Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

These Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos are insanely good. I’ve been dying to make some taquitos for a while now. I finally got around to it, and wow.

Smoked chicken thighs with my Jalapeño Lime Pilsner rub, rolled with bacon and cheese into a warm tortilla. Fried them over the coals and served with a spicy jalapeño lime ranch, salsa, guacamole, and more.

The perfect easy dinner recipe or game day appetizer the whole family will love.

What are Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos?

Taquitos are a Mexican dish consisting of small rolled-up tacos, usually filled with chicken and cheese, fried until crispy, and dipped in various sauces.

You may be familiar with the ones you can buy frozen from the grocery store… I know I’m not the only one munching on these as a midnight snack…

Anyway, these homemade chicken taquitos are so much better, plus they’re super simple to make. We took the original recipe and added a couple Over the Fire twists to make these freakin delicious taquitos.

If you love Mexican food, you’ll love these Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos.

For other fun Mexican inspired dishes, check out my Pulled Pork BBQ Nacho Table, Chipotle Beer Steak Tacos, and Carne Asada Crunch Wrap.

Why You’ll Love Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

We have a decent amount of prep and cooking to do for this recipe, but don’t let that scare you away! Each step is simple in execution and there’s a lot that can be completed while the chicken thighs are smoking.

You could even prep the chicken and chop the other ingredients beforehand so that those busy weeknights wont’s be spent doing  a ton of cooking. 

These elevated chicken taquitos pack a ton of flavor, not to mention delicious crispy bacon. The tortillas turn into a crunchy exterior, making them an easy handheld treat to dip into our jalapeno lime ranch and salsa.

Or, if you’re not a big fan of heat, guacamole, or even sour cream.

How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos Ingredients

Chicken:

• Chicken Thighs (chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken will work too)
• Jalapeño Lime Pilsner
• Canola Oil

Jalapeño Lime Ranch:

• Chopped Cilantro 
• Sour Cream
• Mayonnaise
• Puréed Jalapeños
• Limes juiced
• Buttermilk
• Salt

Taquitos:

• Cooked Bacon Bits (I made mine, but to save time you could purchase pre cooked bacon bits)
• Shredded Jack Cheese (or shredded cheddar cheese if you prefer)
• Corn Tortillas
• Toothpicks
• Frying Oil

Serving:

• Guacamole
• Salsa Fresca
• Cotija Cheese
• Chopped Cilantro
• Diced Red Onions

Let’s Get Cooking 

Prep

Begin this Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos recipe by building a low-heat fire (about 225F) in your grill/smoker for indirect cooking. Then add some wood chips or wood chunks if you desire.

Next, grab a mixing bowl and combine all the ingredients for the Jalapeno Lime Ranch and set it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Time to Cook the Chicken

Now, it’s time to lather the chicken thighs with oil and generously season them with my Jalapeno Lime Pilsner Rub (or your favorite chicken seasoning).

Next, place them on the smoker and let them cook until they reach 175F internal (about 2.5-3 hours). 

Once the chicken is done, add it to a tray and cover it in aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes, then pull the chicken apart.

Pro tip: you want to end up with tender chicken, not necessarily shredded chicken. Your chicken should easily pull apart so you can place it into your soft tortilla, but there’s no need to completely shred it. 

For the next step, build a high-heat fire in your grill (about 400 F). Then add a cast iron skillet/dutch oven with frying oil to preheat to 350 F. Make sure you leave at least 2″ of separation from the lip on the cast iron to prevent flare-ups or grease fires.

Assembly

Using warm flour tortillas, add your pulled chicken, bacon bits, and shredded cheese, then roll up tightly. Secure the tortilla with a toothpick and set it to the side.

Make sure to keep them warm, as the coldness could cause the tortillas to rip. Also, make sure you avoid overstuffing your taquitos because that can cause breakage too. 

Repeat the wrapping process for all your tortillas or until you have created enough taquitos.

Final Steps 

Lastly, add your taquitos to the frying oil and cook for about 4-4.5 minutes in total or 2 minutes per side. Do this in batches so you don’t overcrowd the cast iron pan.

Once the tortillas are a crispy golden brown, pull them out and let them cool for 5 minutes. 

When all the taquitos are done, serve them on a bed of guacamole. Finally, add Jalapeno Lime Ranch, salsa Fresca, cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, diced red onions, and maybe even a dash of your favorite hot sauce to the tops of the taquitos. Enjoy!

If you’re a ranch lover (like me!), check these other delicious recipes out: Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla, Chicken Bacon Ranch Sausage Skewers, BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Skewers and Grilled Buffalo Shrimp with Zesty Ranch.

Storage 

The best part about taquitos is that you can easily store leftovers or make them ahead of time and store them in a freezer bag until you’re ready to eat them. It makes them one of those easy recipes you can prep and pull out whenever you need something quick to eat.

If you don’t want to freeze them, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Reheating/leftovers

To reheat your leftover taquitos arrange them on a cookie sheet or greased baking sheet and set them in the oven at 350 degrees F until they are warm. If your taquitos are frozen, place them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 400F.

With so many delicious flavors packed into a crispy baked flour tortilla, these taquitos are top-tier Mexican food.

For your next dinner, or even a fun side dish, give these Chicken Bacon Ranch taquitos a try. You won’t be disappointed.

For more delicious recipes, check out my second cookbook Flavor X Fire or my first cookbook Food X Fire!

Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.