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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
Hi! I’m wondering how these hold up as leftovers.
Hey Marie,
Totally fine to have as leftovers, just pop them in the oven to warm through. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
So delicious! My husband made these for us tonight!
Hey Kara,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Oh my GOODNESS this was so easy and delish!! I opted to make the crispy tortillas myself and it was so worth it. Very spicy and my kids are WEAK SAUCE so they wouldn’t eat it, but me and the hubs are already looking forward to leftovers tomorrow, lol!
Hey Amber,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
These were SO good…especially the cilantro lime ranch! I used flour tortillas, and they got super crispy without any oil. Adding this recipe to the regular rotation, for sure!
Hey Maggie,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make! The photo seems to include pickled onions which sounds amazing.How do you make pickled onions?
Hey Makenzie,
Yes! Here is the recipe that you can follow: https://fett-weg.today/quick-pickled-veggies/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This recipe was so easy and delicious!!! Instant crowd pleaser for my picky eaters! This will definitely be on our menu!!!
Hey Neha,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This taco recipe was superb….the spice mix was bang on and the cilantro lime ranch dressing was out of this world.
Hey Sudha,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad you enjoyed the spices! Happy New Year! xTieghan
So…these look amazing. But I hate cilantro 🙁 Should I leave it out? Use parsley? I know, cilantro is literally in the title, but just wondering 🙂
Hey Brandy,
Parsley would be great here! I hope you love the recipe. If you have any other questions, please let me know! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I’m making these tonight. So excited! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes and beautiful food photography!
Hey Ally,
I hope you love the recipe, let me know how they turn out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Do you have an alternative dip suggestion if your family doesn’t like cilantro?
Hey Kate,
You can skip the cilantro and use another herb that your family enjoys! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Omg these were crazy delicious! Will definitely be making again. One issue I had was my soft corn tortillas split when folding them over gently. Do you have any tricks to prevent that from happening?
Hey Jen,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Next time, try a different brand of tortillas, Whole Foods 365 brand works well for me. Happy New Year! xTieghan
This is an apartment staple. We make it at least once a month. The only modification we’ve made to the recipe is fresh jalapeños instead of pickled. We found the pickled flavor overpowering.
Hey Veronica,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Easy and delicious. A definite crowd pleaser, so you might need to double the recipe :).
Hey Ann,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Loves these tacos, although I could use some more spice in the meat so I will punch that up more next time I make. I also didn’t have pickled jalapeño for the sauce so I used regular and added a little vinegar and it was just as good! I used turkey, looking forward to trying with beef.
Hey Amy,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I surprised the teenagers who live next door with these tacos for New Year’s Eve and they said it was the best thing they’ve ever eaten (I didn’t tell their mom, who is a friend of mine that). LOL. Made mine with ground turkey. It’s an easy and awesome dish. Highly recommend.
Hey Coskier,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan