chunky version or a well blended, more watery version. I updated the recipe a bit to reflect different amounts just in case others have an issue 🙂
I saw your post on Instagram yesterday. I went to the store and made these today. DELICIOUS! Ready for leftovers! Thank you!
Is there a way to do this if you don’t have a microwave?
My boyfriend and I absolutely love this recipe! I make it every time we go on vacation as an extra treat and it makes our trip and night! Thank you for another wonderful recipe! Yum!
Hi Jessica,
I am so happy to hear, this makes me happy! Thanks for the feedback.