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Switching things up with these fun Cool Ranch Chicken “Tostadadillas” with Honey Lime Crema. Homemade cool ranch tostada shells sandwiched with cheese, then oven-baked to create a “tostadadilla” – kind of a cross between crunchy tostadas and cheesy quesadillas. Top each tostadadilla with ground chicken seasoned with Mexican spices, shredded lettuce, and creamy honey lime crema. Just the right amount of melty cheese and CRUNCH with every bite. They’re easy to make and are so DELICIOUS.
Well, aren’t these are fun…I just felt like our Monday could use a little fun, you know?
I’ve been planning on sharing these for a while. And when I say a while, I really mean just a couple of weeks, but for me, that is a while. I don’t plan out recipes very far in advance because I love to share things with you guys RIGHT AWAY. If I hold onto a recipe concept too long, there’s a good chance that by the time I go to make it, I’ll have convinced myself it’s a bad idea. So in general, if I’m excited about something, I make it while I’m still excited and share it almost immediately after photographing it.
I would have made them sooner, but the timing just worked out this way.
So here we are. Let me introduce you guys to a tostada-dilla. A cross between a crispy tostada and an extra cheesy quesadilla.
The idea.
Honestly, I don’t know when, how, or why I thought this up. It’s not some genius idea by any means, but man these sure are a delicious twist on tostadas.
I guess to me, a regular old tostada just seems a little boring, I would very much rather eat a crunchy, cheesy taco. I love when foods have lots of flavor, layers of texture, multiple sauces, and yeah…cheese too.
When my brother Creighton suggested I make beef tostadas, I quickly said no, those sound boring. But then I thought about how I might improve upon the classic tostada, and somewhere along the way, these tosatadillas were born. They’re all things, crunchy, crispy, cheesy, creamy, and spicy. And the added bonus? Even though the ingredients list looks long (it’s all just dry spices), these are easy to throw together.
The details.
Start with the meat, I used ground chicken, but beef would be equally great. I seasoned it up pretty simply by adding in lots of smoky poblano peppers and a touch of tomato paste for a nice twist on the usual.
I like to start with cooking the meat, and while that’s simmering away, I make the “cool ranch” tostada shells.
The “cool ranch” tostada shells.
These tostada shells are truly something special. I’m really into making homemade seasonings right now, so I created a homemade mix for the cool ranch Doritos seasoning and put it on my tostadas. It’s so simple. It’s really just a mix of those dry ranch spices and herbs, along with paprika, chili powder, and a little grated cheese.
Bake the tostada shells until crispy, then sprinkle over the seasoning mix. The tostadas alone are reason enough to make these. They’re crispy, crunchy, and so perfectly seasoned.
I read a little about what’s in cool ranch Doritos. And while this isn’t the exact same mix, it is very similar. And the tomato paste used with the chicken brings in that tomato powder that’s used on the classic cool ranch Dorito.
PS. I don’t know what’s up with my weird desire to want to remake store-bought favorites, but I’m having fun with it.
Ok, now we assemble.
Layer the cheese between the tostadas and then bake them in the oven until the cheese is nice and melty. Now you have a tostada-dilla. Yes, I made the word up, but it does kind of work…right?
Anyway, while the tostadadillas are baking, gather all your toppings. I like to do a little smashed avocado and honey-lime crema as my sauce.
As soon as the tostadadillas come out of the oven, layer them up while they’re still nice and melty. Avocado, saucy seasoned-up chicken, then a little shredded cabbage or lettuce, jalapeños, and a sprinkling of cilantro. Then drizzle over that crema sauce and finish with a squeeze of lime…
And now they’re stacked and ready for enjoying.
I really do think you’ll enjoy every last crispy-crunchy bite. The chicken is a little spicy, but the crema cools things down a bit. And that cool ranch seasoning blend just seals the deal.
When everything is combined all together you have the perfect stack of fun Mexican-style food. These are really pretty hard to beat. And my family? Well, they’ve all agreed that these might just be a new favorite…the cheesy tostadadilla that got everyone! They really are extra special.
Looking for other fun Mexican night recipes? Here are some favorites:
Breakfast Quesadilla with Soft Scrambled Eggs and Avocado Salsa
Crispy Chicken Tinga Taquitos with Salty Lime Avocado Crema
Cauliflower Al Pastor Quesadillas with Lime Smashed Avocado
Lastly, if you make this Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadadillas with Honey Lime Crema 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!
Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadadillas with Honey Lime Crema
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 522 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
- 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2-3 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- crema, avocado, cabbage, and cilantro. for serving (see notes)
Tostada Shells
- 12 corn tortillas
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the ground meat, onion, and poblano pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Add 1 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly around the chicken, about 10 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.3. Meanwhile, make the tostadas. Line the corn tortillas up on 2 baking sheets and rub lightly with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake 7 minutes, until crisp. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, chives, dill, and 1 teaspoon salt. While warm, sprinkle the "cool ranch" seasoning blend over each tostada. 4. To make the tostadillas. Evenly divide the Mexican cheese blend between half the tostadas, then place the remaining tostada shells directly on the cheese. Bake 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. 5. To assemble, plate each tostadilla and top evenly with mashed avocado and chicken. Top as desired with cabbage, jalapeños, and cilantro. Dollop over the crema. Break 'em up and enjoy!
Notes
Honey Lime Crema: In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, 1-2 teaspoons honey, the zest of 1 lime, and a pinch of sea salt.
Lime Mashed Avocado: In a bowl, lightly smash 2 avocados. Add the zest and juice of 1 lime and a pinch of sea salt.
This post was originally published on March 8, 2021
SO delicious and easy!! I stacked mine differently to make it less messy to eat. Tortilla, cheese, chicken, cheese, tortilla, then more cheese. Put it back in the oven until the cheese melts, then top it off with avocado smash and crema. This will be on our regular rotation! Thanks Tieghan!! ❤️
Hey Debra,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious!
I did use flour tortillas. Grilled on stove top grill
after brushing with olive oil and spices then into the oven. That made them crunchy. I also added scallions with the cheese since I didn’t have chives. Didn’t have poblanos so used red, green and a bit of habanero pepper and only used 1 tsp of smoked paprika. Amazing flavors. Love the cabbage crunch on top and the easy crema!
Hey Joanne,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Just made this tonight and wow, so good! We used flour and corn/flour blend tortillas, worked really well. This will be my go to recipe for taco meat. Amazing!
Hey Natalie,
Awesome, I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
wait! no! i mean pickled onion? is it pickled onion?! oh geez i should really double check before hitting publish. the purple things on top!
Yes!! It is pickled onion, here is the recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/quick-pickled-veggies/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
what kind of cabbage is on the top? pickled cabbage? i can never find some that is slightly sweet and acidic!!
Hey Hillary,
Yes, I used some cabbage as my garnish. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi what would be a good substitute for smoked paprika? Regular paprika? I’m not a fan of the smoky flavor.
Hey Julie,
Yes, regular paprika will work just fine here! I hope you enjoy the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
What cheeses are in the Mexican blend? Did you buy it already shredded or did you grate it yourself? Thanks!
Hey Wendy,
I also grate my cheese:) I used a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this? Do you think it would work with flour tortillas?!
Hey Megan,
I would recommend sticking with the corn tortillas, the flour ones won’t give the crunch you are looking for here. I hope you enjoy the recipe! xTieghan
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them! We get so bored with the same ole dinners all the time!
I hope you love the recipe Tanya! xTieghan
ha, this is great, careful that Taco Bell doesn’t try to steal it! Definitely fun, another one to save for my weekend cheat day, these are the kind of foods that I crave most on that day, namely crispy tortillas and cheese, thank you!
Thanks so much Sabrina! I hope you love the recipe:) xTieghan
Delicious to the millionth degree!!!! My family loved this so much!
Hey Melissa,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
These look INSANE! All my favorite flavors in one dish.
xo Jessica
an indigo day
Thanks so much Jessica!! xTieghan
When do you add chicken
Hey Ann,
You are going to add the chicken in step 5, when is says “plate each tostadadilla”. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Am I missing where the cooked ground meat goes on the tostadilla in the recipe?
Hey Dee,
Sorry for the confusion, you will do this in step 5. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
will be making this soon with few subs i never had tostadadillas before as am a vegan will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hope you love the recipe Ramya! xTieghan