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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.
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.
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.
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 9x13 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.
Delicious! A staple in our home.
Hey Tina,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
I read over this recipe several times and no where does it say to put olive oil on the tacos, but the video does show you rubbing oil on the tacos.
NM I see it now. It’s at the bottom of the page under the ads.
Hi Nicole,
Those instructions are located in the recipe notes above:) If you are using HARD shells like the recipe calls for then you do not need to coat them in oil which is why it’s not in the instructions. If you are using SOFT shells like stated in the recipe notes then you will want to coat in oil. I hope this makes sense:) xTieghan
I love this recipe!! I’ve made it many times but my shells never get crispy even though I follow the recipe perfectly. Any tips?
Hi Shelley,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for trying it out!! Have you tried coating them in oil? What about trying a different brand of tortillas? ?xx
I made this last night and put Ortega chili’s in it and served with fresh homemade tortillas! Delicious!
Hey Denise,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xTieghan
Where do you find the pickled jalepenos? I used to get them at Trader Joe’s but they’ve discontinued them. Thanks!
Hey Deb,
I typically get mine from Whole Foods. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Amazing! I made the recipe as suggested but with ground pork. Great spice with the chipotle chili powder. Love the cilantro ranch to top it off. Oven baked is the way to go.
Hi Kristen,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
I just made these but I threw some canned chipotle peppers in adobo into the ground chicken filling and it was amazing! We ate the whole tray worth of tacos, they were that good.
Hi Sabrina,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try!! Have the best day:) xx
These are my go-to tacos now. I don’t miss the beef at ALL, and I love the homemade taco seasoning. I have no idea how many times I’ve made these, but it’s a lot.
I make these at least once a week for my family, we love them too!
These are sooooo good! I used siete cassava flour tortillas and it was delicious!!! Love the ranch sauce too! Used the leftover for quesadillas tonight! Both were huge hits with the family!
Hey Carrie,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have the best week:) xT
Super delicious and easy to make!!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! ☘️xx
For the crispy tortillas, do you rub oil on both sides? Or just the outside or inside? These are DELICIOUS, we just haven’t gotten the hang of the crispy technique yet!
Hi Nicole,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. I like to rub both sides with oil. Have the best week:)) xT
Can you make the ranch ahead of time? Silly question, I know… but wondering if it gets watery or anything? Thanks!
Hey Heather,
You can totally make the ranch ahead of time! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hi!! Is this the 10” or 12” skillet?? Thank you! Can’t wait to try
Hi Alia,
This is the 12 inch skillet. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
We loved these tonight. Easy to make and delicious – a good week night meal to make after a long day at work.
Hi Sharon,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xx
These were amazing! It was unbelievably delicious, extremely easy to make and super flavorful! I loved this recipe so much. This is amazingly simple and delish. The cilantro lime ranch sauce was super tasty! This is my go-to recipe for chicken tacos, perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Instead of corn tortillas, I used store-bought flour tortillas because flour are more pliable. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us.
Hey Fazz,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend:) xT
I made this dinner last night when my daughter was visiting and the first thing she said to me this morning was that she can’t believe how good it is. I have to thank you for consistently providing amazing recipes. I’ve never considered myself to be a decent cook but I know the end result will be amazing if it’s your recipe. As my older daughter said when she made your monster cookie recipe over Christmas, “Teighan never disappoints.”.
Hey Siobhan,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) Thank you so much for the kind message and making so many recipes! xTieghan