These crunchy Doritos chicken tacos combine tender, seasoned shredded chicken, homemade guac, and cotija cheese in a crispy, cheesy, Doritos taco “shell”. It’s a fun treat everyone loves.
We grew up in California and now live in Texas, so we both love Mexican recipes of all kinds. Of course, classics like fried beef tacos are always on our list, but we also love making creative dishes like taco pasta.
Now, we’ve added these Dorito chicken tacos to our rotation. They feature classic chicken taco ingredients with a cheesy, crunchy shell made of crushed Doritos and Monterey cheese.
Serve them with chunky salsa or crock pot queso with Italian sausage and cream cheese churro pastry bites for a Mexican-inspired feast.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Everything you need is in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Easy: This recipe is for anyone!
- A Fun, Fast Food Take: These are yummy, fast food take on classic tacos that taste like they could be on a Taco Bell menu.
- Customizable: You can tweak this recipe to make different variations.
- Versatile: These are perfect for weeknight dinners or parties.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Doritos and Monterey Cheese: Crushed Doritos and cheese are fried to make the crunchy, cheesy shells.
- Chicken Breasts: Chicken breasts are mild and meaty, perfect for shredding for these tacos.
- Rotel and Bouillon Cubes: Rotel and chicken bouillon give the chicken moisture and flavor.
- Avocados: Fresh avocados are the base for our classic guac.
- Garlic and Red Onions: These add an aromatic, slightly sweet flavor with a little bite.
- Pickled Jalapenos: Pickled jalapenos add heat and vegetal flavor with slight sweetness.
- Cotija Cheese: The classic Mexican cheese for anything.
Variations
- Chicken: Leftover turkey can be used in place of chicken. You could also use a rotisserie chicken, beef, or pork.
- Mild: Omit the jalapenos for a mild version.
- Cheese: Use cheddar for the shells, and top the tacos with cheddar, taco blend, or Mexican blend.
- Doritos: Use your favorite varieties like Cool Ranch or Spicy to create different flavors.
- Guac: You can use store-bought guac if you’d like to skip a few steps.
- Traditional: Use the chicken and guacamole with our flour tortillas for a traditional version.
How to Make Crunchy Doritos Chicken Tacos
Step 1: Simmer the chicken ingredients until the chicken is tender. Then, transfer to a large plate and shred.
Step 2: Mix the guacamole ingredients, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 3: Crush the Doritos in a food processor. Then, mix them with the cheese. Form the mixture into 2-inch balls and flatten into a tortilla shape.
Step 4: Fry on low in oil until golden on both sides. Transfer to a cooling rack and gently shape into taco shells before letting them cool.
Step 5: Add chicken to each shell, followed by the guacamole and cotija cheese.
Step 6: Add any additional toppings, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Fry the tortilla mixture over low heat to avoid burning.
- When flipping your tortillas, use two rubber spatulas and a gentle motion to ensure the Doritos and cheese hold together.
- Shape the Dorito discs into taco shells while warm. If they’re cool, they’ll break.
- When covering your guac with plastic wrap, be sure it’s in full contact with the guac’s surface to prevent air from coming into contact with it, which can cause browning.
Crunchy Doritos Chicken Tacos FAQs
Dorito taco shells are made of crushed Doritos and cheese, usually cheddar or Monterey Jack.
We prefer chicken breasts, but thighs are a good contender, as well.
Refrigerate these tacos for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Great Dishes to Pair with Doritos Chicken Tacos
If you try this recipe and love it, please be sure to leave a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and comment! You can also pin it to save it for later. Also, you can follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.
Crunchy Doritos Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Cheesy Taco Shells
- 9.25 ounce Cool Ranch Doritos
- 16 ounce Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Shredded Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 10 ounce can Rotel
- 1½ tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1½ teaspoon cumin, divided
Guacamole
- 2 large avocados
- 1 fresh lime
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tomato, seeds removed and diced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoon pickled jalapenos, chopped
- ⅓ cup cotija cheese
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
Shredded Chicken
- In a medium pot place chicken, rotel, and 1 tablespoon of cumin.
- Add enough water to barely cover chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce down to a simmer.
- Add chicken bouillon cube and stir to dissolve.
- Simmer for 15-20 mins until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from pan and shred with two forks. Add the chicken back to the pot and stir.
Guacamole
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds.
- Score each half of the avocado vertically and then horizontally with a knife.
- Scoop the avocado out of the skin with a spoon and place in a medium bowl.
- Add minced garlic and mash the avocados, until a few chunks are remaining.
- Add the lime juice, jalapenos, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and ½ teaspoon of cumin, to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Cheesy Taco Shells
- In a food processor, pulse the Doritos chips until almost crumbled, and pour into a separate bowl.
- Heat a skillet or frying pan over low heat.
- Take a small handful of shredded cheese approx. ⅓ cup, and a handful of the crumbled chips, and mash them together to form a 2-inch ball.
- Flatten with the palm of your hand to create a disk.
- Carefully place the shell into the pan.
- Cook on low on one side until the bottom cheese is golden.
- Using two silicone spatulas flip the shell and cook on the other side until golden, approx 4 minutes.
- Remove from pan and place on a cooling rack, folding the shell in half to create the taco shape, and let cool. Repeat steps.
Assemble
- Take each shell and place chicken in the bottom, top with guacamole, and sprinkle cotija over the top.
- Drizzle preferred taco sauce or salsa over the top.
Notes
- Fry the tortilla mixture over low heat to avoid burning.
- When flipping your tortillas, use two rubber spatulas and a gentle motion to ensure the Doritos and cheese hold together.
- Shape the Dorito discs into taco shells while warm. If they’re cool, they’ll break.
- When covering your guac with plastic wrap, be sure it’s in full contact with the guac’s surface to prevent air from coming into contact with it, which can cause browning.
Amazing recipe. This should absolutely be on the menu at Taco Bell!
Nice! I love the cheesy flavor and the crunch of the shell with the filling.
I tried these Doritos chicken tacos, and the extra crunch from the chips was such a fun addition. It’s a great, playful meal that the kids absolutely loved—definitely a hit for a casual taco night.
I made these for dinner and they were a big hit. The crunch adds such a fun twist!
The Dorito shells are genius! They are so incredibly flavorful and really elevate any taco dish. These were SO good!
It is a perfect way to enjoy Doritos Chicken Tacos! Love the addition of cotija cheese.
I love this recipe and homemade guacamole. So yummy and crunchy!