Sheet Pan Chicken Tacos

I recently read a quote on a friend’s Instagram stories that stuck with me:

Being a parent is like jumping out a plane with a bunch of people who don’t know how to open their own chutes. So, you fly around doing it for them…

Then you hit the ground, but you don’t die, you get up and cook dinner.

It’s actually insane if you think of it. As parents, we pull off the craziest of stunts all day long with our family and then, yes, go home and make dinner. How stupid is that? I loved cooking before I had Scarlett but didn’t do it every day and I definitely didn’t produce meals at the end of the day during busy weeks of deadlines and travel. As a full-time magazine editor, most of my dinners were had either at cocktail parties, formal dinners or at my desk. So having to make dinner day in and day out was a ridiculous grind to realize as a new parent, and, now 13 years later, it still boggles my mind how endless it is. Even though I wake up every single, dang day of my life knowing its coming, I’m still sometimes not prepared for dinner. On the days that needing a meal for dinner hits me from my blindside, I now make this recipe.

You can roast a chicken, pick-up a rotisserie chicken from the store or use leftovers, just get some chicken and the rest is easy. It’s a riff on a Chicken Tinga Slow Cooker recipe I saw, and the simple sauce you make gives the meat so much robust flavour. I also like baking the tacos. They’re so crispy and the resulting quesadilla-like melt actually makes them easier to eat. I serve them with a side salad and everyone gobbles them back like cake. If you’re going to get right back up after the the beating down that comes from your relentless day, then make something that you can comfortably tackle. And remember, if your day hasn’t killed you then dinner definitely shouldn’t. It can just make you stronger. Although you knew that, right? As a parent, you are now the toughest version of you and, now, you truly are everyone’s super hero.

Print Recipe

Sheet Pan Chicken Tacos

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• juice of half a lime
• 4 cups shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
• 8 medium corn and whole wheat tortilla I use tortilla that are a mix of corn and whole wheat but if you don't have that choice, use whole wheat as corn will crack while baking.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 and prepare a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
• In a large skillet, warm your oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until softened.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
• Add the chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika and stir to coat the onion.
• Add the tomato paste, lime juice and 1/4 cup of water and stir until it comes together as a sauce.
• Stir in the chicken and cheese and coat with the sauce.
• Fill a tortilla with the chicken mixture and fold it over to form a taco. Place it on the baking sheet and continue until you've used all the filling.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until tortilla are gold brown and cheese has melted. Serve with taco sauce, salsa as well as any of yoru favorite taco sides like sour cream and guacamole.