These Baked Hawaiian Chicken Tacos are perfect for game day or any gathering because you can serve a whole bunch at once! Stuffed with slow cooker coconut chicken, baked, then topped with an easy homemade pineapple salsa!
So….. I know you’re not going to believe this but Mexican food is actually not my favorite.
To clarify, I fell in love with Real Mexican Food down in Real Mexico at the same time I fell out of love with what we call Mexican food here. I’m sure Mexican food varies by region, but once I tried Mexican food while I was on a house-building mission in Mexico, my life was never the same.
So while I know that most people go nuts for tacos, tostadas, burritos, etc., I normally don’t. It’s not that I dislike Mexican food, it’s just that nothing I have ever found has come close.
NOW. I do like tropical flavors in pretty much anything, so Hawaiian Mexican fusion is totally my thing. I LOVE pineapple.
I love pineapple on pizza, in rice, in my dessert, in my meatballs, and in my barbecue sauce. I feel like an obsession is building, to be honest. I can’t get enough!
And now that Spring is here, I am craving all things bright, fruity and tropical! I was debating baking these tacos or not, and there really is no reason that you can’t just make them the normal way without baking. I was racking my brain trying to decide which would be more desirable to the masses, baked, or not baked? Since everything is cooked beforehand, there is no reason you can’t just shove the filling in and eat, except maybe that your cheese won’t be melted.
There are a couple reasons why I love baked tacos:
- You can make a bunch at once and it’s super easy for a crowd to grab and go at a party, gathering, or just a family dinner.
- When the cheese melts it really sinks into the meat and secures it and keeps it from falling all over you while you eat it! This is a big selling feature for me, because especially with hard taco shells, which are crumbly to begin with.
A few tips:
- I stuffed these with my Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken, and I highly recommend doing that. If you’re making the chicken just for the tacos, you can skip the Sweet and Spicy Sauce altogether. If you want to make extra chicken for the tacos, perfect! Two meals in one! Just set aside a couple chicken breasts for your tacos on the first night.
- You can also use this Crockpot Shredded Chicken or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken to fill them — they’re perfect for meal prep!
- If you’re making these in the summer, you could easily stack them in a foil pan and heat them on the barbecue to keep your kitchen cool!
Baked Hawaiian Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 6 hard corn taco shells
- 1 chicken breast chopped (Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken) — see notes above
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
- 1/3 cup finely diced red pepper
- 1/3 cup finely diced tomato drained of juices
- 1 green onion sliced
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- drizzle of honey if desired
- pinch of salt
- Taco toppings as desired: tomato salsa sour cream, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line up taco shells in an 8×8″ pan so that they are snug and standing upright.
- Divide chicken between the taco shells. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is heated through.
- While the tacos are baking, prepare your salsa: combine pineapple, red pepper, tomato, green onion, lime zest and juice in a medium bowl. Add a drizzle of honey if desired and salt to taste.
- Serve tacos with pineapple salsa and desired taco toppings!
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says
I agree with you about Mexican food, but I’ve noticed that it’s even different from place to place in Mexico. For instance we went to Cancun, where we had fresh seafood and tacos like these yummy ones here. But when we went to Cabo San Lucas last year they have a heavier but of course delicious food! These tacos are right up my alley and plus I could eat Mexican food every night for dinner!! 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Yes I can totally imagine it’s different all over the place! Still the BEST Mexican food I’ve ever had 😉
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
It’s so funny how different our version of Mexican food is compared to Mexico. Definitely not Taco Bell! Hahaha! These tacos sound delicious. They have me dreaming of Hawaii!
Ashley Fehr says
Lol! Yes — totally not the same!
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Ohmygoodness, I need these in my life. I am so in love with this concept! And I am on team pineapple, too 😀
Ashley Fehr says
Yesss! Pineapple EVERYthing!
Danielle says
Mexican food is one of my favorites, especially tacos! I love that these have pineapple in them, I could literally add it to every dish and be happy. These look fantastic, Ashley!
Ashley Fehr says
THanks Danielle! I totally add it to everything too!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Love the tropical flavors! I really need to try your slow cooker coconut chicken!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jessica! I just love it in tacos!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
I’ve never had truly “authentic” Mexican food in my life and I SO want to! Pretty sure I’d turn into the biggest Mexi-food snob ever though. 😉 But seriously, I’d eat these gorgeous tacos ANYTIME and anyplace! That tropical salsa is screaming my name!
Kelly says
We can’t get enough of tacos and anything tropical lately so these are just perfect for us! They look incredible and I love the pineapple salsa!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I’ve never been to Mexico, but if I had I’m sure I’d feel the same way about our “Mexican” food, Ashley! You got spoiled! 😉 LOVE these baked tacos! Coconut chicken and pineapple salsa stuffed into some taco shells sounds fabulous! PERFECT for upcoming Cinco de Mayo and ALL #TacoTuesdays! Cheers, girlfriend!
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
I haven’t tried your Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken yet but it sounds incredible with these tacos! I am obsessed with pineapple salsa and need to add these to my dinner menu soon.
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
I am in love with fruit salsas! I have a very big sweet tooth. 🙂
These Hawaiian tacos are such a great idea.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Christin! Me too!
Medha says
I am nuts for any kind of Mexican food and these look amazing! Love the Hawaiian fusion here 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Medha!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! Love this salsa! As a kid I hated pineapple, but now it’s one of my favorites. When I make crunchy tacos I wrap a flour tortilla around the shell – no more mess! 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Whoa — that is a brilliant idea! I’ve never heard of that before! I will have to try that next time with the kiddos! I have always loved pineapple, but my mom only bought the canned stuff. Having fresh pineapple is a real treat now!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Being raised a half hour from the Mexico border means I always had AMAZING Mexican growing up and now I’m total Mexican food snob, haha! These tacos with a twist sound amaaaazing though – I love the pineapple salsa!
Julie Evink says
I have to be honest. I love anything Mexican, traditional or nontraditional so I know I’d love these babies!
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
Baked tacos sound like a great way to do dinner! I’m a huge lover of Mexican food. I could eat it almost every day and can’t wait to give these chicken tacos a try.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jen! I’m new to the baked tacos thing but I LOVE it!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Ashley, love the idea of BAKED Hawaiian chicken tacos and love that pineapple salsa!!!! gorgeous!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Alice! Baking tacos is my new favorite thing!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
I totally agree, authentic Mexican food can be so different from other Mexican food! It definitely varies by restaurants too, but I love it all. It’s one of my favorite cuisines, so these tacos were made for me. Such a great idea to bake them, too!
Ashley Fehr says
You know, I think my problem is we never go to authentic Mexican restaurants. I bet if we found some really good ones it would be a totally different story! Thanks Gayle!