Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos

I hardly ever cook with ground chicken, but this was actually pretty good! I have made this recipe as-is, but I've also just put the filling into regular tortillas for easy soft tacos. My husband even likes to eat it plain for lunch the next day. Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound ground chicken
½ medium sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
8 flour or corn tortillas, warmed

FOR SERVING

Sour cream
Pico de gallo
Guacamole

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground chicken, onion and garlic, and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
Stir in green chiles, chili powder, paprika, oregano and cumin until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 1 cup cheese until well combined.
Working one at a time, spread chicken mixture on half of the tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon cheese, folding over to seal. Repeat with remaining tortillas to make 8 tacos.

Place tacos in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil.
Place into oven and bake until toasted and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.
Serve immediately with desired toppings.

I usually just add pico or salsa, but you could add whatever taco toppings you want. I always double or triple the recipe and I'd highly recommend that if you have more than four people in your family. :)

One more tip - if you're feeling lazy, I've taken out the spices and just replaced them all with taco seasoning. It is pretty much just as good. Ha!