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Weeknight style Cheesy Baked Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch…and all the toppings. Because loaded tacos are just better. Ground chicken seasoned with a smoky chipotle chili spice mix, stuffed into hard shell tacos, topped with cheese, and oven-baked. These tacos are crunchy on the outside, but spicy and cheesy inside. Serve each taco with a creamy, cooling cilantro lime ranch sauce, and a mix of your favorite taco toppings. They come together in minutes and are so delicious…the perfect weeknight dinner. Bonus, the chipotle chicken is great as a leftover. Pile it high onto your favorite tortilla chips for some seriously delicious nachos or serve it up atop greens for a Mexican inspired salad.
As a kid, tacos were a weeknight staple in our house. I’ve touched on this before, but my dad cooked tacos for dinner at least once or twice a week for multiple years straight. It probably wasn’t until I started to take over the cooking around the age of fourteen that we started to switch things up. So yes, the typical weeknight ground beef taco was a staple, and my dad had them down to a T.
He’d make his tacos with ground beef and store-bought taco seasoning. Then he’d simply stuff the meat into tortillas with a little cheddar cheese and nothing else. Well…maybe some lettuce for my mom and I. But no beans, no avocado, not even cilantro or a squeeze of lime. Very, very basic, and it’s just what my brothers wanted. At the time, I didn’t know any better, so I greatly enjoyed these tacos too. I took mine in a hard shell and oven-baked for extra crispiness on the outside, and soft and cheesy inside.
And there you have it.
That’s my childhood taco story. Did we ever get sick of eating tacos? Honestly, I don’t think we did. I’m pretty sure that we were the ones requesting taco night so often. We loved it and still do! I’m always making tacos, whether it’s these quick skillet chicken tacos, my favorite Caribbean shrimp tacos, or these saucy instant pot BBQ chicken tacos. Tacos are still on the menu every couple of weeks.
But my absolute go-to taco?
It’s these. They’re classic, so simple, cheesy, crunchy, and SO GOOD. I love them, my brothers love them, and pretty much every other human who enjoys Mexican food (even just a little) enjoys these crunchy tacos.
To make these weeknight chicken tacos…
It is SIMPLE.
Pick up some ground chicken, turkey, or even ground beef. Just be sure to use what your family loves most! Simply brown the meat, add seasonings, and stuff into hard tacos. Then top with cheese, and bake in the oven until melted and crisp.
Doesn’t get any easier, but yet this is a dinner that everyone loves.
I do have a few little secrets however that make these tacos better than the rest.
The seasoning blend.
Over the years, I feel like I’ve kind of perfected the taco seasoning mix. It’s just a touch spicy, a little smoky, and hinted with garlic. I use a mix of chipotle chili powder (key ingredient) and smoked paprika to keep the taco meat extra flavorful. Most tacos mixes use regular chili powder, but I’ve always found that to lack flavor. Using chipotle chili powder adds the perfect amount of spiciness.
I like to use a good amount, so be sure to adjust this to your family’s taste level. Start with two teaspoons and work your way up to three if you like things spicy!
My Shells? I make them at home.
Well, kind of, and the shells aren’t technically a part of the recipe. BUT I’m including it in the notes. Instead of using store-bought taco shells I like to take corn tortillas, stuff them with the taco meat plus cheese, then oven bake them until the tortillas are crispy. I rub each tortilla with olive oil and then flip them halfway through cooking. This is key to getting the tacos extra crispy on both sides.
If you have a couple extra minutes, I would highly recommend making your own “shells”. They’re very, very good…and much healthier than store-bought too!
That cilantro lime ranch? You need it too.
Most tacos are topped with sour cream, but trust me this cilantro lime ranch is so much better, but it’s also not your average ranch.
I used fresh cilantro and plenty of lime in place of the usual herb mix and stirred in some pickled jalapeños for a spicy, tangy kick. This is the perfect sauce to dollop onto each cheesy, crunchy taco.
If you wanted to take the toppings a step further, I would recommend a pineapple salsa or mango salsa. But you all know me, I love a good fruity salsa. Oh, and maybe add a nice margarita too. This spicy mango marg is my personal favorite.
If you make these weeknight Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Weeknight Cheesy Baked Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 544 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken, beef, or turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons chipotle chili powder, use to your taste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, use to your taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 12 hard shell tacos (see notes for homemade option)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Cilantro Lime Ranch
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped + 2 tablespoons brine
- juice from 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the ground chicken and onion. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt. Add 3/4 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly around the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. 3. Line the taco shells up on a sheet pan or in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake 5 minutes. Evenly divide the meat among each taco shell and top with cheese. Bake 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted. 4. Meanwhile, make the ranch. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake or stir until creamy. 5. Serve the tacos topped with ranch, avocado, red onion, and any other desired toppings.
Notes
For Easy Homemade Hard Shells: Warm 8-12 corn tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each flat and then layer evenly with cheese and chicken. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.
This post was originally published on February 13, 2020
These will definitely be my new go to dinner. I had to stop myself from eating all of them! I went with the corn tortillas instead of the hard shells and it ended up being way better. Can’t wait to make again, thanks for the recipe!
Wow yes! I am so happy these turned out so amazing for you, Alexa! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
WOW! I made these for a office of 10 people and they were fabulous.
But I was in a hurry and had to make some shortcuts. I used ground turkey with all your spices and 1 1/2 t. chipotle powder. Made a sauce with avocados and sour cream with a little cumin, garlic & onion powders and garlic salt and Tajin lime seasoning. Some of the best mexican food I have ever had uses lard. So I melted a very little lard and lightly brushed the tortillas on both sides. Then I put them under the broiler heated on low about 1-2 minutes. Spread the entire taco with cheese then the meat mixture down the center then more cheese. I spread the grated cheese over the edges of the tortillas. Put back under the broiler took out and folded pressing together and pushing the yummy extra cheesey edges on top and put back under broiler for 2 minutes on each side. When done I put the avocado sauce in the taco. Plated and put chopped garden tomatoes and cilantro over tops and sprinkled with a few fresh chopped red onions. These were the best tacos I’ve had in years. Using lard and baking them made them taste like they were fried without all the grease. Next time I want to make them with shredded pork. Thankyou for this recipe Tieghan. These were the real deal Mexican Street Food. Hope to post the photo on Instagram soon.
Wow yes!! I am so happy these turned out so well for you and everyone, Nann! Thank you for trying these! xTieghan
I would love to have your recipe for the tortillas. Mine seem to shrink and get thick.
Thank you so much,
Jo Ann
Hi Jo Ann! I use mission brand tortillas! I hope this helps! xTieghan
Delicious! Thank you for sharing ??
Thank you so much Lindsey!! xTieghan
Hi
Could you use pieces of chicken breast instead of ground chicken?
Thanks
Hey Sophie,
Yes that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amazing! My husband and I ate these right up. I had also made a pineapple habanero hot sauce that mixed well sparsely atop the dressing.
Love to hear that! Thank you Katie! xTieghan
this looks wonderful
Thank you Lorraine! xTieghan
Taco Thursday! So of course, I know best, and didn’t microwave my tortillas first because I felt they were already pliable. So of course they spit in the oven, but were no less delicious for that! Next time, I will do as I’m told! Definitely making this again. LOVED the cilantro lime ranch!
Thank you so much Lesley! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this this past weekend and they were fantastic! I also had trouble with the tacos popping open and will try the sheet pan trick next time around, because there will definitely be a next time. Cilantro lime ranch sauce was to die for and really made all the flavors come together.
Thank you so much Peggy! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is a new favorite for the family! I cut wayyyy back on the chipotle chili powder (1 Tbl) and our lips were still humming and we love spicy food! The dressing is essential, as it’s cool and delicious! Thanks for a wonderful meal!
Thank you so much! I am so glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
LOVED this! So quick and easy, great for using up leftover meats or veggies, I used chopped pork bbq which already had a some vinegar and smokiness -SO delicious! I am planning to mix up a 10x batch of the seasoning (For the mix my family enjoyed it comes out to 2 1/2 T per 1 lb. meat) to keep on hand and make it even quicker. The Cilantro-Lime Ranch makes this gourmet quality (I served the chopped cilantro and chopped jalapenos on the side for those in my family who like less or none) but the tacos alone are easily among the best I’ve ever had!
Wow that is seriously so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this one, Kimberly! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
The meat mixture was flavorful and great, but making these in homemade taco shells was a complete disaster in our house. We had to scrap the concept of tacos altogether. The tortillas did not harden at all even after 20 minutes of cooking, tore and fell apart while cooking, an attempt to flip made a mushy mess. I think the meat mixture must have been entirely too liquidy and the tortillas kept soaking it up instead of crisping. Was very disappointed in how this came out, in that regard. Next time I’m back to store bought shells I guess.
Hi Juli! I am really sorry this did not turn out well for you! Is thee anything that could have gone wrong? I would love to help you!
I love you…err, I mean, these tacos! Holy Moley, these are so much tastier than I even expected (we are skeptical of ground chicken). I’ll admit, you are the queen of taco spice, although I did switch out the chipotle chili powder for chipotle pepper purée (from jar in grocery store). Also that sauce, hot damn! This is now a new family favorite, can’t thank you enough!
Haha I am so glad you loved these!! Thank you so much Shelly! xTieghan
This is my favorite go to recipe, it’s quick easy & the leftovers last for a good 3-4 days! I’m a college student and my roommates and I will make this on our busier weeks! We seriously make it every other week it’s awesome!
Wow that is so great to hear! Thank you so much! xTieghan
So so so soooooo good. I have never cooked with ground chicken before, but this sold me. These tacos are so cheesy and crunchy and flavorful. This recipe will be back on my family’s table in no time 🙂
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Emma!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan