Delight your tastebuds on a weeknight with an easy and quick dinner the whole family will love. These Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos are ultra simple to prepare, ready in 20 minutes, and downright delicious! Serve them with your favorite toppings for a memorable meal you’ll want to make on repeat.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Bacon Ranch Recipe:
- Family-Friendly: One of my favorite things about chicken bacon ranch recipes is that the whole family loves them! These tacos are picky-eater approved and great for family and friends of all ages.
- Quick and Simple: Just chop the ingredients, heat the filling and tortillas, assemble, and serve. These tacos are incredibly easy and doable any day of the week.
- Uses Up Leftovers: Looking to use up leftover chicken or bacon? This chicken bacon ranch recipe has your back! It’s a great way to repurpose rotisserie, grilled, or baked chicken.
Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:
Ingredients
Chicken - Chicken bacon ranch ideas are a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken, and these tacos are no exception! If you don’t have it, you can use leftover grilled or roasted chicken breasts. Cut or shred the chicken into small pieces. You will need 1 ½ cups.
Bacon - Using pre-cooked bacon keeps this recipe quick and easy; however, you can bake or fry crispy bacon fresh for the filling if necessary. Alternatively, use store-bought cooked bacon (often found near the cold cuts in the grocery store) for added convenience.
Ranch Dressing - Since this is an essential flavoring ingredient, I recommend using your favorite brand for the best flavor.
Cheddar Cheese - Cheddar is the perfect complement to the tangy, savory filling. Use pre-shredded or shred it to serve for the creamiest, easy-melting cheese. You can use mild, medium, or sharp cheddar. For a flavor twist, swap Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese.
Tortillas - Street taco-sized tortillas make this handheld meal easier for family members of all ages to eat. Use flour or corn tortillas based on your preference. If you can’t find street-sized tacos, you can use standard-sized. If you have some extra time, you can even make homemade tortillas.
Green Onions - Slice the green portions only for a light, peppery finish!
Tomatoes - I prefer grape tomatoes for their texture and flavor, although you can also seed and dice Roma tomatoes.
Avocado - An optional topping for a creamy texture and rich finish.
Lettuce - Also optional, shredded lettuce adds a light crunch and freshness.
Equipment:
Cutting Board and Knife - These are used to prepare the chicken and bacon. You can use your preferred knife size, such as a chef’s knife or a large paring knife.
Saucepan - Choose a small or medium saucepan, or one in which you can comfortably stir about 2 ½ cups of the chicken and bacon mixture.
Measuring Cups - Use these to measure the ingredients. I recommend dry measuring cups if you have them.
Spatula or Wooden Spoon - For stirring the bacon, chicken, and ranch mixture in the saucepan.
Box or Hand Grater (Optional) - If not using pre-shredded cheese, grate a block using a box or hand grater.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos
Prepare Ingredients
Chop the bacon and chop or shred the chicken into bite-size and stirrable pieces. If needed, grate the cheddar cheese and slice the green onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and/or avocado.
Make Taco Filling
Add the bacon and chicken to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes or until warm to the touch. Stir the ranch dressing into the hot bacon chicken mixture and remove the saucepan from the heat.
Toast Tortillas
Warm the tortillas as desired — toasting them on an oven rack in a 200°F oven, over a gas flame, or in a skillet over medium heat — until warm to the touch.
Assemble Chicken Bacon Tacos
Fill each tortilla with a generous ¼ cup of the bacon chicken ranch mixture. Top the tortillas with cheddar cheese and your toppings of choice. Enjoy hot!
Recipe Success Tips
- Toasting the tortillas. I prefer to toast the tortillas directly on the oven rack in a 200°F oven for 3-5 minutes — it’s a convenient and hands-off way to heat multiple tortillas at once. Alternatively, you can also heat them individually over a low gas flame or in a skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes per side, until they are hot.
- Prep the toppings ahead of time. The recipe comes together quickly. Having the veggies chopped and cheese shredded before starting makes it easy to assemble and enjoy the tacos hot.
- Adjust the taco size. If desired, you can heat 4 traditional-sized taco tortillas and fill them with ½ cup of filling each.
- Double as needed. To feed a larger crowd, multiply the ingredients as desired and follow the recipe directions as listed, using a larger saucepan or pot to accommodate the larger volume of filling.
- Repurpose leftovers. The chicken bacon ranch filling is versatile. Make a double batch on busy weeks and enjoy the leftovers later in the week in wraps, burritos, or on salads.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these chicken ranch tacos hot, topped with shredded cheese, cubed avocado, and your choice of toppings, such as tomatoes and shredded lettuce. Sliced olives, jalapeños, and salsa are also delicious!
Whichever way you top them, they’re tasty enjoyed with tortilla chips, Mexican Rice, black beans, or any of the following veggie sides:
Storage Directions
- Refrigerating: Once cooled to room temperature, store the filling and topping separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best results, warm the tortillas fresh for each serving; toasted tortillas do not store well.
- Freezing: The chicken bacon ranch taco filling can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Reheating: Toast the tortillas to serve and heat the bacon and chicken taco filling in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes or until hot. Assemble as directed and serve!
FAQs
Yes, the filling is super simple to prep ahead of time. Chop the bacon and chicken, prep the toppings, and refrigerate the bacon and chicken separately from the toppings in airtight containers for up to 1 day. Heat the filling, toast the tortillas, and assemble before serving.
For Tex-Mex-inspired tacos, stir 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning into the dressing before adding to the chicken and bacon. For a spicier dish, swap spicy ranch for traditional. Or, add 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream to the ranch for a tangier filling.
More Chicken Bacon Ranch Dinner Ideas
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Flatbread
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Enjoy!
I hope your family loves these bacon chicken tacos, and that they become a repeat meal on taco tuesday (or any taco night!) in your home. Be sure to come back and leave a review, or tag me on social so I can see your kitchen success!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 spoon or spatula
- 1 cutting board
- 1 knife
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rotisserie chicken shredded, about 8 oz
- 4 slices bacon cooked, about 2 oz
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- ½ cup shredded cheddar about 2 oz
- 6 street taco tortillas
- 1 sliced green onion green portion only, optional
- ½ cup diced grape tomatoes or diced roma, optional
- ½ sliced avocado optional
- 1 cup shredded lettuce optional
Instructions
- Chop bacon and chicken into stirrable pieces. Grate your cheese if needed, and slice any toppings you are using like green onion, tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado.
- Combine bacon and chicken in a small saucepan and stir on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes, until warm to the touch. Optionally warm your tortillas.1.5 cups rotisserie chicken, 4 slices bacon
- Stir ranch dressing into the bacon chicken mixture and remove from heat.¼ cup ranch dressing
- Fill each tortilla with a generous ¼ cup of bacon chicken ranch mixture. Top evenly with cheddar cheese and desired toppings. Enjoy!6 street taco tortillas, ½ cup shredded cheddar
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Notes
- Refrigerating: Once cooled to room temperature, store the filling and topping separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best results, warm the tortillas fresh for each serving; toasted tortillas do not store well.
- Freezing: The chicken bacon ranch taco filling can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Reheating: Toast the tortillas to serve and heat the bacon and chicken taco filling in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes or until hot. Assemble as directed and serve!
- Toasting the tortillas. I prefer to toast the tortillas directly on the oven rack in a 200°F oven for 3-5 minutes — it’s a convenient and hands-off way to heat multiple tortillas at once. Alternatively, you can also heat them individually over a low gas flame or in a skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes per side, until they are hot.
- Prep the toppings ahead of time. The recipe comes together quickly. Having the veggies chopped and cheese shredded before starting makes it easy to assemble and enjoy the tacos hot.
- Adjust the taco size. If desired, you can heat 4 traditional-sized taco tortillas and fill them with ½ cup of filling each.
- Double as needed. To feed a larger crowd, multiply the ingredients as desired and follow the recipe directions as listed, using a larger saucepan or pot to accommodate the larger volume of filling.
- Repurpose leftovers. The chicken bacon ranch filling is versatile. Make a double batch on busy weeks and enjoy the leftovers later in the week in wraps, burritos, and on salads.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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