These are about the easiest, Midwestern-forward tacos you can make! Just a few choice ingredients are all you need to whip up these delicious Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos.
You are going to LOVE these tacos. Ranch flavor is integrated in two ways (seasoning and dressing), letting bold Ranch flavors stand out in every bite. We love our Ranch dressing in these parts, that’s for sure. Just so we're clear here when I say Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos, I’m referring to a tortilla filled with sliced chicken (seasoned with Ranch seasoning) AND bacon pieces AND drizzled with Ranch dressing.
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Why You Will Love This Chicken Taco Recipe
- Easily Executed. These chicken tacos are easy to make! Chicken + bacon + ranch are the star ingredients here!
- A flexible recipe. In the summer I like to grill chicken for tacos, but other times I may roast it. The ingredients are super basic, which gives you leeway to be creative with things like how to cook the protein, what kind of tortillas to use, or what toppings to include.
A few clarifications before we get started:
- This dish does not contain chicken bacon - that’s not a thing.
- Ranch (standalone) refers to Ranch dressing, that wonderfully creamy and herby sauce you can always rely on as a salad dressing option when dining out in the Midwest.
This taco recipe is especially delicious when prepared with this Grilled Ranch Chicken. You should also check out this Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl and Creamy Taco Soup.
Ingredients
This taco recipe can be as easy or as custom as you’d like it to be. Pushing the easy button means reaching for a store-purchased packet of Ranch seasoning and a bottle of Ranch dressing. If you’d like to tailor the flavor and have greater control over the ingredients, you could make your own Ranch seasoning and dressing.
- Chicken breasts - I used chicken breasts here, but you can use thighs as well - just aim for around 2 pounds for this recipe. You can also use shredded Rotisserie chicken or perhaps you have some leftover chicken you’d like to repurpose?
- Dill pickle juice - Did you know that dill pickle juice is GREAT for quickly brining chicken? You'll want to use around ¼ cup of dill pickle juice (Claussen is my favorite for this).
- Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning - I’m a Hidden Valley Ranch fan, but use whatever prepared Ranch seasoning you’d like. Or, make your own from scratch!
- Bacon pieces - You'll need about a cup, cut and crumbled into small pieces. In a pinch, reach for prepared bacon bits or crumbles (which are usually located in the same aisle as salad dressings).
- Ranch dressing - To drizzle on as the "sauce" that ties everything together.
- Corn or flour tortillas - Either work well here (pictured with corn tortillas).
- Garnishes - I recommend going with shredded lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, and cotija or feta cheese.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!
Suggested Substitutions
It’s okay to make some substitutions when it comes to this recipe - here are a few to get you started.
Make it Spicy with A Few Zesty Additions
Bring the heat with these spicy suggestions.
- Top with fresh or pickled sliced jalapeno peppers
- Garnish with slices of hot pickled pepperoncini (banana peppers)
- Add a few dashes of cayenne pepper into the dry Ranch seasoning used to coat the chicken
- Blend two chipotle en adobo peppers into 1 cup of Ranch dressing to create a quick chipotle ranch sauce
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos
Place a chicken breast on a cutting board and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the thickest part of the chicken out until you achieve a uniform thickness throughout. This will ensure even cooking on the grill. Repeat with each chicken breast.
- Step 1: Add the chicken breasts to a plastic bag, along with ¼ cup of pickle juice. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning over the chicken in the bag.
- Step 2: Seal the bag and use your hands to help evenly distribute the seasoning over each piece of chicken through the bag. Let the chicken marinate in the ranch pickle juice mixture for 30 minutes - 1 hour; that’s all the time you need!
- Step 3: Cook the chicken using your cooking method of choice. Click here for grilling instructions. Let the chicken rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- Step 4: Assemble! Add a few pieces of chicken to a tortilla, then top with shredded lettuce, bacon pieces, thinly sliced red onion, a drizzle of Ranch dressing, and crumbly cheese.
Save the leftover bacon grease from cooking that bacon and check out Best Uses for Leftover Bacon Grease.
Top Tip
This recipe is more a suggested path to delicious tacos than a specific recipe. You should 100% prepare your own homemade Ranch dressing, smoke your own bacon, or prepare your chicken however you’d like to make this recipe your own.
Tacos, Tacos, and More Tacos!
If you tried this Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice
- 1 1-ounce packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
- 1 cup cooked bacon pieces (cut or crumbled into small pieces)
- Ranch dressing
- corn or flour tortillas
- lettuce (shredded)
- red onion (thinly sliced)
- cotija or feta cheese
Instructions
- Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the thickest part of the chicken out until you achieve a uniform thickness throughout. This will ensure even cooking on the grill. Repeat with each chicken breast.2 pounds chicken breasts
- Add the chicken breasts to a plastic bag, along with ¼ cup of pickle juice. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning over the chicken in the bag. Seal the bag and use your hands to help evenly distribute the seasoning over each piece of chicken through the bag.¼ cup dill pickle juice, 1 1-ounce packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
- Let the chicken marinate in the ranch pickle juice mixture for 30 minutes - 1 hour; that’s all the time you need!
- Cook the chicken using your cooking method of choice. Click here for grilling instructions.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- Assemble! Add a few pieces of chicken to a tortilla, then top with shredded lettuce, bacon pieces, thinly sliced red onion, a drizzle of Ranch dressing, and crumbly cheese.1 cup cooked bacon pieces, Ranch dressing, corn or flour tortillas, lettuce, red onion, cotija or feta cheese
Notes
- Top with fresh or pickled sliced jalapeno peppers
- Garnish with slices of hot pickled pepperoncini (banana peppers)
- Add a few dashes of cayenne pepper into the dry Ranch seasoning used to coat the chicken
- Blend two chipotle en adobo peppers into 1 cup of Ranch dressing to create a quick chipotle ranch sauce
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