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These cheesy baked chicken tacos are a quick and easy weeknight dinner for your family and kids that’s ready in under 30 minutes. Pair them with your favorite toppings and enjoy some crispy, flavorful tacos for Taco Tuesday or game day.
Today we’re making some cheesy baked chicken tacos which are a great fix for busy weeknight meals or when you have a crowd to feed. Make them for Taco Tuesday, game day, the Super Bowl, potlucks, parties, or cookouts.
It’s a simple 7-ingredient recipe that does not sacrifice flavor. Taco shells are stuffed with a bottom layer of refried beans, topped with taco-flavored shredded chicken, Rotel and cheese then baked until crispy and warm.
You can get as creative as you like with both the fillings and topping choices. I used a shortcut with rotisserie chicken but you can also leftover chicken or switch out chicken for other kinds of taco meat.
Taco shells – I used the ‘Stand ‘N Stuff tacos’ from Old El Paso. They stand up on their own so you don’t have to worry too much about balancing them while baking. They also come in different flavors like nacho cheese, ranch, a hint of lime, or Takis. I managed to fit 10 tacos in a 9×13 casserole dish by arranging 8 tacos in a straight line with 2 off to the side.
Onions – I used fresh onions, but adding some onion powder to the chicken will also work.
Chicken – I deboned and shredded some store-bought rotisserie chicken to make things easy but feel free to use any kind of cooked or leftover chicken you have on hand.
Taco seasoning – You can use your own homemade taco seasoning if you have a recipe or go-to. There are plenty of pre-packaged seasoning brands to pick from like Taco Bell, McCormick and Old El Paso. Old El Paso has a few more flavors like chicken tacos, chipotle chicken, cheesy tacos and Al Pastor.
Diced tomatoes – I used Rotel for more flavor but any kind of diced tomatoes should also work. Rotel combines diced tomatoes with green chiles so there might be a tiny bit of heat there. Rotel also has a ton of flavors to experiment with like original, mild, hot, fire-roasted, Mexican-style lime and cilantro.
Recipe Notes:
Drain the canned tomatoes fully so they don’t dilute the chicken mix which will give you soggy-bottomed tacos that might fall apart easily.
Refried beans – Layering the refried beans at the base of the taco shells acts as a moisture barrier. This helps stop the chicken mix juices from seeping through and cracking or splitting the tacos. I used just half a (16 oz.) can of Old El Paso refried beans so they didn’t overpower the flavor of the tacos.
Mexican cheese blend – I used a shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend with Monterey Jack, Asadero, Cheddar and Queso Quesadilla. An 8 oz. package of cheese will yield about 2 cups of shredded cheese. You can also use a 3-cheese Mexican blend or a Taco cheese blend.
Baking – You can bake these in the oven on a sheet pan or in a 9×13 casserole dish. For extra crispy taco shells, you can also pre-bake them for 5 minutes before adding in the fillings and baking them again with the cheese.
Air fryingmethod – Air fry the tacos in batches in a preheated air fryer at 350°F for 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Reheat – These are best enjoyed immediately but you can keep them as leftovers. To reheat, bake the tacos at 350°F for 5 minutes or until the cheese has heated up and is melty again.
Taco Toppings Ideas
Enjoy the tacos as is, or get creative with your favorite taco toppings. Some ideas are:
Switch out Rotel – Try using chunky salsa in place of Rotel if you’re not a fan of the green chilies in Rotel.
Zest it up – Add a tablespoon or two of lime juice to the chicken to zest it up.
Make it smoky – Add some smokiness to the chicken with some smoked paprika or ancho chili powder.
Add some heat – Spice it up with jalapeños, chipotle chili powder, chili powder, or hot Rotel.
And that’s about it. Enjoy your cheesy tacos and let me know how you liked them, any substitutions you made and what toppings you used in the comments below!
This post was originally published on May 29, 2022 and updated on January 28, 2024.
These cheesy baked chicken tacos are a quick and easy weeknight dinner for your family and kids that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
10 Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 1/2cupsrotisserie chicken or cooked chicken, shredded (about 1 lb.)
1 (1 oz.) packet taco seasoning
1 (10 oz.) can Rotel diced tomatoes, fully drained
8oz. refried beans
1 (8 oz.) package Mexican cheese blend
TOPPING IDEAS Avocado, tomatoes, red onions, jalapenos, cilantro, green onions, shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.
Instructions
Over medium-high heat in a skillet, saute the onions in some oil until soft, about 1 minute.
Add shredded chicken, taco seasoning and water according to the taco seasoning packet instructions. Simmer until the water cooks down and the chicken is heated through.
Add Rotel and stir to combine, simmering until most of the juices from the tomatoes are cooked down and the mixture has thickened.
Spoon the refried beans on the bottom of each taco shell, top with chicken mixture and finish with shredded cheese.
Line the taco shells in a casserole dish or baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Dish and serve hot with your favorite toppings.
Enjoy!
Notes
I used store-bought rotisserie chicken as a shortcut but feel free to use any kind of cooked or leftover chicken you have on hand.
Fully drain the can of Rotel and cook down the liquids in the chicken mixture to minimize soggy tacos. You can use chunky salsa in place of Rotel if you’re not a fan of the green chilies.
Zest it up – Add a tablespoon or two of lime juice to the chicken to zest it up.
Make it smoky – Add some smokiness to the chicken with some smoked paprika or ancho chili powder.
Add some heat – Spice it up with jalapeños, chipotle chili powder, chili powder, or hot Rotel.
This recipe is versatile! Feel free to switch up the meat fillings and just use this recipe as a guide on how to convert them into baked cheesy tacos.
Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
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