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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
Made these tonight and they were so good!! We will definitely make them again!
Hey Stacy,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Absolutely fantastic! I’m a huge taco lover and these were some of the best ones I’ve ever made at home. The chipotle chili powder really shines through in the seasoning making it extra special and the cilantro dressing takes it over the top. The recipe made much more dressing than than what I could use for tacos so I have been putting it on my salads and it’s spectacular. I made the tacos with beef and can’t wait to try the chicken next. This is my new go-to taco recipe. Thank you!
Thank you so much Dominique! I am really glad this recipe turned out well for you! xTieghan
Hi there,
This recipe is AMAZING!!! I’m making it again this weekend and was wondering if you have recipe for a good side dish that would compliment the tacos?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Shuka
Hey Shuka,
I would do a big salad or rice and beans! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were a hit! Great flavor, and that sauce! I will be making these again, thank you! One recommendation for fellow followers – once you fold the tacos and are ready to place in the oven, maybe cover with a sheet of foil and place another cookie sheet on top. It should help keep the tacos formed when you take them out.
Thank you for trying these! I am really glad they turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Loved the tacos. Should have looked at the pictures better to notice the parchment paper. They stuck to the pan ?
Hi Renee! I am so sorry about that!! xTieghan
I’ve made a few of your recipes and they’re always a hit! Made these today with beef and added green chilies, definitely a new family favorite!
Thank you Mae! xTieghan
I finally made these tacos. They are a 10 out of 10! So great. I used ground beef and I think it gives such great flavor. The only problem is that this is a small recipe for my family of 4. They have requested that I make them again this week, but double it Don’t use store bought shells. Use your own tortillas as suggested in the recipe. Yum!
Thank you so much Kara! I am really glad these turned out so well for you! xTieghan
A great recipe! I went ahead and made my own corn tortillas with MASECA corn flour. It took a bit longer to get them crispy after I made them, cooked at 350 for 25 min. Definitely a family favorite. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Layla!! xTieghan
The title says it all – now that I have made these (I think it’s up to 4 times in the past few months) I cannot have any other tacos because these are JUST SO DELICIOUS!!!! Girl you are truly amazing – these will be added to our family recipe book FOREVER
I am so happy you loved these! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
My Minnesota family loved this meal! Mine wasn’t as pretty as yours but the taste was so savory and fresh!
Thank you for sharing!
Kristi
Thank you so much Kristi! xTieghan
I made these tonight with moose burger. Sooo good. No pics because we devoured them before I even thought about it! I will definitely be making them again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you so much Callie! xTieghan
Great recipe! Absolutely delicious. I subbed leftover shredded turkey for the ground chicken and just added it in after the onion, with the spices. I didn’t see the note of using soft shell, instead used corn tortillas. They broke and weren’t pretty enough for a picture but my tastebuds were plenty happy. Thank you for taking the guess work out of this busy momma’s evening meal prep:)
Thank you Erica! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These were delicious and I will absolutely make them again. I forgot to flip them halfway through, but they STILL turned out great. They are very spicy, so I plan to scale back the jalapenos & red chili a bit next time! 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for trying this one, Andrea! xTieghan
Loved this recipe! Didn’t know what to make for dinner and you inspired me! The tangy jalapeño dressing is a hit and something I’ll definitely be adding to my repertoire going forward – thank you!!
Thank you so much Stephanie! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These DIY crunchy shells are so good! I’m never buying hard shell tacos ever again. Added a little diced red pepper to the onions and chicken and the sweetness complemented it really nicely. Thanks for this!
Thank you Becky!! I am really glad these turned out so well for you! xTieghan