These cozy Creamy Chicken Tacos are hearty, filling, and so delicious. Just a few ingredients and about 15 minutes to make this amazing Taco dinner.
You'll love these easy shredded chicken tacos recipe with tender chicken and cream cheese filling. My favorite addition to Tuesday Taco Night.
These easy chicken tacos can be made quickly and well in advance! If you are looking for more taco recipes check out my Shrimp Tacos and Steak Fajita Tacos or something different - Baked Cauliflower Tacos.
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Since everything can be waiting for you in the fridge, you can get from hungry to dinner in no time. Shout out to whoever invented this easy ''dish''.
Simply whip up the chicken cream cheese mixture a few days before and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. When ready to eat, just take out and fill the taco shells and pop them in the oven for a few minutes.
Why It's Yummy
- Made with gluten-free tortillas or use corn tortillas instead
- Tacos With Cream Cheese are quick - ready in 15 minutes.
- Shredded chicken tacos - the easiest way to use chicken in tacos, as you can buy already made rotisserie chicken from the store or make your own crockpot chicken tacos version (see tips below).
- Kid-friendly - omit cayenne spice, chilis from the filling to make it more kid-friendly.
Instructions
Heat up a medium pan with a little drizzle of vegetable oil. ''Warm-up'' (flash fry) the tortillas (either regular, gluten-free or corn tortillas) until just lightly browned, one at a time, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small or medium saucepan over low heat, place cream cheese, cayenne spice, shredded chicken, minced garlic (or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder instead), green onion, and cheese.
Stir until cream cheese is softened and all the ingredients are combined (2 minutes). If you're into spicy, add slices of jalapeno or green chili as well.
Assemble the tacos. Take one tortilla at a time, fold it gently in your hands and fill each tortilla with the chicken cream cheese mixture (a little bit over half) and transfer to a baking dish close to each other so none of them will fall over.
Transfer to oven and bake for about 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas start to brown even more.
Garnish with fresh jalapenos, sweet corn (or mix it in the cream cheese chicken filling), and more grated cheese, and serve while warm!
Chicken Tacos make an excellent addition to Lemon Kale Caesar Salad (with or without chicken!)
How To Make Shredded Chicken
Shredded chicken is a great easy dinner recipe that goes well with anything. I recommend the following options: You can easily make shredded chicken in the slow cooker, instant pot, oven, stovetop, and air fryer.
These instructions will give the best results for two medium boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
In Crock Pot
Toss chicken breasts with olive oil and add your favorite seasonings. Make sure the chicken is coated on all sides.
Pour water or chicken broth until chicken breasts are covered and cook on low for 4-5 hours until it is easily shredded with a fork. Remove from the crock pot and shred it.
Instant Pot
You'll find the best instructions based on the weight and size of the chicken here.
In Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer (or you can use ninja foodi) to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss chicken breasts with olive oil and add your favorite seasonings. Add the seasoned chicken into the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes.
Flip the chicken and air fry another 6-8 minutes or until chicken temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the air fryer, cover with aluminum foil or lid and let rest for 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Shred the chicken.
Stovetop
Add the chicken into a deep pot and cover with water. Add salt and black pepper or your favorite seasonings.
Take it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Test the chicken for doneness with a kitchen thermometer registering 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Shred it!
In Oven
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss chicken breasts with olive oil and add your favorite seasonings. Simple all seasoning or just salt and black pepper is fine too.
Place in a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let rest for 5 minutes and shred into thin strips with two forks, dice it into cubes, or use a stand mixer (the fastest method by far).
For all the above methods: The skinless boneless chicken will cook quicker than chicken breast or thighs with ribs and bones. It may take another 5-10 minutes for these to cook through.
Tips
- Crockpot chicken tacos - use either rotisserie chicken from the store or make your own very easily in a crockpot. Place the chicken breasts Prepare the chicken (rinse and pat dry) and place the boneless skinless chicken breasts into the crockpot along with simple spices like salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Add 1-2 cups of chicken broth (depending on how much chicken you have) and slow cook for 3-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low, until fork tender. Shred the chicken and use it in this creamy chicken taco recipe.
- For a more mild taste, omit the cayenne pepper. I just like my tacos hot!
- Serve with freshly made guacamole on the side, pico de gallo, salad, jalapenos, and lime.
- Cheddar cheese – what is a taco without cheese? Use sharp cheddar or a mix of grated cheddar and mozzarella. (Monterey jack cheese will also work great here).
- Garlic - depending on your location, garlic will vary. If you know that the garlic you have on hand is not big or strong enough, add 1 more garlic clove. I have added two medium cloves to this recipe. But this step is optional, alternatively to be on the safe side, use garlic powder instead (about 1-½ tsp).
Storing and Freezing Instructions
To store. The chicken filling without the taco shells will be good in the fridge for 3 days. It will be hard to reheat the whole thing as the taco shells will become soggy.
Your best bet is to keep the filling and tortillas separate from each other. Keep the filling in an airtight container or in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap.
Reheat tortillas as you go, and only as much as you'd consume right away. Keep the rest wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge according to the package instructions.
To reheat the filling, add a little cooking oil to a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the filling and cook until it's piping hot. Or you can use the microwave.
Make sure to cover the chicken with a microwave-safe lid with holes. I also like to splash some water or milk on top of the filling so it is not dried out by the end of reheating.
I don't recommend freezing the filling as with most creamy sauces it will not taste the same and will separate. It's simply not good after thawing.
Although you can meal prep and store the shredded chicken easily without adding the remaining ingredients.
Cook the chicken, shred it, and let cool completely. Transfer to small ziplock bags or freezer-friendly containers. Freeze for up to 3-4 months.
FAQs
Cook the chicken, shred it, and let cool completely. Transfer to small ziplock bags or freezer-friendly containers. Freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Properly sealed and stored your shredded chicken should last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Easy Dinner Ideas With Shredded Chicken
- Gluten Free Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake - I used diced chicken here but shredded is fine too
- Million Dollar Chicken Casserole - and same here
- Crock Pot Chicken Chili With Cream Cheese - delicious shredded chicken Chili
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip - spicy and dense shredded chicken dip
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers - juicy shredded chicken and rice with enchilada sauce in stuffed peppers
More Chicken Recipes
Creamy Chicken Tacos
INGREDIENTS
- 8-10 gluten free tortillas (taco size or corn tortillas)
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded)
- 2 tablespoon green onion or chives (thinly sliced)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (more for garnish, shredded)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Fresh jalapenos (1-2 jalapenos thinly sliced) and sweet corn (1-2 tablespoons) for garnish
- ½ cup sweet corn canned (or thawed frozen, for garnish or mix in the filling)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat up a medium pan with a little drizzle of vegetable oil. Fry tortillas until just lightly browned, one at a time, and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a small or medium saucepan over low heat, place cream cheese, shredded chicken, garlic, green onion, and cheese. Stir until cream cheese is softened and all the ingredients combined (2 minutes).
- Assemble the tacos. Take one tortilla at a time, fold it gently in your hands and fill each tortilla with the chicken cream cheese mixture (a little bit over half) and transfer to a baking dish close to each other so none of them will fall over.
- Transfer to oven and bake for about 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas starting to brown even more.
- Garnish with fresh jalapenos, sweet corn, more grated cheese, and serve while warm!
Video
NOTES
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia
I hope you enjoy this delicious and EASY creamy chicken taco recipe!
Diana
The best chicken tacos ever!
Julia
Thanks so much, so happy that you loved these!
Vita
Could you also make these with hard shell tacos ?:) and shrimp maybe instead?:)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Vita, I haven't tried but hard shell tacos should be fine. For the shrimp, I would cook it in the pan separately with some butter, oil, salt and pepper and then add it to the cream cheese mix right before baking. Bake in the oven until cheese melted. If you try, please let me know how it turned out, this sounds delicious!