This Chicken Walking Taco Recipe makes a delicious family dinner that is ready in 10 minutes! Put a fun twist on taco night with shredded salsa chicken and your favorite taco toppings served over crunchy chips right in the bag!
I was sent Sun Chips and a recipe to create this post with.
This post was originally published on October 8, 2012 and has now been updated with new images and instructions.
Choosing what to serve for dinner can be overwhelming and feel like the worst chore ever. I like to take our family’s favorite ideas and flavors and rework them into new ideas.
These tasty chicken walking tacos are quick and easy, all the same flavors you love from Taco Tuesday but are served in a bag of chips! Your kids will love it!
Why this Recipe Works
No Frito’s and chili here, this version has all those taco flavors you crave!
The salsa shredded chicken is easy to make and takes just 10 minutes. It’s flavorful and pairs perfectly with the chips and other toppings.
It’s a great dinner to serve when you don’t have time to sit down around the table. You can grab it and run out the door to activities or serve it at a party!
Setting out the toppings lets each person layer up their chips any way they want (like my Sheet Pan Nachos!). This Chicken Walking Taco recipe ALWAYS a crowd-pleaser!
Serve it with my simple Black Bean Salad and a Skinny Margarita for a delicious meal!
Or try easy Chicken Tacos, Baked Chipotle Lime Chicken, or Tortilla Soup!
Ingredient Notes
Starting with store-bought rotisserie chicken ensures that this recipe is as fast as possible. (But you can bake or shred your own chicken if you have the time).
The taco seasoning and salsa give the chicken tons of flavor. Or you can substitute with the salsa chicken from my Taco Cups – with beer, SO good!
While I’m serving my Walking Taco bags with cheddar cheese and cilantro, you can serve it with any of the toppings you usually put on tacos or nachos. Black beans, jalapenos, green onions, whatever you want!
I prefer the Cheddar Sun Chips, but you can use any flavor you think would pair well with the flavors of the chicken. Or use tortilla chips.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Salsa Shredded Chicken
To a saucepan, add the shredded chicken, water, taco seasoning pouch and salsa. Stir and heat over medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
To Serve
While I set out my meal family-style, you can just as easily have everyone create their own taco in a bag right in the kitchen to make clean up quicker.
To serve this Chicken Tacos recipe, cut the long side of a bag of chips open. Let each family member build their own walking taco bags.
Tips and tricks
- You can use ground beef, seasoned with taco seasoning, instead of chicken for this Walking Taco recipe.
- Use just about any kind of chips to make this recipe. Fritos are great (and the original). Doritos and, of course, tortilla chips are delicious.
- If you can’t find individual bags of chips, just put chips in a bowl and the toppings on top of it.
- Make these vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and serving it with black beans or another plant-based protein instead.
- Make the chicken ahead of time to make dinner time even faster!
The amount of meat you will need will depend on how many people you are trying to serve. For your family, make the same amount of chicken or beef you would for a regular taco night. For a party, you may want to make more.
Side dish recipes that you would typically serve with tacos or enchiladas, will pair well with this recipe. Black or refried beans, rice, a salad, etc.
To eat a walking taco simply break up the chips in the bag with your hands, top it with your favorite toppings, then eat with a fork! It’s a great vacation dinner idea especially if you are camping, etc.
Store all the parts of the Walking Tacos separately to ensure that nothing gets soggy. Keep the prepared chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
While the traditional Walking Taco recipe included Frito’s and chili, over the years the recipe has been modified to include more taco flavors.
This is the best recipe I’ve tried thanks to the salsa chicken!
Related recipes
Walking Taco Recipe with Chicken
Ingredients
For the Salsa Chicken
- 4 cups chicken rotisserie is best
- 1.25 oz taco seasoning (1 packet)
- 1 cup water
- 15 oz chunky salsa (1 jar)
For the Walking Taco Bags
- Chips Individual Sized Bags
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Combine store-bought rotisserie chicken, water, salsa and taco seasoning in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.
- Cut open the long side of an individual bag of chips.
- Add toppings to the bag and serve with a fork.
Notes
- Add any other taco toppings that your family enjoys like jalapenos, black beans, taco sauce, radish, sour cream, guacamole, etc.
- You can use ground beef, seasoned with taco seasoning, instead of chicken for this Walking Taco recipe.
- Use just about any kind of chips to make this recipe. Fritos are great (and the original). Doritos and, of course, tortilla chips are delicious.
- If you can’t find individual bags of chips, just add chips to a bowl and then add the toppings.
- Make these vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and serving it with black beans or another plant-based protein instead.
- Make the chicken ahead of time to make dinner time even faster! Store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Brittany says
whoa. these look so good! definitely trying soon.
Carrie // cue the confetti says
These are great! I want to try them and I really want to eat some SunChips now.
Sharon Garofalow says
Yes, I wanted Sunchips every day for a week after this recipe. The Garden Salsa was a surprise hit for me. LOVE it!