Sick and tired of plain old chicken tacos? These sheet pan baked chicken tacos are an easy alternative to shake things up! Little time to marinate, top with some avocado crema, and you’ll have yourself a delicious tray of crunchy tacos for the whole family!
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I’m pretty sure I could eat tacos every single day of the week. I don’t know what is is about them, but they always hit the spot! My wife, however, gets a little bored of the same old recipes. Lucky me, that just means I have to keep finding different ways to make them. Some turn out great, others not so much.. but these crispy baked tacos are definitely a winner!
For the Chicken:
The key to most delicious chicken recipes is when there is a marinade, let them soak for at least 4 hours. will they still taste ok without that length, sure… but the longer you let them soak the more intense the flavor!
For this recipe I like to use Chicken Thighs. They always seem to shred easier and taste a little more tender (since they are a little fattier!) For the remaining ingredients in the marinade, try to use fresh ingredients wherever possible. The garlic will taste better freshly minced, the orange brings more flavor freshly squeezed.
I won’t judge if you need to skip the prep of fresh ingredients (I have 2 kids and a full time job to balance as well), either way these are delightful.
After the Chicken marinates, add them to a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and then shred it! It should look something like this:
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When it’s time to build the tacos, a key step is heating up the corn tortillas (this makes them pliable). Turn the oven up to 425, line the baking sheet with tortillas and spray them with a little grease. Bake for 2-3 minutes and this will allow them to bend without breaking!
Load the tortilla with some shredded cheese, some of the chicken, more cheese and then fold them over. Final step is to bake these for 15 minutes until they are crispy and delicious!
Avocado Crema – Can you skip it and serve with standard guacamole, absolutely! But I will tell you, this is such an easy thing to make while the tacos are baking and it also makes them easier to eat. It looks cooler too!
I hope you enjoy these delicious tacos! Please tag me on social media if you make them and give them a rating below!!
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Baked Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Baked Chicken Tacos
- 1½ lb Chicken Thighs
- 2 Oranges, juiced
- 2 Limes, juiced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Jalapeno, diced
- 2 T Olive Oil
- 1 t Paprika
- 1 t Cumin
- 1 t Oregano
- 1 t Salt
- ½ t Pepper
- Corn Tortillas
- Shredded Cheese
- Diced Tomatoes
- Cotija Cheese
Avocado Crema
- 2 Avocados
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 T Lime Juice
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
For the Tacos
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (minus the tortillas and cheese) and marinate for at least 4 hours
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and add the chicken to a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through and shred
- Increase the temperature to 425 degrees, line a baking sheet with corn tortillas and spray with cooking grease. Heat for 2-3 minutes (this will make them pliable)
- Load on some cheese, chicken, then more cheese. Fold over and bake for 15 minutes until nice and crispy.
- Top with avocado crema, diced tomatoes and cotija cheese.
For the Crema
- Add everything to a food processor and mix thoroughly. Add to a bag, cut a corner and squeeze onto the tacos!
- Enjoy!