These easy Ranch Chicken Tacos are drizzled with a delicious cilantro lime ranch taco sauce and loaded with toppings. These fun, flavorful tacos are made on the stove in about 30 minutes!
Ranch seasoning is a great shortcut to flavor in this recipe and our favorite Ranch Burgers.
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These yummy Ranch Chicken Tacos came about in my quest to use up some ranch seasoning I had on hand. It ended up to be a very delicious experiment.
I’ve made these easy tacos several times now and we just love them.
The smoky ranch flavor and easy cilantro lime ranch sauce makes them uniquely different from other taco recipes.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy – The easy stovetop method gets dinner on the table in 30 minutes!
- Family-friendly – People of all ages will love these fun ranch tacos.
- Budget-friendly – This recipe has a short list of relatively low cost ingredients.
- Loaded with flavor – Dry ranch seasoning mix and smoked paprika add a unique and absolutely delicious smoky ranch flavor to the chicken.
- Sauce included – With one packet of ranch seasoning you can make both the chicken and creamy cilantro lime ranch taco sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil – canola or vegetable oil.
- Chicken – Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Cut into small bite-sized pieces (about ½-inch).
- Ranch seasoning mix – One small packet of ranch seasoning mix has more than you’ll need for both the tacos and the taco sauce. If you love ranch, you can buy it in a large canister and measure out just what you need for each recipe.
- Smoked paprika
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Tortillas – I use 6-inch fajita size flour tortillas which are the perfect size for tacos.
- Toppings – Shredded iceberg lettuce, a mixture of shredded sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, diced tomatoes, diced red onion, chopped avocado.
- Cilantro lime ranch taco sauce – In addition to ingredients already listed, you’ll need some light or regular sour cream, cumin, and a little milk.
How to Make Ranch Chicken Tacos
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Cilantro Lime Ranch Taco Sauce – Combine the sour cream with the ranch seasoning, cumin, fresh lime juice, and cilantro leaves. Add a little milk to thin it to the desired consistency.
- Ranch Chicken – Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the chicken. Sprinkle the Ranch seasoning and smoked paprika over the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is seared and cooked through. Squeeze the lime juice over the top, remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro.
- Toast the Tortillas -Toast flour tortillas in a dry nonstick skillet for about 1 ½ minutes per side, or until nicely toasted and browned in spots. Transfer to a tortilla warmer and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Serving Suggestions
- Tacos – The ranch flavor calls out for shredded iceburg lettuce, red ripe tomato, diced red onion, avocado and combination of shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Add any toppings you love – pico de gallo and guacamole would both be awesome.
- Grain Bowls – This ranch chicken is excellent served in bowls over Cilantro Lime Rice or Restaurant Style Mexican Rice with lots of toppings.
- Burritos – Wrap it in large tortillas with either of the rice recipes above for really tasty chicken and rice burritos.
More Tasty Taco Recipes
- Easy Ground Beef Tacos
- Chicken Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa
- Carne Asada Tacos
- Chipotle Pork Street Tacos
- Carnitas (for tacos, burritos, and more!)
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Ranch Chicken Tacos
These easy Ranch Chicken Tacos are drizzled with a delicious cilantro lime ranch taco sauce and loaded with toppings. These fun, flavorful tacos are made on the stove in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Ranch
- ¾ cup sour cream, light or regular
- 2 teaspoons dry ranch seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 teaspoons milk, or as needed to thin to desired consistency
Ranch Chicken
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces (about ½-inch)
- 2 teaspoons dry ranch seasoning
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ lime, juiced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
For the Rest
- 8 fajita size flour tortillas, 6-inch
- 1½ cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup shredded cheese, mixture of sharp cheddar and Jack
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 1 large avocado, chopped
Instructions
Make the Cilantro Lime Ranch Taco Sauce
- Combine the ingredients in a small bowl, adding as much milk as desired to reach the desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the Ranch Chicken
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over MEDIUM heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning and smoked paprika over the chicken and stir to distribute the seasoning. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for another 6 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken is seared and cooked through. (Chicken will release its liquid and you want to allow the liquid to cook off and then sauté until the chicken is golden and lightly seared). Squeeze the lime juice over the top and remove from the heat. Stir in the cilantro. Cover the pan to keep the chicken warm while you toast the tortillas.
Toast the Tortillas
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add a tortilla (or two if they’ll fit) and toast for about 1 ½ minutes per side, or until nicely toasted and browned in spots. Transfer to a tortilla warmer and repeat with remaining tortillas.
Assemble the Tacos
- Fill the tortillas with the Ranch Chicken, any of the toppings you’d like, and drizzle with some of the Cilantro Lime Ranch Taco Sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tacos | Calories: 709kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 1317mg | Potassium: 1306mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1316IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 337mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
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Loved this recipe so much!! Will definitely be making this again.