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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken, beef, or turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons chipotle chili powder, use to your taste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, use to your taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 12 hard shell tacos , (see notes for homemade option)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Cilantro Lime Ranch
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped + 2 tablespoons brine
- juice from 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Loved these! I may have added a little too much red pepper because they were very spicy and that built up over time too. But I’ll just cut back in that next time. Made my own shells and it was so worth it!
Hey Lindsey,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Another winner! Really easy and so, so good. I can’t believe I’ve buying buying taco seasoning all these years when I could be making this deliciousness! Never again!
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
My husband and I made these last night using ground turkey and the homemade shells. We loved them! Such a good twist on the tacos we normally make. These are going into the permanent rotation!
Hey Jill,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This was easy and so delicious. The Cilantro Lime Ranch is perfection.
Thanks so much Alonna! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Just made this for dinner and Cuban I just say yum!! I could put the ranch on top of ranch and be happy! Delicious! Thank you for sharing!!
Hey Kelsey,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
What kind of corn tortillas do you use? Mine always break at the seam while I am assembling.
Hey Bethany,
I use Whole Foods 365 brand corn tortillas. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
My family loves all your recipes. I have a question regarding the “Ranch” – the recipe says 2 Tablespoons brine juice from 2 limes. Is that just the juice? I have never heard of brine juice and wondering what that was. Thanks.
Hey Sara,
Sorry that is a typo, it is lime juice! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Would these same seasonings be good with ground beef too?
Hey Mikaela,
Yes, that would work well! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I would like to make homemade tortilla shells but can’t find your recipe for them can u share yours please? Thanks
Hey Brandy,
So sorry I do not have a recipe for tortillas, I use store bought. I hope you love the recipe. Let me know if there is anything else I can help with! Happy New Year! xTieghan
These were sooooooo good and quick & easy – a perfect Taco Tuesday recipe! I used ground chicken. The cilantro ranch is a must! Served alongside black beans and rice. I’m giving it four stars because I got super confused on the recipe vs. the recipe note on the hard shell tacos. They seemed to contradict each other and I truly didn’t know what to do. The other thing that I will stress emphatically is that you must work quickly after nuking the corn tortillas in the microwave. I would go at least 45 seconds to a minute. I only did 30 seconds. I didn’t realize that if I didn’t fill the tacos while they were super pliable, that the corn tortilla would break apart immediately. I did figure this out on my second batch – and those were perfection. Will definitely make again and hopefully do the taco shells the right way next time. I also read (just now, the next day) that I should have rubbed oil on both sides of the tortilla. I didn’t realize that when I made them.
Hey Amanda,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
It was super tasty! The crunchiness was perfect!!
Hey Maria,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Cilantro lime sauce was way to bitter with the combo of lime and jalapeno brine. Had to reduce it with extra sour cream and some pepper. Family is not a fan though. Anyone have an alteration recommendation?
Hey Ang,
So sorry the cilantro lime was bitter, was there anything you adjusted? Can I help in anyway? Let me know! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this last night using “Impossible” vegan burger meat, and they were delicious, for anyone looking for a vegetarian option! I also made the homemade shells option, and it worked out great. Thanks for another great recipe, Tieghan!
Hey Kerry,
I am so glad the recipe worked out for you, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made this crunchy tacos for dinner tonight and they were a HIT!!!
I used ground turkey breast and thigh mix and it was so good. Loved how easy this receipt was to put together, great for a week night dinner.
The Cilantro Sauce was so good, next time I will make more.
This one is going into my receipt box!!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I’ve made these tacos about 10 times–love them! And they freeze well and reheat well.
Hey Susan,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays! xTieghan