Crispy Keto Chicken Tacos

These easy crispy keto chicken tacos are baked until golden and crunchy. Seasoned shredded chicken, melted cheese, and fresh cilantro tucked into low carb tortillas that crisp up perfectly in the oven. Made with low carb tortillas for tacos that are just 3 net carbs each.

I’m a taco fiend. Like, could-eat-them-every-single-night-of-the-week level obsessed. And honestly? Low carb tortillas have been a lifesaver for keeping tacos in my regular dinner rotation.

But here’s the thing I was missing: that satisfying crunch of a hard taco shell. Soft tacos are great and I’m so grateful that low carb tortillas are so easy to find these days, but sometimes you just need that crispy texture.

That’s how these baked crispy chicken tacos came to be. I wanted the crunch without the hassle of frying, and let me tell you – baking these tortillas with the filling inside creates this incredible crispy-yet-still-pliable situation that’s even better than those super fragile hard taco shells. They don’t shatter everywhere when you eat them, but they’ve definitely got that satisfying crunch going on.

My family loves these. Nothing about them feels diet-y or like a compromise – they’re just really good tacos that happen to be low carb. Serve ’em up with our keto tortilla chips and some keto guacamole. So good!

3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Genuinely crispy. Baking the tortillas with the filling inside gives you that crunchy texture on the outside and the cheese gets perfectly melty inside. Perfect crispy keto taco shells!
2. Insanely easy weeknight dinner. Boil some chicken, shred it with seasoning, stuff the tortillas, and bake. That’s it. You could use rotisserie chicken to save even more time.
3. Totally customizable. Use ground beef instead of chicken, swap in different seasonings, add whatever toppings your family loves. These are basically a blank canvas for taco night.

Ingredient Notes:

For the filling:

Chicken – We start with chicken breasts and poach them to get them tender and shreddable. You can easily swap in rotisserie chicken or start with ground chicken, turkey, or beef. You could even stuff these with our Instant Pot Barbacoa.

Salsa – The salsa gets tossed with the shredded chicken to make sure the filling stays moist and flavorful. Use our keto salsa or buy a jar at the store.

Seasoning – We did a quick mix of basics, like onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder, but you could also swap in our keto taco seasoning or use a packet.

For Serving:

Tortillas – I love Mission low carb tortillas. I get the ones that are 2 net carbs per tortilla. I think they have the best taste and texture and I like the size of them for tacos.

Cheese – We use a shredded Mexican cheese blend to keep it easy. It gets nice and melty as the tacos bake.

Toppings – We like a mix of cilantro, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes here, but use your favorites!

Dip – Is the dip a must? No, but also yes. Gives these a bit of pizazz. I love dipping the crispy baked tacos in this cilantro lime dressing, but they’re also delicious in guac, salsa verde, or our avocado salad dressing.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Karly’s Tips & Tricks:

These really are quite simple to make, but here are a few tips that we discovered while testing this recipe.

1. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds. This will make them pliable and soft so that they fold easily without breaking.
2. Don’t skip the cheese. The cheese isn’t just for flavor – it helps hold everything together and creates those crispy, golden bits where it melts onto the tortilla. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out.
3. Spritzing is important. That light coating of oil spray on both sides is what helps the tortillas crisp up properly. No oil spray? Brush lightly with olive oil.
4. You can definitely make these in the air fryer if you prefer. We usually stick with the oven because it’s easier to do a full batch at once (our air fryer only fits 4 tacos), but if you’re cooking for fewer people, air frying at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes works great.
5. Go crazy with the toppings but wait until they come out of the oven. Just pry the shells open and stuff with your favorites – lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, and a drizzle of Cholula is my go-to!

Step by Step Instructions:

Poach the chicken, shred it, and stir it together with the seasonings and salsa to coat.

Spoon the chicken onto the tortillas and top with the shredded cheese and cilantro.

Fold the tortillas closed and spritz with oil spray. Bake for 10 minutes.

Flip the tacos over and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until crispy and golden.

• Mexican Cauliflower Rice
• Low Carb Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
• Keto Salsa