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. 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 PilsnerCanola Oil Chicken Thighs (chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken will work too) Jalapeño Lime Pilsner Canola Oil Jalapeño Lime Ranch: Chopped Cilantro Sour CreamMayonnaisePuréed JalapeñosLimes juicedButtermilkSalt 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 TortillasToothpicksFrying Oil 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: GuacamoleSalsa FrescaCotija CheeseChopped CilantroDiced Red Onions 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. Chicken: ▢ 6-8 Chicken Thighs▢ 3 tbsp Jalapeño Lime Pilsner▢ Canola Oil as needed ▢ 6-8 Chicken Thighs ▢ 3 tbsp Jalapeño Lime Pilsner ▢ Canola Oil as needed Jalapeño Lime Ranch: ▢ 2.5 tbsp Chopped Cilantro▢ 2.5 tbsp Sour Cream▢ 2 tbsp Mayonnaise▢ 1 tbsp Puréed Jalapeños with juice▢ 2 medium Limes juiced▢ Buttermilk to desired consistency▢ Salt to taste ▢ 2.5 tbsp Chopped Cilantro ▢ 2.5 tbsp Sour Cream ▢ 2 tbsp Mayonnaise ▢ 1 tbsp Puréed Jalapeños with juice ▢ 2 medium Limes juiced ▢ Buttermilk to desired consistency ▢ Salt to taste Taquitos: ▢ 1 cup Cooked Bacon Bits▢ 2 cups Shredded Jack Cheese▢ 8-10 6 ” Corn Tortillas▢ Toothpicks▢ Frying Oil ▢ 1 cup Cooked Bacon Bits ▢ 2 cups Shredded Jack Cheese ▢ 8-10 6 ” Corn Tortillas ▢ Toothpicks ▢ Frying Oil Serving: ▢ Guacamole▢ Salsa Fresca▢ Cotija Cheese▢ Chopped Cilantro▢ Diced Red Onions ▢ Guacamole ▢ Salsa Fresca ▢ Cotija Cheese ▢ Chopped Cilantro ▢ Diced Red Onions Begin by building a low heat fire (about 225F) in your grill/smoker for indirect cooking. Add some wood chips or wood chunks if you desire.In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the Jalapeno Lime Ranch and set in the fridge until ready to use.Lather the chicken thighs with oil and generously season with my Jalapeno Lime Pilsner seasoning (or your favorite chicken seasoning). Place them on the smoker and cook until they reach 175F internal (about 2.5-3 hours). Once the chicken is done, add to a tray and cover in foil. Let rest for 15 minutes, then pull the chicken apart.Build a high heat fire in your grill (about 400F) adding a cast iron skillet/dutch oven with frying oil to preheat to 350F. Make sure you have at least 2” of separation from the lip on the cast iron to prevent flare ups or grease fires.Using warm tortillas, add some pulled chicken, bacon bits and shredded cheese then roll up tightly. Secure the tortilla with a toothpick and set to the side. If the tortilla rips, make sure to keep them warm as the coldness will cause them to bread. Repeat the wrapping process for all your tortillas or until you have created enough taquitos as desired.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 as to not overcrowd the cast iron. Once the tortilla is crispy golden brown, pull the taquitos out and let cool for 5 minutes.When all the taquitos are done, remove the toothpick and serve them on a bed of guacamole topped with the Jalapeno Lime Ranch, salsa fresca, cotija cheese, chopped cilantro and diced red onions. Enjoy! Begin by building a low heat fire (about 225F) in your grill/smoker for indirect cooking. Add some wood chips or wood chunks if you desire. Begin by building a low heat fire (about 225F) in your grill/smoker for indirect cooking. Add some wood chips or wood chunks if you desire. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the Jalapeno Lime Ranch and set in the fridge until ready to use. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the Jalapeno Lime Ranch and set in the fridge until ready to use. Lather the chicken thighs with oil and generously season with my Jalapeno Lime Pilsner seasoning (or your favorite chicken seasoning). Place them on the smoker and cook until they reach 175F internal (about 2.5-3 hours). Once the chicken is done, add to a tray and cover in foil. Let rest for 15 minutes, then pull the chicken apart. Lather the chicken thighs with oil and generously season with my Jalapeno Lime Pilsner seasoning (or your favorite chicken seasoning). Place them on the smoker and cook until they reach 175F internal (about 2.5-3 hours). Once the chicken is done, add to a tray and cover in foil. Let rest for 15 minutes, then pull the chicken apart. Build a high heat fire in your grill (about 400F) adding a cast iron skillet/dutch oven with frying oil to preheat to 350F. Make sure you have at least 2” of separation from the lip on the cast iron to prevent flare ups or grease fires. Build a high heat fire in your grill (about 400F) adding a cast iron skillet/dutch oven with frying oil to preheat to 350F. Make sure you have at least 2” of separation from the lip on the cast iron to prevent flare ups or grease fires. Using warm tortillas, add some pulled chicken, bacon bits and shredded cheese then roll up tightly. Secure the tortilla with a toothpick and set to the side. If the tortilla rips, make sure to keep them warm as the coldness will cause them to bread. Repeat the wrapping process for all your tortillas or until you have created enough taquitos as desired. Using warm tortillas, add some pulled chicken, bacon bits and shredded cheese then roll up tightly. Secure the tortilla with a toothpick and set to the side. If the tortilla rips, make sure to keep them warm as the coldness will cause them to bread. Repeat the wrapping process for all your tortillas or until you have created enough taquitos as desired. 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 as to not overcrowd the cast iron. Once the tortilla is crispy golden brown, pull the taquitos out and let cool for 5 minutes. 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 as to not overcrowd the cast iron. Once the tortilla is crispy golden brown, pull the taquitos out and let cool for 5 minutes. When all the taquitos are done, remove the toothpick and serve them on a bed of guacamole topped with the Jalapeno Lime Ranch, salsa fresca, cotija cheese, chopped cilantro and diced red onions. Enjoy! When all the taquitos are done, remove the toothpick and serve them on a bed of guacamole topped with the Jalapeno Lime Ranch, salsa fresca, cotija cheese, chopped cilantro and diced red onions. Enjoy! Calories: 1134kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 224mg | Sodium: 1605mg | Potassium: 690mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 685IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 580mg | Iron: 3mg Categorized as:Appetizer Recipes, Blog, Campfire Cooking Recipes, Cast Iron Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Dinner Recipes, app, Homemade Sauce Recipes, Lunch Recipes, Recipes, Recipes By Course, Recipes By Ingredient, Recipes by Method, Smoker Recipes Derek Wolf Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek's fire cooking journey. He's a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he's cooking up, it's guaranteed to be so freakin' delicious!