Baked Chicken Tacos

4.86 from 7 votes

Baked Chicken Tacos

These delicious baked chicken tacos are filled with shredded chicken, black beans, green chilis, fresh tomatoes, and salsa. A generous sprinkle of cheese tops them off before they’re baked to a crunchy perfection.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: baked chicken tacos, baked tacos, baked tacos recipe

Servings: servings

Author: Katerina | Diethood

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic
1 small yellow onion quartered
½ cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the tacos

10 hard taco shells flat bottomed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion diced
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic minced
7 ounces canned diced green chilis
2 medium fresh vine tomatoes diced, or use 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes
1 cup mild chunky salsa
1 ounce taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons
15 ounces canned black beans well rinsed and drained
6 to 8 ounces Mexican-style shredded cheese

Instructions

For the Chicken

Load the instant pot. Season the chicken thighs with salt, cumin, and paprika, and transfer it to the instant pot. Add the garlic, onion, water, and olive oil. Give everything a stir.
Cook. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before releasing manually.
Shred. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Shred the chicken and set aside. Discard the remaining contents of the instant pot.

For the Tacos

Prep. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚F and line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Pre-bake the shells. While the chicken is cooking, arrange the taco shells open side up in a single layer in the baking dish and bake for 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven and set aside, leaving the taco shells in the baking pan.
Sauté the veggies. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the onions, season with salt, and sauté for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 15 seconds.
Make the filling. Add the chopped green chilis, tomatoes, salsa, and taco seasoning to the pan. Stir the sauce and bring it to a light boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the black beans and the chicken and remove from the heat.
Fill the taco shells. Divide the filling evenly between the taco shells. They will be full to the brim. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the tacos.
Bake. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve. Remove the baked chicken tacos from the oven, garnish with your favorite taco toppings, and serve.

Notes

Chicken Option: Instead of pressure cooking the chicken, you can bake it using my simple recipe for stovetop chicken thighs.
Crunch Factor: Pre-bake those taco shells if you want that perfect crunch.

Nutrition