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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
Delicious and simple!!!!!
Thanks so much Linda! xTieghan
These are STELLAR!!! So simple and quick cleanup too! We used ground beef and it got pretty greasy which made the shells a little soggy – would you recommend draining the ground beef before adding in spices?
Hey Mary,
I am so thrilled this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xTieghan
was good but was not my favorite recipe
Thanks for trying the recipe Arya! xTieghan
I’m obsessed with this recipe! It is not often that a recipe ends up in my regular rotation, but I reach for this one again and again! It is super adapt to whatever filling you have on hand. Using soy chorizo to make the dish vegetarian is a favorite variation of this recipe in our house.
Hey Kristina,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that the recipe was enjoyed! Have a fantastic weekend! xTieghan
Can you use frozen spinach in this recipe? If so, how? (I sent this question on 2/21 and initially saw it, but it has disappeared! fyi) Thanks.
Hey Linda,
So sorry I’m not sure what you would want to use the frozen spinach for? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
We have made these twice in one week! My family loved them – scaled back the chipotle Chile pepper to 3/4 tsp. (My teenager’s request!) and it was perfect amount of heat – I found that I may 1/2 the amount of the dressing – we didn’t use it a lot if it- this is an amazing recipe ! Used chicken once and beef the next batch – thank you !!
Hey Christa,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan
I’m planning on making these for dinner this week! I live by myself so there will be plenty of leftovers, so I’m wondering if you have any tips on the best way to reheat these? Or I guess I could just bake one serving at a time?
Hey Kari,
Yes, you can totally just bake them in separate batches, I think that would work best for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was so good. Except I didn’t read the recipe notes and was unable to make the tortillas lay over without them tearing in the middle. So I made them flat then when ready to folded them over. So so good.
Hey Elle,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
Made these tonight and flavor was spot on! I left out the red pepper flakes and thought it had enough spice without it.
Only question is…..what kind of corn tortillas do you use? Mine all broke at the bend once I put them in the oven. They were very soft and pliable before I put them in. If you have any recommendations on how to prevent that I would appreciate it!
Hey Susan,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! I use Whole Foods 365 tortillas. Happy Friday:) xTieghan
These are so delicious but I can’t get the tortillas to stay folded and if I press too hard rip.
How do you get tacos to stay folded?
Hey Sherri,
Try placing a baking sheet on top of the tacos for the first few minutes of baking just until the tacos are formed. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made these for the second time last night. First time I used the ground chicken and made the homemade shells. Last night tried ground pork and store bought blue corn shells and we loved it even more (plus easier). The filling would be a great, spicy addition to a taco bar.
Hey Susie,
I so appreciate you giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
These were amazing!! Easy to make, anO loved the crispy homemade tortillas and spicy ranch!
Hey Emma,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Thanks! xTieghan
When I folded over the corn tortillas,
they all broke/tore. They had evoo rubbed on them. Is there a trick to keeping the corn tortilla in one piece? Thank you! Otherwise, so so yummy!!
Hey there,
So sorry about this! Did you warm them too? If so try using a different brand of tortillas. I like Whole Foods 365 brand! xTieghan
These were delicious and very easy to make – I definitely recommend crisping up the tortillas in the oven. They sort of made a quesadilla that way, but it was amazing regardless! We used both corn and flour tortillas and both worked well. Definitely going into the weeknight rotation.
Hey Allie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
This is so good! I added fresh corn to the chicken mixture and it was delicious! The hard shell instructions are genius!
Hey Sylvia,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan