Baked Chicken Tacos

Since I have a large family with 8 kids, I love shopping in bulk at Sam’s Club. When I go, I always make sure to stock up on Old El Paso™ products because with these products, I can make a delicious Taco Tuesday meal in no time at all for my family.

Their Original Taco Seasoning, Traditional Refried Beans and Stand ‘N Stuff Taco Shells are the best.  I buy these products in bulk because I use them to create many delicious Taco Tuesday recipes and I love always having them in my pantry.

I used all 3 of these products to create this oven baked chicken tacos recipe and they made it even easier to make.

Why This Recipe Works

You are not going to believe how easy these oven baked tacos are to make.  You only need a few easy ingredients to create these delicious crispy chicken tacos.

These tacos make dinnertime a breeze and we also make them to feed a crowd. The shells turn our so crispy and the chicken is full of flavor.

Ingredients

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Use oil of your choice. We also like Avocado Oil
• Chicken Breasts – Cook chicken that is about the same size.
• Old El Paso™ Taco Seasoning – You can also use Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
• Old El Paso™ Stand N’ Stuff Taco Shells – These shells make it easy to add the filling.
• Old El Paso™ Refried Beans – You can also use Easy Crockpot Refried Beans Recipe
• Mexican Blend Cheese – Use any type of cheese that you prefer

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.

Variations Ideas

• Additions – You can add different ingredients to the chicken mixture to change up the flavor. Adding green chilis or sliced jalapeños will give the chicken a slight kick or add chipotle peppers for a smokey flavor. We have added other vegetables such as zucchini, bell pepper and chopped onions.
• Spicy – You can also create the chicken mixture by combining, chicken, taco seasoning, tomatoes and green chiles together to create a spicy chicken mixture for your tacos.
• Chicken – If you are in a hurry, you can easily use a rotisserie chicken to make these baked tacos easily in under 30 minutes. Ground beef or Ground Turkey can also be used.

How to Make Oven Baked Chicken Tacos

• Step 1 – First preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Then heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

Step 2 – Once the olive oil has heated, add the chicken to the pan, brown each side of the chicken in the pan (cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side) and season with ½ of the Taco Seasoning Packet.  I used this cast iron skillet for this recipe and it worked perfectly!

Step 3 – While the chicken is browning, mix the remaining taco seasoning packet with  1 cup of water.  After the chicken has browned, add the water to the pan, heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, simmer and allow to cook for 12-15 minutes.

Step 4 – Then remove the lid, shred the chicken.

Step 5 – Continue to cook in the uncovered pan to boil off the excess liquid  (2-3 minutes) and then remove from the heat.

• Step 6 – Meanwhile, warm up the refried beans in a microwave safe dish to make them easier to spread.  I just warmed them (cooked for 30 seconds) so they are easier to spread but they will fully cook in the oven.

How to Assembly the Tacos for Baking

Step 1 – Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Next place the Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells in the baking dish.  I was able to prepare approximately 10 in my 9X13 baking dish.

Step 2 – Then place approximately 2 tablespoon of beans at the bottom of each crunchy taco shell.  I found that the back of a spoon worked great to spread the refried beans on the bottom of the shells.

Step 3 – Next place the shredded chicken mixture on top of the beans in each of the crunchy shells.

Step 4 – Then top with the shredded Mexican Cheese.  Don’t skimp on the cheese, the cheese really makes these tacos delicious!

• Step 5 – Then bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with the chopped cilantro and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• Taco Shells – My first tip is to make sure that you use the Old El Paso™ Stand ‘N Stuff Taco shells.  These shells make prepping these tacos so much easier and ensure that they stay up right in the baking dish too. 
• Refried Beans – Ensure that you put the refried beans at the bottom of the tacos, this will help prevent the tacos from getting soggy when you make them.  No one likes soggy tacos!
• Baking Time – These baked tacos easily bake in about 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary so check often to make sure that the tacos do not burn.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with these delicious baked chicken tacos.

• Easy Spanish Rice
• Mexican Corn on the Cob
• Black Bean Corn Salsa
• Homemade Salsa Recipe
• White Cheese Dip Recipe

You can’t go wrong serving these baked tacos with any of these recipes! Check out our What to Serve with Tacos for more taco side dish ideas.

Taco Toppings

These tacos are even better served with your favorite taco toppings. I like to setup a taco bar so everyone can add their own toppings.

• Easy Guacamole Recipe with Salsa
• The Best Pico De Gallo Recipe
• Diced Avocado
• Shredded Lettuce
• Sour Cream
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Chopped Onions
• Fresh Lime Juice