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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

  1. Wow, my sister and I are obsessed with these tacos. Growing up in California, when you see another taco recipe, you’re kind of like, “It’s a taco, what’s new?” But these are CRAZY good. The combination of smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder is really the key to the flavor burst in the taco! We adore the cool “ranch” on the top and in my opinion this recipe is not complete without pickled red onion. We add it every time! I suggest to make an easy side like cilantro lime rice that doesn’t overshadow the main dish! Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

    1. Wow yes!! I am so glad you both are loving this recipe, Megan! Thank you for trying them! I hope you are staying well! xTieghan

      Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Wow made these this evening and are delicious ???loved loved the ranch, I couldn’t stop trying it.
    I bought corn tostadas by accident so hard to bend but delicious

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    This was on my quarantine cooking bucket list! (Several of your recipes are on there ) and it was the perfect taco, had a little bit of everything we love, the crispy, spicy, cheesy-ness! And the sauce ! Yum! Perfect quick weeknight dinner. Thanks for the inspiration !

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    So delicious ! I didn’t read the part about microwaving the tortillas so they broke but they were still delicious. Next time I’ll microwave them! On an unrelated note, I love the cursive font you use on the headings for your posts. Do you mind sharing the name of it/if it’s available somewhere to download or buy ?

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    So good and easy! My family said they were the best homemade tacos they’ve had. The best part was hands down the cilantro lime ranch…I mashed two avocados to add, and it was SO GOOD!!! Thanks Tieghan 🙂

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    Shut your face these are freaking amazing!!! We LOVED them and will be definitely making them often. Thank you

    Reply

  8. this is the first recipe of your’s I have made! they were SO good! I plan on making some of your others now xx

    Reply

  9. Did you post the recipe for your homemade taco shells? I can’t seem to find it and I would really like to try it. Thank you!!!
    Sarah

    Reply

    1. Hi Sarah! I just use corn tortillas, brush both sides with olive oil and bake to get hard shells! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  10. 5 stars
    I finally found a blog that shares my love for smoked paprika! These were great and super easy. My shells weren’t staying folded at first, so I popped them in the oven flat and once the cheese started melting I was able to fold it over and have it stick. They did crack but it still stayed together and turned out perfect and crunchy…just not as pretty as her pictures 🙂 Thank you for the easy weeknight meal that will be added to the rotation.

    Reply

  12. This spice blend is amazing! It might be by new go to taco seasoning. I did have an issue with the ranch though- mine is suuuuper watery. I’m using Full fat daisy sour cream and I even added less liquid than the recipe states. I did use an immersion blender, could that be it? Any tips?

    Reply

    1. Hi Natalie,
      I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! The immersion blender could be your issue, you only need to mix with a spoon. Hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. Hi. Made these and they were a big hit. Are your red onions pickled? And if so, what do you do to them?

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary! They are, but I just buy them like that! It is a bit easier. If you want, there are plenty on pickling recipes on the internet! xTieghan

      Reply

  15. 5 stars
    These were SO good. I love the spice blend – I don’t like buying taco seasoning from the store because it’s so often loaded up with MSG etc, so loved making my own out of all things I had. I loved everything about this! So easy and tasty! Thank you!

    Reply