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Weeknight style Chipotle BBQ Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Ranch Slaw…and mango avocado salsa too. Because loaded shrimp tacos are just better. Quick cooking shrimp seasoned with a smoky chipotle chili spice mix. Then pan-seared and stuffed into charred tortillas for the quickest cooking weeknight seafood taco. Serve each taco with a creamy, cooling cilantro lime ranch slaw and mango salsa. These come together in minutes and are so delicious…the perfect weeknight dinner. Bonus, the chipotle shrimp makes for a great leftover Mexican inspired salad.
Say hello to the quickest cooking weeknight taco that’s also incredibly delicious. These might sound a bit odd, with that creamy ranch slaw and mango salsa, but trust me, these tacos are the best. They’re smoky, spicy, creamy, and balanced with a touch of sweetness. All the flavors I love most.
With the days becoming nicer and nicer (excluding the full day of snow we had this past Sunday), I’m left wanting to create simpler recipes that cook up fast. Yesterday I shared a quick pizza topped with garden produce. Today we’re switching up flavors, and going with a Mexican inspired recipe.
The details on these chipotle BBQ shrimp tacos.
As I said, these tacos come together fast, but the ingredient list looks long. Please don’t let that scare you off. Most of the ingredients are spices and or ingredients that end up repeating themselves throughout the recipe.
Since the shrimp cooks so quickly, you should prepare the slaw first. I’m not going to lie, up until this year I was never someone who cared much for slaw. I always found it to be bland, boring, soggy, and honestly just flavorless. I never understood why people would happily enjoy slaw. Then I made my own slaw with crunchy cabbage and a homemade sauce that actually has flavor.
And when I say homemade sauce, I mean cilantro lime ranch, which I am in love with. It’s creamy, made with plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream), has plenty of fresh cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of both onion and garlic powder. You could certainly add chopped fresh chives too. That would be great! This ranch sauce is the creamy, cooling factor to these tacos. You need it, so don’t skip.
Once you have the ranch mixed up, toss it together with the slaw ingredients. And done. That’s your sauce and slaw all in one.
Now, cook that shrimp.
The thing I love most about shrimp is just how quick and easy it is to cook. Toss it with spices or a sauce, then pan cook…or even toss it on the grill. Deliciously cooked shrimp, ready to eat in ten to fifteen minutes flat.
The other thing I love? You can keep frozen shrimp in the freezer and have it thawed in a matter of minutes. So you see? Shrimp is the perfect seafood to always have on hand for quick meals.
And aside from how easy it is, it’s almost always delicious. This chipotle “BBQ” style spice rub is one of my favorite seasoning blends to toss with shrimp. It’s a simple mix of chipotle chili powder, smoky paprika, a touch of garlic powder, and salt. All spices I hope you have in your spice cabinet. Just toss the shrimp with the seasoning blend and pan sear until crispy and charring on the edges.
Simple.
And lastly…that salsa!
Yes, the salsa might seem like an unimportant extra step, but I do think you need it. It’s just too good to not include. It adds a really fresh finish and a sweet bite to each taco.
If you don’t love mango, try using pineapple. Both are great additions.
And guys…that’s all I have for you today! A quick post for a quick dinner!
To sum this up real fast…in just about 30 minutes you’ll have loaded chipotle shrimp tacos, with creamy ranch slaw, and really delicious mango salsa.
All these shrimp tacos need are a Watermelon Rosè Paloma.
Looking for other quick shrimp recipes? Here are some favorites…
15 Minute Cajun Hot Honey Butter Shrimp
Cajun Pepper Shrimp with Creamed Corn Orzo
20 Minute Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp
Lastly, if you make these chipotle BBQ shrimp tacos with creamy ranch slaw 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!
Chipotle BBQ Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Ranch Slaw.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 369 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cilantro LIme Ranch + Slaw
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- juice from 2 limes (about 3-4 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Chipotle Shrimp
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 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 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- warmed corn or flour tortillas, for serving
Mango Avocado Salsa
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 jalapeńo, seeded and chopped
- juice and zest from 1 lime
Instructions
- 1. Make the ranch. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake or stir until creamy. 2. To make the slaw, add the cabbage to a bowl with a few spoonfuls of the ranch and toss to combine. Add the cilantro and chives, and season with salt.3. To cook the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry, then toss with the chipotle chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt.4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shrimp and cook until pink and lightly charring, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the heat.5. To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. 6. Stuff the slaw into the warmed tortillas. Top with shrimp, salsa, and additional ranch. Enjoy!
This Recipe is a life changer…lol! Honestly though, I made these for a party I had at my house and everyone went crazy! It’s easy to make for a group since they can just make there own !! Now everyone makes me make them anytime there is a party! I make some delicious a s strong margaritas a d the crowd is happy!
Hey Rebecca,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! Two questions…could I do this with grouper or magi instead? Unfortunately have two shellfish allergies at home. And how would you recommend turning it into a fish / shrimp taco bowl? More salsa and slaw? Maybe some quinoa or rice? Thanks!! Anderson
Hey Anderson,
Sure, fish would also work well here. I would just skip the taco shells and use some white rice and black beans to help create a bowl. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Tieghan!!! OMG! I have yet to make a recipe of yours that I didn’t love. But these tacos are out of this world! I used shredded carrots because I didn’t have any cabbage. And corn chips because I have no taco shells or tortillas. I layered a lil bit of everything on each corn chip, and it was literally the perfect bite EVERY SINGLE TIME! The cool lime ranch, the chipotle heat, and the fresh juicy mango complimented one another so well. Yes, it took longer to eat, as I had to make each bite, but it was worth it, and made the food last longer!! HAHA
I made my girlfriends so jealous eating it during our virtual movie night tonight! LMFAO
Happy Weekend!
Hey Joy,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
This was SO delicious I’ve made it three weeks in a row now! I love the lime ranch, and I usually put it on top of the cabbage, mix and eat alone!!! It’s THAT good. The shrimps are also so delicious and perfectly spicy. I LOVE. I chopped my shrimp into 4-5 pieces depending how big they were. I like them to be bite size. They fit better in to my tiny tortillas! My boyfriend (a picky eater) loved these tacos too! They are easy to make and so yummy! Try them!
Hey Kat,
I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
I have made these several times and they are a HUGE hit with my family here in Texas. The shrimp, slaw and salsa are all mandatory to get the best flavor! LOVE!
Hey Molly,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I have made these 5 times now and every time theyre DELICIOUS. I use casava flour tortillas and theyre soo good.
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Madison! xTieghan
,
Thanks! xTieghan
I found this to be pretty unappetizing, the coleslaw with “ranch” was so bad.
I am really sorry to hear that, Anne! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
We followed your recipe exactly….tacos were good, but there were none of the typical moans and groans that you hear when something is amazing. The shrimp smelled amazing while it was cooking, but overall I feel like the flavors didn’t really work to play off of other to create something fabulous and creative.
If I were to make it again, I would also swap out more fresh ingredients for some of the powdered spices.
I am still on the search for the ultimate shrimp taco!
Hi Sue! I am sorry this did not turn out as expected! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! Otherwise, I hope you love some other recipes of mine! xTieghan
Served this for a family dinner. It was a hit with everyone. The shrimp were awesome and the sweetness of the mango helped calm the spicy shrimp. Everyone asked me to make it again. Thanks once again for a great dish…….Richard
Yes!! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I LOVE this recipe. Have made it a few times tonight with shrimp (the best) and tonight with chicken.
My ONLY issue is that the ingredient list for the ranch + slaw is that in the instructions for the ranch it says to combine all ingredients, then the next step tells you not to combine with the cabbage till the slaw. Not rocket science but if you’re like me and don’t read all the steps ahead of time, then you might find yourself stuck. It’s good either way (I’ve done it both ways) but I just wish it were a little clearer in the ranch step to not add in the cabbage quite yet. 🙂 But…SO GOOD and easy. Will continue to be a staple in our house!
Love to hear that, Melody! Thank you for trying this one! xTieghan
Another delicious recipe! Perfect combination of spicy shrimp creamy crunchy slaw and tasty salsa. They all work perfectly to create a colorful and amazing dish. Thanks Tieghan?
Thank you so much Robin! xTieghan
Wow, well done, Tieghan, these tacos were amazing! Mine definitely weren’t as pretty as yours, but they were absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much Lorie!! xTieghan
Love this recipe! What kind of tortillas do you use? I feel like mine are just always kind of blah!
Hi Karen! I am so glad you have been loving this! I use mission brand tortillas! xTieghan
These tacos came out amazing! Only did 1 pound of shrimp instead and the flavors were on point.
Love to hear that! Thank you for trying this one, Erinn! xTieghan