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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
Love this recipe! I’ve made this a few times for friends and family! Everyone loves this!
Hey Karla,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great Sunday:) xxTieghan
Hi! Have you tried using flour instead of corn tortillas?
Hey there,
The corn tortillas work best here as the flour tortillas will not get as crispy. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
We love this recipe – made it 4 times already! I change out the ground chicken for hand-cut chicken breasts because we like the texture better. It really has become our go-to Friday-Movie-Night dinner 🙂
Hey Malou,
Fantastic! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
I wanted to love this, but it just didn’t work out. Even though I reduced the chili powder significantly, it was too spicy (and I love spicy), my tortillas never crisped up, and the sauce tasted very overseasoned. I appreciate so many of your recipes and have made (and shared) many with great success but this wasn’t one of them. Onward and upward!
Hey Sandy,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Love this recipe but my corn tortillas always crack when I fold them in half! Do you have a solution for this?? Thank you!
Hey Morgan,
I like to warm my tortillas first and coat in oil. I also use Whole Foods 365 brand and never seem to have issues with them. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
We made these for dinner last night and they didn’t disappoint! Really great flavor and easy to make!
Hey Lindsay,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Monday! xTieghan
Easy and Great! Always have a struggle finding easy recipes that my family loves and this one was a hit. Appreciate your site and just bought your cookbook. Total fan. Keep doing what you are doing…. You are rocking it!!!
Hey Hina,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
My husband said, “I would pay so much money for this at a restaurant,” and his compliments don’t come lightly ha! Thank you for so many amazing recipes!
Hey Megan,
Happy Weekend! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious! The ranch was so unique and amazing. The tacos were crispy and so well flavored!
Hey Rob,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! xTieghan
JUST MADE THESE FOR DINNER! THEY WERE 10/10. I made my own shells, but used a mixture of tortillas. Basically all the ones I had… corn, flour, and siete’s cassava flour tortillas. All of which turned out amaaazing. The best thing, I think, is the cilantro lime ranch. It MAKES the dish! I felt like I was eating at a restaurant 🙂 Thanks Tieghan
Hey Amy,
Awesome! So glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
I made this last night and they were amazing. The cilantro lime ranch is such a nice topper, great flavours and a hit with our family. The only downside was that the soft corn tortilla would not fold over nicely and stay put before I put them in the oven. I ended up using a toothpick in each taco to fasten them together. If anyone has tips on the folding and staying part please pass along what worked for you.
Hey Carla,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
These were yummy and came together quickly! I used ground beef and followed Tieghan’s suggestion for homemade hard shell tacos. I also added fresh toppings (shredded lettuce, tomato, minced onion).
Hey there,
Thanks for making this recipe! I am so glad it was a hit! xTieghan
Delicious! How long does the cilantro ranch keep?
Thanks Erika!! I would store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I hope you enjoy the recipe! xTieghan
Sooo good, especially with the homemade shells! I served with homemade guacamole.
Hey Lisa,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Really delicious. The corn tortillas got nice and crispy, the filling was spicy and delicious. I had some leftover Ranch from your recipe for Folded Buffalo Chicken Wraps so I used that with these tacos and it was perfect. Easy and really delicious.
Hey Jean,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan