Happy Saturday, friends! It’s football season and that means that damn near everyday is game day this time of year. Impress your fellow football fans with this ultimate game day snack – Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos! These bad boys are made entirely on a sheet pan, first by roasting up chicken thighs to juicy perfection, shredding them, and stuffing them into tortillas along with melty cheese. Finally, they’re crisped up to get those crunchy taco vibes, perfect for dunking in your favorite game day dips like guacamole, cheese sauce, and salsa. They’re best enjoyed with an ice cold beer 😉

serve it with:

Pickled Red Onions

These bright, refreshing, and gorgeous pink pickled red onions add a welcome pop of acidity to these Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos.

recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to recreate these Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos at home:

• Corn tortillas – It’s important to use corn tortillas here instead of flour since flour tortillas won’t get nearly as crispy.
• Chicken – I prefer thighs for this recipe since they are more forgiving than breasts and stay juicy through roasting, then baking inside the tortillas.
• Chipotles in adobo – This is the main source of flavor for the chicken thighs and they are a bit on the spicy side. If you’re making this for kids, you can opt for about 1/3 cup of mild salsa instead.
• Onion – Sliced onions serve as almost a bed for the chicken thighs to allow fat to drip off the chicken as it roasts while also preventing the onions from burning. I prefer a sweet onion since the onion will also be helping to flavor your taco filling.
• Garlic – Optional, but definitely encouraged!
• Orange juice – I love pairing the citrus flavor with chipotles, just be careful when marinating with citrus since it can cook your chicken if you let them hang out for too long.
• Honey – The sweetness helps dampen the spiciness of the chipotles in adobo.
• Cheese – Use whatever cheese you like! I opted for a cheddar jack that’s really finely shredded for maximum melting.

Topping Ideas

These crispy chicken tacos are best served with toppings they can be dipped into, but definitely don’t skip the pickled red onions!

• Guacamole
• Nacho cheese
• Sour cream
• Salsa
• Pickled red onions
• Pickled jalapeños
• Cilantro

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Baking Sheet

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Recipe

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Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Tacos

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 12 tacos

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Chicken thighs are roasted with chipotle and onions, then shredded and topped with cheese in tortillas that are baked until perfectly crispy!

Servings: 12 tacos

Ingredients

• ▢ 12 white corn tortillas, (24 grams per tortilla)
• ▢ 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
• ▢ 1 small vidalia onion, sliced, (130 grams)
• ▢ 1 cup Sargento shredded cheddar jack cheese, (112 grams)
• ▢ 4 chipotles in adobo, chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsp sauce from chipotles in adobo, divided
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• ▢ 2 tbsp honey
• ▢ 2 tbsp orange juice
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cumin

Instructions

• Add chicken, onion, garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, honey, orange juice, chopped chipotles in adobo, 1 tbsp adobo sauce, salt, oregano, and cumin to a bowl. Toss until chicken is evenly coated, then marinate for 30 mins to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
• Once chicken has marinated, arrange onions on the bottom of the prepared baking sheet. Layer the chicken thighs on top, then bake for 25 mins or until chicken is cooked through.
• Once the chicken thighs are cooked, remove from the oven and rest for at least 5 minutes before shredding the chicken. Note: You can pour off the excess liquid/fat from the chicken before shredding if you want. Toss the shredded chicken with onions and remaining 1 tbsp adobo sauce. Set aside.
• Wipe any remaining juices from the baking sheet, then add 6 tortillas to the sheet in a single layer. Place in oven for about 3 minutes to warm the tortillas and make them pliable. You can do this twice or use a 2nd baking sheet for the remaining tortillas.
• Brush one side of each tortilla with remaining olive oil, then flip the oiled side down to touch the baking sheet. To the tortillas, add chicken and cheese on one half of the tortilla, then fold the tortilla over to cover the chicken and cheese. (You may need to use a small piece of chicken to hold the tortilla closed for a couple minutes while the cheese gets melty in the oven.)
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, being careful not to burn the tortillas, flipping the tacos halfway through baking time for even browning. Serve with desired toppings like guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, pickled red onions, and salsa.

Tips & Tricks

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1taco, Calories: 207kcal (10%), Carbohydrates: 14g (5%), Protein: 19g (38%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 72mg (24%), Sodium: 196mg (9%), Potassium: 54mg (2%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 2g (2%)