Name: Baked Ground Chicken Tacos
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground chicken breast (or ground chicken with dark meat); 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning (or the homemade blend in the notes); 6 corn tortillas, 6-inch (flour tortillas will also work as well as other sizes. Adjust how many cook on the sheet pan accordingly); 1 Tablespoon olive oil (to coat the sheet pan before baking.); 1.5 cups Colby Jack cheese (a Mexican blend or Cotija also work well.); 2 cups lettuce, shredded; 2 medium Roma tomatoes (chopped, about 1 cup); ¼ cup red onion (diced or thinly sliced); 1 Hass avocado (diced or sliced, just before serving); ¼ cup olive-oil mayonnaise (I use an olive-oil based mayonnaise to reduce the calories; any type of mayo may be used); ¼ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt); 1 Tablespoon lime juice; 2 garlic cloves (pressed or minced); ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste; a dash of sriracha can be used instead.)

These ground chicken tacos use the viral smash taco method, but they're baked in the oven so you can cook a whole batch at once! Seasoned ground chicken is pressed directly onto corn tortillas and baked until browned and crispy. Pile on your favorite toppings and drizzle with lime crema for an easy dinner in 30 minutes.

Hand holding a crispy ground chicken taco topped with lettuce, cheese, lime crema, red onions, and tomatoes.

Notes from my kitchen

I love the smashed chicken taco method. You get seasoned chicken in every bite, and because it's cooked right onto the tortilla, it doesn't tumble out while you're eating.

What I don't love is standing over the stove making them one at a time. So I started baking my smashed ground chicken tacos instead. They cook quickly, and the tortillas get nice and crispy while the chicken cooks.

These are a big hit with my family! Once they're out of the oven, I put out all our favorite toppings and let everyone make their own.

Marjory

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make crispy ground chicken tacos:

Of special note:

Ground chicken - Lean ground chicken breast works beautifully in this recipe. It's naturally sticky, which helps it adhere to the tortillas. You can also use ground turkey, beef, or pork.
Corn tortillas - I use 6-inch corn tortillas because they crisp easily in the oven. Flour tortillas work too and stay a little softer and easier to fold. You can also use street taco-size or low-carb flour tortillas; adjust the amount of chicken depending on the size, always keeping in mind that it should be a thin, even layer.
Taco seasoning - Use your favorite store-bought or homemade taco seasoning.
Cheese - I used shredded Colby Jack, but Mexican blend, Monterey Jack, cheddar, or pepper Jack will all work. Cotija or queso fresco are delicious options if you prefer a crumbly cheese.
Avocado - You can serve this diced or use it to make one avocado guacamole!
Red onion - If I have extra time, I use my quick pickled onions instead.

Here's what you'll need to make lime crema:

Lime crema ingredients including sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, fresh garlic, and cayenne pepper.

The creamy, tangy sauce pulls all the taco flavors together. The crema comes from my Mexican street corn cups recipe. Double it and you'll have enough to make the corn as an easy side dish, too.

You can also swap in healthy taco salad dressing with yogurt and salsa for a different creamy taco sauce.

The recipe card below includes ingredient amounts, step-by-step instructions, and nutritional information.

How to make ground chicken tacos in the oven

Spread the chicken

Ground chicken spread in a thin layer over corn tortillas and sprinkled with taco seasoning before baking.

Divide the ground chicken between the tortillas. Spread it in a thin, even layer, about ¼ inch thick, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the taco seasoning evenly over the chicken.

Important: Spread the chicken thin! This helps it cook quickly and make good contact with the hot pan for better browning.

Place chicken-side down

Ground chicken tacos arranged chicken-side down on an oiled baking sheet before baking.

Carefully place the tortillas, chicken-side down, on the hot, oiled sheet pan. Leave space between them so they don't overlap or curve up the sides of the pan. Cook in 2 batches or use 2 sheet pans.

Bake and flip

Baked ground chicken taco with browned seasoned chicken pressed onto a crispy corn tortilla.

Bake until the chicken is cooked through, browned, and no pink remains. Flip with a large spatula and bake a minute or two more.

Add the toppings

Crispy baked ground chicken taco topped with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, shredded cheese, pickled red onions, and lime crema.

Top each ground chicken taco with shredded cheese, lettuce, chopped tomato, red onion, avocado, and finish with lime crema. Gently pull up the sides to enjoy as a taco. If it's too crispy, enjoy flat like a tostada.

What to serve with ground chicken tacos

These tacos are pretty filling, so I usually keep the sides simple. I put the toppings in bowls with lids so it's easy to pop any extras back into the refrigerator.

For a crowd, I usually make 4-ingredient guacamole with a side of low-carb tortilla chips.

I also like to add another vegetable. Elote cauliflower is an easy choice because it also has crema.

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Notes from my kitchen

Ingredients