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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.

overhead photo of Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch

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.

overhead photo of Chipotle Chicken Taco meat in skillet

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.

photo of raw cilantro

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.

stuffing the tacos shells with Chipotle Chicken Taco meat and cheese

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!

Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos after baking on baking sheet

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!

overhead close up photo of Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch

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.

overhead photo of Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with bite taken out of taco

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.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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.

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Watch the How-To Reel

Ingredients

Cilantro Lime Ranch

US Customary – Metric

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. 
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horizontal overhead photo of Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos

This post was originally published on February 13, 2020
4.25 from 1469 votes (1,165 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  3. Hi, Tieghan!
    I saw that the recipe calls for 1/4 c of cilantro to be added to the meat. Is that pulled from the 3/4 cup you included in the ingredient list for the cilantro lime ranch, or is it in addition to?
    Can’t wait to try to this recipe!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    OH EM GEE!! I made these this week as my meal prep and they were so epic I sometimes ate them for breakfast because I couldn’t wait for lunch.The ranch is so insanely delicious and healthy (I used low fat yoghurt)!! For meal prep, I just heated the tacos for 10 mins at 350 and they were instantly warm and cheesy again.

    I did make a minor adjustment: Instead of ground chicken, I used breasts. Seared first before starting my sauce, simmered them for 30 mins in the spices and water, then shredded the chicken into it the reduced sauce. Also, Instead of toppings, I used whole green leaf lettuce leaves and wrapped them around my taco! I put chopped tomato and the ranch right in the taco and ate the whole thing with my hands. So unreal.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    I made these Tuesday and they were amazing! We loved the heat of the spices and especially the lime sour cream. The technique of crisping up the shells in the oven was a game changer for me and will do this from now on since we prefer crispy shells. My husband requested them again for next week!! We had leftover taco meat do today I made quesadillas using the leftovers for lunch and they were fantastic, again dipping each bite in the lime sour cream.

    Reply

  6. I really enjoyed this recipe!. I used 2 teaspoons of the Chiptole chili…..and it was a little spicy, will cut back next time. That Cilantro Lime Dressing is to die for!!!!!!! Going to try the Creamy butternut squash alla vodka pasta next. All your photos are great. I want to cook everything.

    Reply

  7. I made these tonight – so good! What is your favorite brand for corn tortillas? Mine were soft on the underside (but still good!) and not super easy to fold over.

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Wow. These are delicious and so easy to make! The sauce is finger licking good!!! Adding to our weekly rotation for sure!

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    Loved these tacos and so did my husband! He said they were the best ever! Will add this to my “archives” 🙂

    Thank you!

    Reply

  10. Made these last night for dinner. Loved the taste of the taco. Loved the cilantro lime sauce. i liked the homemade taco shells, but my husband wants traditional shells next time

    Reply

  11. 5 stars
    Oh my, these were so good. I would recommend omitting the red pepper flakes until you have tasted the heat level. Mine were a bit spicy. The oven part worked great. They were nice and crunchy without deep frying. Thanks Tieghan!

    Reply

  12. 5 stars
    Wowowowow. Made these last night. Super fast. For the ranch, I used Trader’s Joe’s Hot and Sweet jarred jalapenos. I used them also in your ranch recipe for the buffalo chicken pull apart bread. It definitely brought the ranch up to a different level!

    For this recipe, I used flour tortillas (hubby and I don’t care for corn) and the result was AMAZING, they came out tasting similar to flautas but healthier, obviously, since they were baked not fried. I only brushed oil on the outside, BTW.

    Hubby demanded this be on the regular dinner rotation, said that if he was served this at a restaurant he’d be blown away, and that it’s one of the best meals I’ve ever made.

    Big hit! Thanks again! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Ok yes!! That is such an amazing compliment! I am really glad you both enjoyed this recipe so much, Kristen! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. Never ever had any taco recipe so good in my life, thanks Tieghan! For anyone who is struggling with getting their taco shells to stay in the folded position, we went the unhealthier route and flash fried them in a skillet and folded the tortilla over just so it was pliable enough to stay on the baking sheet, then finished them in the oven. It made them easy to stuff and the oil was already on the tortilla! Served ours with mango, pickled red onion, avocado and that creamy cilantro ranch OMG

    Reply