My Kids Crispy Cheesy Chicken Tacos
Everyone at your table will love these smoky, cheesy tacos — golden, melty, and totally crispy chicken tacos that are everything you want in an easy weeknight meal. It’s the kind of kid-friendly dinner that makes everyone happy — crunchy shells, juicy chicken, and just the right amount of cheese.
The secret? A simple, flavorful chicken taco recipe built around a smoky seasoning blend I use all the time — paprika, garlic, and a hint of chili — tossed with juicy chicken thighs. This is one of my favorite chicken thigh recipes because it’s so easy and reliable. Add in the creamiest cheese you can find, give it a quick toss in olive oil, and let the oven do the work. These oven baked tacos come out perfectly crisp on the edges with melted cheese bubbling through every bite.
Think of them as the ultimate baked chicken tacos — simple, quick, and full of flavor.
I kept things minimal here, but our table always has the extras — fresh salsa, guacamole, hot sauce, refried beans, and all the dips. That’s what makes these tacos a real family dinner idea everyone can customize to their taste.
And honestly, the best way to eat them? With little fingers and big smiles. No forks required.
This Mexican-inspired recipe is an easy, crowd-pleasing meal that disappears fast — crispy, cheesy, and impossible to resist. Perfect for busy weeknights, weekend taco nights, or anytime you need a meal that makes everyone happy.
Let's talk about those beans.
Here are the details
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion or about 1/2 cup small diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup dried pinto beans
- 4 cups chicken stock or water
- Saute the oil, onion, and garlic for 1 minute on the ‘saute’ setting of your instant pot.
- Turn the setting to ‘high pressure for 45 minutes’
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Put the lid on tight and press ‘start or on’.
- Release the pressure when it has finished cooking.
- Remove 1 – 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and reserve it.
- Discard the bay leaf. Using a hand blender or stand blender, blend the beans until very smooth – adding in some of the cooking liquid to make them thinner. Keep the liquid until ready to serve as you may want to add more.
TIP- these beans will thicken up nicely as they stand. I usually let them stand for 10 minutes and reheat them as needed when serving.
**This is an Instant Pot Recipe
Simple taco seasoning
This seasoning is one that is a great base. Here are some ideas of how to make it your own.
What you see above is.
- Smoked paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- sea salt
- cumin
Add in’s that make it over the top.
- dried oregano
- double the cumin
- black pepper
- red pepper flakes
My Kids Crispy Cheesy Chicken Tacos
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups creamy grated quesadilla cheese (Monterey jack works great)
- olive oil
- small corn tortillas
- cilantro, scallions, lime, avocado, hot sauce, salsa- all options to serve with the tacos
Instructions
- Heat up a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Mix together the chicken and seasonings; smoked paprika – black pepper. When the pan is hot, add in the chicken and saute until the chicken is fully cooked, about 6 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly or enough so you can handle it. Add in the cheese and toss together.
- Preheat your oven to 425F.
- Using a baking sheet tray, drizzle it with olive oil. Warm the tortillas up slightly. Place 4-6 tortillas on the baking sheet and flip over a few times so that both sides of each tortilla is coated with the oil (this makes the crispy).
- Place a small amount of chicken and cheese on one side of the tortilla. Flip the other side over to cover and form a taco. Repeat until you have used all the chicken or until you run out of room on your baking sheet tray.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Flipping them over half way to crisp up on both sides.
Notes
During step 6. if you tortillas don’t stay folded, don’t worry. Once they are placed in the oven for a few minutes they will become easiest to handle so you can flip over and press down slightly into the melted cheese (which will help them stay folded).
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: chicken
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: dinner
Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag me @whitesparrowfoodco or #whitesparrowfoodco I’d love to hear what you thought of the recipe!
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2 Responses
Did you mean to put 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika instead of 1 tablespoon? I thought maybe that would be too much for kids.
Make sure it’s sweet smoked paprika. It has a great smoke flavor without the spice. I use it in everything!