This crispy chicken tacos recipe is loaded with grilled chicken cooked in a salsa and olive oil blend and mozzarella cheese. The shells are pan-fried in the same salsa and olive oil mixture to infuse them with added flavor and get them nice and crispy. Then, they're served with an easy creamy salsa dip. Delicious!
Tacos are a big deal around here. We love them almost as much as we love pasta, and I always enjoy getting creative with them. From chicken and sausage tacos to shrimp tacos, sheet pan tacos, and even Mexican street corn tacos, if it can be put in a taco shell, I'll give it a try.
These crispy chicken tacos take that idea even further by getting all that delicious flavor on the inside AND outside of the tacos. I cook diced grilled chicken strips in a mix of salsa and olive oil. Then, when they're done, I pan-fry the tortillas in that same blend to create delicious flavor that permeates every bite! It's one of the crispiest, tastiest taco recipes you'll ever have.
Oh, but I don't stop there. I love serving these tacos with a rich, creamy salsa and avocado sauce made with roasted garlic salsa, sour cream, and avocado. You're going to love this.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy Ingredients: Everything you need to make the tacos and the dip can be found in any grocery store.
- Easy to Make: If you can use a skillet and a food processor, you can make this recipe!
- Easily a Hit: These tacos feature a combination of melty cheese, tender chicken, and crispy taco shells infused from the inside out and the outside in with zippy flavor.
- So Crispy: Pan-frying the tacos creates a crispy shell and crispy cheese. Om nom nom.
- Customizable: You can play with seasonings and toppings to make your perfect taco every time.
- Perfect for Parties: These are perfect for any party, in addition to being a great weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Chicken Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Strips: Defrosted and diced grilled chicken strips add delicious flavor and drastically cut down on the recipe time.
- Roasted Chile Pepper Salsa and Olive Oil: A blend of Green Mountain Gringo roasted chile pepper salsa and garlic olive oil is used both to cook the chicken and coat the tortillas to infuse every bite with even more bold flavor.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Mozzarella cheese gets ooey, gooey, and melty in these tacos.
- Corn Tortillas: Corn tortillas are pan-fried until warm and toasty before being filled with the other ingredients.
Creamy Salsa Dip
- Sour Cream and Avocado: Sour cream and avocado create a rich, creamy, cool base for the salsa dip.
- Roasted Garlic Salsa: Green Mountain Gringo roasted garlic salsa adds a kick of deep, garlic-infused flavor to the sauce.
- Lime Juice and Chili Olive Oil: Lime juice and chili olive oil thin the sauce a bit and add a classic combination of Mexican flavors.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Your Favorite Salsa: You can use your favorite flavor and heat level of salsa to make all kinds of variations of this recipe.
- Shredded Chicken: Use a rotisserie chicken or make slow cooker chicken and shred the meat for shredded chicken tacos.
- Different Meats: Diced steak, pork, ground beef, ground chorizo, or diced shrimp or crab can be used for these tacos.
- Taco Seasoning: Add taco seasoning to the pan when making the chicken for even more flavor.
- Veggies: Add sliced onions, garlic, and jalapenos to the chicken for an even more flavorful dip with extra texture.
- Different Cheeses: Use any of your favorite shredded cheese varieties. Cheddar cheese, cheddar jack, colby jack, taco blend, and Mexican all work especially well.
- Tortillas: You can use flour tortillas if you prefer, and you have no gluten issues.
- Greek Yogurt: Full-fat Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream for the salsa dip.
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food processor
- Pan
- Spatula
Instructions
Salsa Dip
- Blend all the salsa ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Then, chill it in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Crispy Chicken Tacos
- Blend half the jar of roasted chile pepper salsa and the olive oil and set aside.
- Add the garlic olive oil and 4 tablespoon of salsa to a pan on medium heat. Then, add the diced chicken and cook until heated through and coated with the sauce. Set aside.
- Heat the same pan in which you cooked the chicken on medium-high. Then, add a corn tortilla.
- Brush the blended salsa onto the tortilla with a pastry brush, then flip the tortilla and cook until heated through and slightly toasted.
- Top half of the tortilla with the chicken mixture and a handful of mozzarella cheese.
- Gently fold the tortilla over and press down firmly with the spatula. Then, flip the tortilla and cook until crispy.
- Transfer the taco to a wire cooling rack and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Top with cilantro and enjoy your crunchy tacos with creamy salsa dip.
Expert Tips
- Use the freshest tortilla possible for the best flavor and to prevent tearing.
- The heat on every oven and the heat distribution of every pan differ, so check your tacos about halfway through the final stage of cooking to ensure they don't burn.
- Really press the tacos down as you pan fry them to get everything nicely melted inside the crispy shells.
- For extra crispy tacos, bake them for 3 to 4 minutes at 400 degrees as a final step.
Pairing Suggestions
Serve these crispy chicken tacos with the included creamy salsa dip, fire roasted salsa, or avocado lime crema for dipping and guacamole with chips on the side for a delicious Mexican feast.
For dessert, try grape cake or lemon drizzle cake. Their light, fruity flavors make the perfect pairing with the bold flavors of the tacos and dip.
FAQ
Pulsing your mixture to start helps break down any chunks of ingredients you have in the food processor. Then, longer blending combined with scraping the sides in between blending times ensures the sauce is fully blended.
Most frozen grilled chicken strips are fully cooked. Unlike breaded chicken tenders, which are coated raw and then frozen, grilled chicken strips can only get their color and flavor if they're grilled before being frozen. Although this is almost always the case, you should check your bag to ensure your particular brand states on the package that it is fully cooked.
Coating tortillas before pan frying them adds more flavor, color, and texture to your dish.
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Chicken Tacos with Creamy Salsa Dip
Equipment
- Pan
- Baking Sheet optional
Ingredients
Creamy Salsa Dip
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ avocado
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoon roasted chile pepper salsa medium
Chicken
- 8 oz grilled chicken strips thawed, diced
- ½ tablespoon garlic olive oil
- 4 tablespoon roasted chile pepper salsa medium
Tacos
- ½ jar roasted chile pepper salsa medium
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 10 corn tortillas
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- cilantro for topping, optional
Instructions
Creamy Salsa Dip
- Combine all the creamy salsa dip ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy.
- Refrigerate the dip in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Chicken
- Add garlic olive oil and 4 tablespoon of the salsa to a pan on medium heat. Add the diced chicken and simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Tacos
- Blend ½ jar of salsa and 2 teaspoon of olive oil while the chicken cooks.
- Place a tortilla in the same pan used to cook the chicken on medium heat. Brush the blended salsa on the tortilla. Flip the tortilla and let it cook for a minute.
- Add 2 tablespoon of shredded chicken to half the tortilla, followed by a handful of shredded mozzarella. Then, gently fold the other side over to make a taco.
- After 20 seconds, flip the tortilla gently and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy.
- Transfer the taco to a wire cooling rack.
- Repeat the process until all the tortillas have been filled and cooked.
- Top with cilantro if desired and serve with the creamy salsa dip.
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- For longer storage, chill the tacos, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- To reheat the tacos, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Then, microwave them at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- You can also bring them to room temperature and pan-fry them again over medium heat until crispy and warmed through.
- Use fresh lime juice if possible. Bottle lime juice can have a bitter flavor.
- If you can't find chili or garlic olive oil, simply add the appropriate amount of olive oil and a pinch of chili or garlic.
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