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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.

overhead photo of Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadadillas pulled apart to see the cheese

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.

photo of seasoned ground chicken in skillet

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.

overhead prep photo of cool ranch seasoning

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.

overhead pre photo so cool ranch Tostadas

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.

overhead photo of Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadadillas with Honey Lime Crema

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.

side angled close up photo of Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadadillas with Honey Lime Crema

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.

Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadadillas with cheese pulled apart

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

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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.

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Watch the How-To Reel

Ingredients

Tostada Shells

US Customary – Metric

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. 
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Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadadillas with Honey Lime Crema

This post was originally published on March 8, 2021
4.25 from 308 votes (250 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve been eager to make these ever since I saw the recipe, but didn’t get around to it until today. These are delicious! It has a perfect blend of spices and flavors, like all your recipes! Thank you for sharing all your recipes.

    Reply

    1. Hey Crystal,
      Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  3. I enjoyed this recipe and the flavors. I wasn’t able to get my tortillas to crisp enough but everything was still tasty. I also made mine with ground turkey.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    My roommate has followed you for a while and she keeps telling me I love all the recipes from you. Last Monday, she said she was cooking another one of your recipes, this one. This sounds super dramatic but I took one bite said I love that blogger and continued to enjoy one of the best fun meals I’ve had in a long time.

    Thanks for sparking some joy. I loved this meal. It provided flavor and laughs.

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Overall I LOVED these ?? I’m honestly not a huge tostada fan, but these looked too good to pass up and I love that you just make your own with corn tortillas. Amazing. I used Isabel Eats’ tostada directions, since with my oven I never get the crunch I want with an olive oil rub. I also seasoned both sides of the tostadas with the seasoning mix, and I felt like it was seasoning overload (and I’m an over-seasoner in general haha). Next time I’ll go lighter on the amount of seasoning I use, or just season one side of the tostadas (maybe that was what I was supposed to do haha). But again overall what an amazing combo of flavors and textures! The lime crema really brought it all home, especially on my overly savory version 🙂 another winner!

    Reply

    1. Hey Sammie,
      I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan

      Reply

  7. 5 stars
    These were AMAZING!!! The seasoning for the shells really takes these to the next level! I questioned the dill but followed the recipe as is and was so happy I did. My 9 year old requested this recipe be added to the regular dinner rotation.

    Reply

    1. Hey Erin,
      I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Joyce,
      I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey there,
      I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan

      Reply

  10. 4 stars
    I was too lazy to make the tostadilla part so I warmed tortilla chips in the oven, sprinkled them with the seasoning, topped with lots of cheese, put it back in the oven until the cheese melted. Then, I took everything from the oven and topped it with the meat, crema, and mashed avocado. It was so tasty!! ?

    Reply

    1. Hey Carrie,
      I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Beth,
      You could use fresh chives! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. 5 stars
    These were absolutely delicious! I used ground turkey and omitted the poblano pepper – the meat was still super flavourful. It made a ton of cool ranch seasoning, so I didn’t use it all and put the rest in a ziplock bag to use for next time. I used regular cheddar cheese and topped with cabbage. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

  13. 5 stars
    Made these last night & while they were so good, I would like to get the tortilla part just right. Did you oil both sides of the tortilla? I did & then baked them. As soon as they came out, I put the seasoning & cheese on & threw them back in. Should I have let them sit for a bit with just the seasoning before topping with cheese? They didn’t seem to get super crisp, just kind of chewy?

    Reply

    1. Hey Marcie,
      Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Sorry about the tortillas, what kind of shells did you use? Have the best weekend☀️ xTieghan

      Reply

  15. 5 stars
    Made these tonight and after my husband finished one he said “these are so f@$-?./: good!” They were delish!

    – Q: my tortillas could’ve been more crisp: less oil, more time or both?

    Reply

    1. Hey Jenna,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! What kind of tortillas did you use? I would say more time in the oven. xTieghan

      Reply