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Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos. Made with corn tortillas, sautéed onions, seasoned chicken, cilantro, and cheddar cheese and baked to crisp perfection.
Growing up in Texas, tacos were a frequent, quick dinner in our home. We like to think of them as the ultimate comfort food, because it reminds us of childhood. To this day, they are still one of our favorite foods.
We are obsessed with sheet pan meals, because they are super simple to make and clean up—especially on a busy weeknight. They are always our go-to meals to make when we want a quick and delicious dinner. We thought it would be fun to show you how to make sheet pan tacos and our secret steps to getting a crispy taco shell.
You’re going to love these Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos. They are filled with seasoned shredded chicken, fresh cilantro, crispy corn tortillas and topped with our favorite taco toppings! Now…let’s get to cooking!
This post is all about sheet pan crispy chicken tacos.
Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos
What’s in this recipe?
Chicken Tenders: We used Trader Joe’s frozen chicken tenders for this recipe, but any brand (frozen or thawed) will work. To get the perfect shredded chicken, we boiled it in this recipe. It’s super simple and quick to do.
Yellow Onion: We love the taste of yellow onion in this recipe because it’s a bitter sweeter and less mild.
Olive Oil: Two tablespoons of olive oil is used to sauté the onion and garlic.
Taco Seasonings: We love making our own taco seasoning when we make tacos. It somehow tastes better when we make it ourselves. Plus it’s super simple. All we do is combine chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes and oregano.
Tomato Sauce: Tomato sauce adds more flavor and moisture to the taco meat.
Water: Three quarter cups of water adds moisture to the chicken and prevents the taco meat mixture from getting too dry as it simmers.
Corn Tortillas: We love using corn tortillas to make tacos, but you can use flour tortillas if you prefer the flavor of them more.
Cheddar Cheese: A sprinkle of cheddar cheese in the tacos adds the perfect cheesy flavor!
Cilantro: Cilantro is probably one of our favorite herbs, because it makes dishes taste so fresh. We added some to the taco meat mixture and as a topping on our tacos.
How to Make the Sheet Pan Chicken Tacos
Boil the Chicken…
Like we mentioned earlier, these tacos are super simple to make. Baking them on one sheet pan makes dinner prep and cleanup so simple!
To start, you’ll want to boil your chicken in a dutch oven (this one is super affordable and our absolute favorite) for 10-12 minutes. We like to monitor the temperature of the chicken as well, until it reaches 165°F.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the pot, shred the chicken and set aside for later.
Make the Taco Meat…
Next, in a large saute pan (we love this one), add some olive oil and chopped yellow onion to the pan. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes and then add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Then, add all the taco seasoning spices, an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, 3/4 cup water and the shredded chicken. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer on low for 5 more minutes.
Prep the Sheet Pan Tacos…
To begin prepping the sheet pan tacos, you’ll need a large rimmed sheet pan (like this one). Place several rows of corn tortillas on the sheet pan and brush both sides of the tortilla with olive oil.
In the top half of each tortilla, add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and seasoned taco meat. Fold the other half over, gently pressing down to secure and hold the shape of the tortilla shell. We were able to fit 8 tacos on one sheet pan. Depending on the size of your tortillas, you can fit more or less.
How We Get the Perfect Crispy Taco Shell…
We’re going to share with you how we get the perfect crispy taco shell! First, bake the tacos in the oven for 7 minutes, remove the tacos from the oven, flip, and bake the other side for 5 more minutes. To get an even crispier taco shell, we then switch our oven to broil and bake for a couple more minutes, until the shells are golden or a bit blackened.
Once the tacos are cooked, allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then, top them with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Our Favorite Taco Toppings:
- Avocado
- Lettuce
- Cilantro
- Diced Tomatoes
- Cheddar Cheese
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Green Salsa
- Hot Sauce
If you made this recipe, let us know! Tag us on Instagram or leave a comment below! We love hearing from you and seeing you enjoy these recipes at home with friends and family.
Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 tacos 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 yellow onion (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 10–12 corn tortillas
- 1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese
Optional Toppings
- avocado
- lettuce
- cilantro
- diced tomatoes
- cheddar cheese
- salsa
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Add 8 cups or water and chicken breasts or tenders to a pot. Boil chicken for 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let cool for a few minutes, then shred with a fork.
- In a large large sauce pan or dutch oven, add olive oil and yellow onion. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add the spices, tomato sauce, water and shredded chicken to the pan. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Place several rows of corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Brush olive oil on each side of the tortilla. Add a bit of cheddar cheese and taco meat to the center top half of the tortilla and fold the other half over, pressing down to hold the tortilla shell shape. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove the pan and flip the tacos onto the other side and bake for another 5 minutes until the taco shells are crispy.
- Top with your favorite toppings (avocado, lettuce, cilantro, diced onion, tomato). Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dinner, Lunch, Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
This post is all about sheet pan crispy chicken tacos.
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