These crack chicken tacos bring me straight to taco heaven with every bite! They’re creamy, cheesy, bacon-y, and full of delicious ranch flavor. These tacos are ready in just 20 minutes, so dinner is always just around the corner–and my kids love them!
I’m obsessed with creamy crack chicken, so I figured, why not put it in a taco? The creamy, cheesy filling is unbelievably delicious, and when it’s baked into crispy taco shells, it just tastes even better! This recipe is one of my favorite ways to use leftover chicken and get dinner on the table fast.
What’s in Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos?
This crack chicken taco recipe combines cream cheese, sour cream, ranch seasoning, and Colby jack cheese to create a delicious chicken filling that can only be better when topped with bacon — and yes, you bet it has bacon!
- Taco Shells: These taco shells are baked for 5 minutes to get nice and crispy.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is what makes this taco filling super rich and creamy. Don’t skip it!
- Sour Cream: The combination of cream cheese and sour cream make for the ultimate decadent taco filling.
- Ranch Seasoning: Everyone loves ranch! This ingredient will add a tangy, zesty touch that makes all the difference.
- Cheese: Is it legal not to have cheese on a taco? Well, we use Colby jack cheese to make these tacos even better.
- Chicken: It’s super easy to prepare the chicken for this recipe. Just cook your preferred chicken and shred it up!
- Bacon: We recommend cooking bacon from fresh to get the best flavor, but bacon bits work well enough.
Make it Spicy
If you’d like to spice up this crack chicken recipe, feel free to add taco seasoning in place of (or in addition to) ranch seasoning. You could also add green chiles or crushed red peppers to add some heat!
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How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover crack chicken taco filling tightly covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze crack chicken tacos tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Notes and Tips
I recommend setting your cream cheese and sour cream out on the counter about 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook. This makes it so much easier to mix the ingredients!
Top Reader Review
“My kids loved this recipe. It was simple and delicious” – FlyB
Crack Chicken Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 crunchy taco shells such as Old El Paso
- ½ cup cream cheese room temperature (½ brick)
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning store-bought or homemade (1 packet)
- 1½ cups freshly shredded Colby jack cheese divided
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- ½ pound cooked bacon chopped and divided
- green onions optional, for garnish
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the taco shells in a 9×13-inch baking pan standing straight up.12 crunchy taco shells
- Bake the taco shells for 5 minutes to crisp them up. Remove from the oven and set aside for now.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, ranch seasoning, and ½ cup cheese.½ cup cream cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning, 1½ cups freshly shredded Colby jack cheese
- Microwave the cream cheese mixture for 30-45 seconds, then mix until it’s well combined.
- Fold in the chicken and all but a bit of the bacon.3 cups shredded cooked chicken, ½ pound cooked bacon
- Fill each shell with the chicken mixture, almost to the top of each shell. Sprinkle each taco with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the edges of the shells are browned.
- Remove from the oven and serve garnished with more bacon and green onions.green onions
Notes
- I used Colby jack cheese, but you can use any combination of cheeses you like!
- You can substitute an equal amount of mayonnaise in place of the sour cream, or use an equivalent amount of ranch dressing and omit the ranch seasoning.
How to Make Crack Chicken Tacos Step by Step
Bake the Taco Shells: Preheat the oven to 350°F, and place 12 hard taco shells in a 9×13-inch baking pan standing straight up. Bake them for 5 minutes to crisp them up, then remove from the oven and set aside for now.
Make the Filling: In a large bowl, combine ½ cup of cream cheese, ¼ cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of ranch seasoning, and ½ of cup shredded Colby jack cheese. Microwave the cream cheese mixture for 30-45 seconds, then mix until it’s well combined.
Add the Chicken and Bacon: Fold in 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken and ½ pound of cooked bacon (save just a little bit of the bacon for later).
Assemble the Tacos: Fill each taco shell with the crack chicken mixture, almost to the top of each shell. Then sprinkle each taco with shredded cheese.
Bake the Tacos: Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the edges of the shells are browned. Remove from the oven and serve garnished with more bacon and green onions.
Can use this mix for quesadilla also or have you tried. Blackstone quesadillas are the cat’s meow just wondering if you ever tried it
It should work!
My kids loved this recipe. It was simple and delicious
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!