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Weeknight-style Chili Crisp Chicken Tacos with Spicy Mango Salsa. Made with flavorful Thai curry paste and doused in a chili crisp butter sauce. Ground chicken cooked with spices and stuffed into tortillas along with melty cheese. Then oven-baked until each taco is crunchy on the outside and spicy and cheesy inside. Serve with a fresh, bright mango herb salsa for a balance of spicy, sweet, and savory flavors. These come together easily and are so delicious. A fun twist on the usual taco night!
Alright, so here’s the deal, these tacos are different. But I really cannot express enough how yummy these are, and just how easily they come together.
Of course, nothing will ever replace our go-to tacos that we wholeheartedly love (and that I make almost weekly). But my whole family is just as excited for these Chili Crisp Chicken Tacos.
I love them for spring and even summer. They’re bright and fresh!! I drew inspiration from my popular chili crisp chicken bowls, so you know these tacos are going to be good!
I served these a couple of weeks ago and Creighton’s asked me to make them many times since. We really enjoy the fusion of flavors!
Details
Like most recipes right now, I wanted these to be quick and not too fussy to make. That being said, I did include a salsa (which is a must) and an avocado crema. It’s a taco recipe, you need all the sauces!
I begin with the chili crisp sauce. We’re making this sauce with butter, garlic, chili flakes, and sesame seeds.
It’s simple to make. Just brown the butter along with the garlic in a skillet on the stove until the garlic turns crisp. Be sure to watch closely, you don’t want to burn the garlic.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chili flakes, sesame seeds, and a pinch of sea salt.
Now the chicken. I always turn to ground chicken when I’m looking to create a simple, speedy meal. You could also use a mix of ground chicken and ground pork. That could be even better!!
The meat is cooked together with flavorful Thai red curry pasta and a bit of soy sauce. The curry paste adds the spice, allowing there to be minimal ingredients. Towards the end of cooking, I stir in pickled ginger (it’s so yummy when cooked and caramelized) and a couple spoonfuls of that chili crisp sauce.
Spoon the meat into hard taco shells. Add the cheese and bake until the cheese melts.
You can use store-bought shells or make my homemade crispy taco shells (recipe in notes). Personally, we love the homemade shells best but when in a hurry, I use store-bought.
Do what you have time for! While the tacos bake I make the salsa. Mango with spicy peppers, herbs, and fresh lime.
And for the avocado crema, it’s avocado whipped with lime and honey.
Then put everything together with the cheesy baked tacos! So many yummy, fresh flavors! I just adore these tacos!
Looking for more simple recipes? Here are a few favorites:
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema.
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Lastly, if you make these Chili Crisp Chicken Tacos with Spicy Mango Salsa, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chili Crisp Chicken Tacos with Spicy Mango Salsa
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 642 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-4 tablespoons chili flakes, to taste
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 1/3 cup tamari sauce or soy sauce
- 1/3 cup pickled ginger + 3 tablespoons of liquid in the jar
- 12 hard shell tacos (see notes for homemade option)
- 2 cups shredded Monterey or pepper jack cheese
Mango Salsa
Instructions
- 1. To make the chili crisp. In a small skillet melt together the butter, garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes. Cook until the butter begins to brown and the garlic crisps. Remove from the heat. Mix in the chili flakes and sesame seeds, transfer to a heat-proof bowl. 2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and chicken, over medium heat. Cook the meat, breaking it up as it cooks, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste, soy sauce, and 1/3 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened around the chicken, 5 minutes. Stir in the pickled ginger and a splash of the liquid in the jar. Cook until the ginger caramelizes, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the chili crisp sauce. 3. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line the taco shells up on a sheet pan. Bake 5 minutes. Evenly divide the meat among each taco shell and top with cheese. Bake 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.4. Meanwhile, make the salsa by combining all ingredients in a bowl. 5. To make the avocado crema, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt.6. Serve the tacos topped with avocado, salsa, and extra chili crisp.
Notes
For Easy Homemade Hard Shell Tacos: Warm 8-12 corn tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each flat and then layer evenly with cheese and chicken. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see photo above). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.
Hi! Are we suppose to chop up the pickled ginger??
Hey Mikaela,
Yes, that’s a good idea! Let me know how this recipe turns out for you, I hope you love it! xx
These were absolutely incredible! Came together quickly, too (my husband cooks with me, so that speeds things up considerably). The layers of flavors, the creamy melted cheese…I could not get enough that we’re making again this week. Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Ann,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that they were enjoyed! xx
✨️Chef’s Kiss✨️ A few changes I made based on ingredients I already had: chicken breast cut into small pieces instead of ground chicken, pineapple for the salsa instead of mango, and a cheddar blend for the cheese. My avocado isn’t ripe for the crema, but there’s plenty of leftovers (cooking for just 1). Hopefully I can try it with the crema this week, but even without it they are delicious! If you have soft tortillas, and aren’t in a rush, I strongly recommend baking them to make your own crispy tacos rather than using hard shells.
I’m sure just going exactly off the recipe is just as good or better, but I’m working on using up what I already have in the kitchen to reduce food waste and I love how adaptable this was!
Hey Olivia,
Happy Wednesday! ⛅️🌈 I’m so glad to hear that this recipe worked well for you and I appreciate you giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
I’ve never rated any of your recipes that I’ve made before (sorry) but I couldn’t not rate this one. I was completely shocked at how amazing the flavors were. Even if you don’t make the salsa and avocado cream it’s delicious. But, if you have time, make the sauces. Fabulous!!
Hey Erin,
Fantastic!!🐣 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Looks like a pretty recipe. But the soy sauce made the whole recipe so salty. I had a feeling it would. I only used 1/4 cup of soy. I added mango to the chicken to help cut the sauce.
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear about the soy sauce, next time you could use coconut aminos for less sodium. xx
Amazing!! So delish – made them tonight for the fam. The chili butter definitely makes it so don’t skimp on that. This is definitely going into the weekly rotation. Used store-bought guac and added honey as well as mango salsa bc I was tight on time. All so good.
Hi Amy,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
These were great! I also had trouble crisping the shells but just popped the party into my breville airfryer to finish off. I did have a question though on the chili oil- I ended up adding a bit of avocado oil to this as just the butter alone began to congeal. Was there another oil component I missed or how would you recommend to keep this more “oily?” Sending some final product pics over to your DMs. 🙂 P.S. these also are great the next day as well.
Hi Jude,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! You may have melted for too long! xx
Oof, it’s a no for me dawg. The chili pepper range is so broad, but I decided to be conservative and do only 1.5 tbsp and now my lips are on fire and my nose is dripping. Even my husband who loves spice, said they were on the spicy side.
The honey in the crema is odd. Actually using real crema would be better and more accurate.
The ginger cannot physically caramelize, as it doesn’t contain sugar and it’s floating in juice. Yeah, it turns caramel color, but that’s because that’s the color of the soy sauce mixture.
Cooking the shells beforehand makes no sense, especially given that they come out already toasted before it even gets stuffed with the chicken and cooked again. Because of that, I decided to bake at 375 for only 6 minutes so they wouldn’t burn further. Lastly, the side of the shell on the pan ended up being mushy and was impossible to peel off the pan perfectly.
Best part, was the salsa.
No fuss recipe? Don’t think so.
Hi Jaz,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Let me know if I can help in any way! xx
You appear to be an incredibly difficult and uptight person. Yikes. Meds maybe?
What the hell is this nonsensical rant?
Tacos were great, BTW.
These were seriously the most delicious tacos ever! Couldn’t stop thinking about them for days afterwards! The combination of avocado & honey is so delicious & easy to make, I’ve started putting it in everything!
Lol thanks so much Lauren! So glad to hear that these were a hit! Happy Sunday! xx
Loved these! Just the right amount of spice 🥰.
Hi Leslie,
Happy Sunday!💐 I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xT
I am a huge fan of your recipes and make them several times a month! All of the flavors were great with this one, except that I (and my guests) found the chicken too salty. I would start with half the amount of soy sauce and increase to taste. I also had a difficult time crisping the shells. They ended up being soggy and somewhat sticking to the baking pan. I would probably just use hard shells next time. Other than those issues, the flavors were wonderful and came together nicely.
Hi Cara,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear that the chicken was salty for you and you had a hard time with the shells! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
In the article, you mention that the crema is “avocado whipped with lime and honey”, but only cilantro and honey are listed in the ingredients. Can you clarify how much lime juice should be added to this? Thanks! Looks delicious, excited to try it tonight.
Can I use Red Pepper Flakes instead? Use less right?
Hey Destiny,
Sorry, what do you want to use them in place of? Just depends how much heat you like! Let me know how I can help! xT
If I ate meat, I know this would be really good :-). I think, though, I will try making this with tempeh. For some reason I thought you carried the vegetarian flag too, but I must have misunderstood. I love when I feel a veg sisterhood/brotherhood with others, especially coming from a large extended meat-eating family where it can get pretty lonely! I do it for the animals though and every little bit helps. My mother said that when she was growing up, meat was mostly used as a seasoning or as a filler in grain, starch, and veggie dishes, and seldom as a main course. I don’t judge (I can’t) as most of my favorite people are carnivores, but I can really appreciate that less-is-more approach.
I love your home and garden style….and both of your books! I’m so sorry you lost your pergola in the snowstorms, but a sunroom would be a grand reply to that setback. Perhaps it was a sign! I just know you would love a sunroom! I hope to see lots of pics of it in future posts. It always lifts my spirits to see what you are working on or planning. Thank you for all the inspiration you give me!
Thanks so much Alice!! Let me know if you give this recipe a try:) Tempeh should work well for you, cauliflower and beans would also be a great veggie substitute! I hope you love the tacos! xT
What are the tacos you make weekly? 🙂
Hey Kay,
These are a family fave:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chipotle-chicken-tacos/
Let me know if you give them a try! xx
These look amazing! I love tacos! What would be a good substitute for the red curry paste?
Hey Tina,
You could use another chili paste that you enjoy:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xT