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Chipotle tacos are perhaps one of the most craveable foods on this planet! Whether you have been to Chipotle or not, now you can enjoy Chipotle’s Crispy Tacos whenever you want.
Featured with this recipe
We first fell in love with Chipotle while we were living in California. I’m not kidding when I say we tried pretty much everything on the menu, but the one thing we went back for again and again? The crispy Chipotle tacos.
When we moved to Boise, we were so sad not to have one in the area. I’m happy to report we now have several. I actually have a scar from the first restaurant that opened here. I’ll spare you the details but it involved me locking my keys and phone in my car and running back into the restaurant way too fast in flip flops. 🙂
What can I say? I was distracted by the draw of those Chipotle tacos! These copycat Chipotle tacos are true to their namesake with a crispy shell, perfectly grilled and seasoned chicken, and corn salsa topped with cheese, sour cream and lettuce. To this day, I still order these tacos more than any other fast food item. The best part? You can make them at home!
Chipotle Copycat Recipe
There are several components that go into making the Chipotle tacos so good:
- Crispy taco shells. You may be surprised to hear it, but the crispy taco shells are lower in calories than the soft tacos. Plus, they add a delicious crunch factor. They’re just plain fun!
- Grilled chicken. The soft, grilled chicken is the perfect counterpoint to the crispy shell. The chicken in the Chipotle tacos are expertly seasoned, so our copycat had to be as well. We use taco seasoning with a pinch of paprika to keep it tasty and simple.
- Corn salsa and pico. I’m pretty obsessed with the salsa offerings at Chipotle. It’s very similar to our fresh corn salsa, so we just use that to simplify things.
- Shredded cheese, lettuce, and sour cream. You can leave these off if you like, but they definitely add to the flavor profile.
Another fun thing about these tacos is how customizable they are. If you want to try a different salsa, or even make these with steak, go ahead! You can even experiment with different cheese options, but if you want copycat Chipotle tacos, I recommend sticking with the recipe.
Ingredients
- Crispy taco shells
- White cheddar or jack cheese – or both, shredded
- Romaine lettuce – chopped into thin slices
- Fresh corn salsa
- Sour cream
- Boneless chicken breasts
- Taco seasoning
- Paprika
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s all up to personal preference, but you could serve anything fro refried beans, to pico de gallo, to guacamole, to Mexican rice, to cilantro-lime rice, to black beans, to elote (Mexican street corn).
If you are feeling like a change from chicken, there are plenty of other options for you. You could try shrimp, fish, steak, brisket, pork, chorizo, ground beef, or turkey. The way you cook the meat can vary as well. You could broil, fry, grill, slow cook…the options are mouthwateringly endless!
Typically, corn tortillas are gluten free because they usually only contain the ingredients corn, salt, and water. However, like with anything, it is always safest practice to check the label.
Read more:75+ Best Mexican Recipes
Love Tacos?
Here Are Some More Delicious Taco Recipes:
- Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos
- Navajo Tacos with Homemade Fry Bread
- Easy Shrimp Tacos with Homemade Slaw
- 10-Minute Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Locos Tacos in a Bag
- Kalua Pork Tacos with Fresh Mango Salsa
- Grilled Chicken Tacos with Bacon
- Grilled Steak Street Tacos
- Thai Fish Tacos
How to Make Chipotle Tacos
Chipotle’s Crispy Tacos with Chicken
over the top tasty!
Equipment
- Outdoor BBQ Grill
Ingredients
- 6 Crispy Taco Shells I like the ones from Trader Joe’s
- 3/4 cup white cheddar or jack cheese or both
- 1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce chopped into thin slices
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn salsa
- 3/4 cup sour cream
For the Chicken
- 3 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon paprika
Instructions
- Filet the chicken so you have two thin halves of each breast. Mix together the taco seasoning and paprika and rub it all over the chicken. Grill over medium heat until you get nice grill marks and the chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken from grill and chop it into one inch cubes.
- Warm your crispy taco shells, either in the microwave or oven (it makes them more crispy). Then layer each one with chopped chicken, salsa, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream.
Notes
- Lime – lime juice give a sweet acidity and brightness
- Avocado – avocado slices are creamy and earthy, they balance out spice
- Onion – finely chopped red onion is essential for lending a sharp and spicy taste
- Roasted red bell pepper – sweet, savory, bright
- Adobo sauce – just a splash of this smoky, sweet, and spicy sauce can give a really interesting and explosive flavor to your taco
- Cabbage – chopped cabbage adds crunch without overtaking the dish (consider adding shaved radish for a similar experience, plus to addition of a light peppery flavor)
- Queso fresco – delicious and lightly salty
- Fresh cilantro – you can’t go wrong with a handful of fresh copped cilantro. The pleasant, citrusy flavor is so fresh, and the bright green adds so much beautiful color do your taco plate!
I love crispy tacos. Your recipe is looking so delicious. I am definitely going to give it a try.
This recipe is calling my name, for sure! Perfect for taco Tuesday. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
How to make Taco Tuesday super delicious! These are so yummy and crunchy!
I love Chipotle but they aren’t close to my so it’s wonderful that with this recipe I can make these tacos right at home.
I think I have only made tacos once, so this came at the perfect time! Thanks so much for the recipe, bookmarked to make during the weekend 🙂
Making these tonight for taco tuesday! Great idea, love the chicken version.
This is surely the best happy snack for my kids. Love the crispy Tacos and delicious chicken in it. Crunchy and yum.
Great flavor and the instructions were spot on which made these copycat tacos so easy to make. Saving the recipe to make again.
I love tacos and these ones look scrumptious! We don’t have Chipotles here in Italy but I can certainly enjoy these chicken tacos at home!
Oh, these sound so good an I’m hungry. You should link these up to our Tips and Trick Link Party right now!!