These baked tacos are hearty, filling, and so delicious. Just a few ingredients and about 15 minutes to make this amazing Taco dinner.
My favorite addition to Tuesday Taco Night. These easy chicken tacos can be made quickly and well in advance!
Jump To
- Why It's Yummy
- How To Make Baked Tacos
- How To Make Shredded Chicken
- Shredded Chicken In Crock Pot
- Shredded Chicken In Instant Pot
- Shredded Chicken In Air Fryer
- Shredded Chicken On The Stovetop
- Oven Shredded Chicken
- Tips
- Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Recipe
- Common Reader's Questions
- Easy Dinner Ideas With Shredded Chicken
- Comments
More taco recipes? Try Shrimp Tacos and Steak Fajita Tacos or Baked Cauliflower Tacos.
Why It's Yummy
- Made with gluten-free tortillas or use corn tortillas instead.
- Tacos With Cream Cheese are quick - ready in 15 minutes.
- Creamy chicken tacos - the easiest way to use chicken in tacos, as you can buy already made rotisserie chicken from the store or make your own delicious crockpot chicken tacos version (see tips below).
- Kid-friendly - omit cayenne spice, chilis from the filling to make it more kid-friendly.
How To Make Baked Tacos
Heat a medium pan with a little drizzle of vegetable oil.
Prep Tortillas. ''Warm-up'' the tortillas (either regular, gluten-free or corn tortillas) until just lightly browned, one at a time, and set aside.
I like to use nonstick skillet for this.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix the filling. In a saucepan over low heat, place cream cheese, cayenne spice, shredded chicken, minced garlic (or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder instead), green onion, and cheese.
- Or instead of spices, you can use this homemade taco seasoning mix.
Stir until cream cheese is softened and all the ingredients are combined (2 minutes).
Assemble the tacos. Take one tortilla at a time, fold it gently in your hands and fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture (a little bit over half).
Transfer to a baking dish close to each other so none of them will fall over.
Bake. Transfer to oven and bake for about 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas start to brown even more.
Serve! Garnish with fresh jalapenos, sweet corn (or mix it in the cream cheese chicken filling), sour cream, and toasty tortilla chips!
- For more easy recipes check out these chicken tinga tacos and chicken taquitos.
How To Make Shredded Chicken
Shredded chicken: You can easily make shredded chicken in the slow cooker, instant pot, oven, stovetop, and air fryer.
Shredded Chicken In Crock Pot
- Coat chicken breasts with olive oil and preferred seasonings, ensuring even coverage.
- Place them in a slow cooker, covering with water or chicken broth, and cook on low for 4-5 hours until easily shredded with a fork. Once done, remove from the crockpot and shred the chicken.
Shredded Chicken In Instant Pot
You'll find the best instructions based on the weight and size of the chicken here.
Shredded Chicken In Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer or Ninja Foodi to 370°F. Coat chicken breasts with olive oil and seasonings, placing them in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 10 minutes, flip, and continue air frying for 6-8 minutes or until the chicken reaches 160°F. Remove, cover with foil or a lid, and let rest for 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Shred the chicken.
Shredded Chicken On The Stovetop
- Place chicken in a deep pot, covering it with water and adding salt, black pepper, or preferred seasonings.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Check for doneness with a kitchen thermometer (165°F). Shred the chicken.
Oven Shredded Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat chicken breasts with olive oil and seasonings.
- Place in a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F.
- After resting for 5 minutes, shred the chicken with two forks, dice it into cubes, or use a stand mixer for the fastest method.
Note that skinless, boneless chicken cooks quicker than chicken with bones, which may require an additional 5-10 minutes for thorough cooking.
Tips
- For a more mild taste, omit the cayenne pepper. I just like my tacos hot!
- Serve these creamy chicken tacos with freshly made guacamole on the side, pico de gallo, salad, jalapenos, and lime.
- Cheddar cheese – Use sharp cheddar or a mix of grated cheddar and mozzarella. (Monterey jack cheese will also work great here).
Adjust the amount of garlic based on its strength and size; if unsure, add an extra clove.
I used two medium cloves in this recipe, but feel free to use garlic powder as an optional alternative (about 1-½ tsp) for consistency.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
- To store. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. To prevent soggy taco shells, store the filling in an airtight container or a tightly covered bowl with plastic wrap.
- To reheat the filling, add cooking oil to a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the filling and cook until it's piping hot. Or use microwave.
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Recipe
Baked Chicken Tacos
INGREDIENTS
- 8-10 gluten free tortillas, taco size or corn tortillas
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 2 tablespoon green onion or chives, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, more for garnish, shredded
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Fresh jalapenos (1-2 jalapenos thinly sliced) and sweet corn (1-2 tablespoons) for garnish
- ½ cup sweet corn canned , or thawed frozen, for garnish or mix in the filling
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat up a medium pan with a little drizzle of vegetable oil. Fry tortillas until just lightly browned, one at a time, and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a small or medium saucepan over low heat, place cream cheese, shredded chicken, garlic, green onion, and cheese. Stir until cream cheese is softened and all the ingredients combined (2 minutes).
- Assemble the tacos. Take one tortilla at a time, fold it gently in your hands and fill each tortilla with the chicken cream cheese mixture (a little bit over half) and transfer to a baking dish close to each other so none of them will fall over.
- Transfer to oven and bake for about 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas starting to brown even more.
- Garnish with fresh jalapenos, sweet corn, more grated cheese, and serve while warm!
VIDEO
NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Common Reader's Questions
Cook the chicken, shred it, and let cool completely. Transfer to small ziplock bags or freezer-friendly containers. Freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Properly sealed and stored your shredded chicken should last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Easy Dinner Ideas With Shredded Chicken
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake - I used diced chicken here but shredded is fine too
- Million Dollar Chicken Casserole - and same here
- Crock Pot Chicken Chili With Cream Cheese - delicious shredded chicken Chili
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip - spicy and dense shredded chicken dip
- Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers - juicy shredded chicken and rice with enchilada sauce in stuffed peppers
Julia
I hope you enjoy this delicious and EASY creamy chicken taco recipe!
Diana
The best chicken tacos ever!
Julia
Thanks so much, so happy that you loved these!
Vita
Could you also make these with hard shell tacos ?:) and shrimp maybe instead?:)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Vita, I haven't tried but hard shell tacos should be fine. For the shrimp, I would cook it in the pan separately with some butter, oil, salt and pepper and then add it to the cream cheese mix right before baking. Bake in the oven until cheese melted. If you try, please let me know how it turned out, this sounds delicious!
Bobbi
So delicious!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you!