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Cheesy Crispy Chicken Tacos

Cheesy Crispy Chicken Tacos with crispy golden fried chicken and stretchy melted Oaxaca or mozzarella in warm corn tortillas. Fried in batches at 350°F, then finished in a skillet so the cheese melts while you build.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 920
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

boneless chicken breasts
  • 1.5 lb boneless chicken breasts
all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
garlic powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
eggs
  • 2 large eggs beaten
corn tortillas
  • 8 corn tortillas small
vegetable oil
  • 2 cup vegetable oil for frying
Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
  • 1.5 cup Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese shredded
lettuce
  • 1 cup lettuce shredded
onion
  • 0.5 cup onion diced
cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro
lime wedges
  • 1 lime wedges
salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and dredge
  1. Cut the boneless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a shallow dish, combine the all-purpose flour, garlic powder, and chili powder.
  3. Dip the seasoned chicken pieces in the beaten eggs, then dredge in the seasoned flour until coated.
Fry the chicken
  1. Heat the vegetable oil to 350°F in a Dutch oven.
  2. Fry the chicken in batches until golden and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes total, then drain on paper towels.
Assemble and melt
  1. Warm the corn tortillas and place a small portion of Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese in the center of each.
  2. Add the fried chicken on top, then add more Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese; fold tortillas in half.
  3. Briefly warm the filled tortillas in a hot cast iron skillet to melt the cheese, about 1-2 minutes per side, until gooey and lightly crisp at the edges.
  4. Top with shredded lettuce, diced onion, and cilantro, then serve with lime wedges.

Notes

Pro tip: Keep the oil at a steady 350°F so the crust turns golden without soaking up excess oil—use a thermometer if you have one. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet for best crispness. Freezing isn’t recommended for the fried chicken tacos due to texture changes. For a gluten-free swap, replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for dredging.