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Change up your weekly taco night with this easy, flavorful and family friendly recipe for Bacon Chicken Ranch Tacos, made in the slow cooker!
Scroll down for the recipe for Bacon Chicken Ranch Tacos or PIN IT for later!
Texans are known for many things- football, rodeos, country music, their pride for their home state, their traditions and yes, we truly believe everything is bigger and better here! But one of Texas’ biggest claims to fame, is the food.
I absolutely LOVE that Texas is known for so many foods! We have our own way of doing barbecue and the pecan tree is our state tree, so everyone’s mother makes “the best” pecan pie or pralines. And don’t even think about mentioning chili with beans around a Texan.
Get Taco Tuesday ready by hovering over the photo above to click through to walmart.com to purchase everything you need for taco night!
Being right on the Gulf of Mexico, Texans are also big seafood consumers, especially of gulf shrimp and we take inspiration from our Louisiana neighbors and host Texas style crawfish boils. We also have our own version of many popular southern foods, like chicken-fried steak, and here, “Taco Tuesday” is actually any day that ends in “y”! 😊
You might think I’m kidding, but Texans take their tacos, and everything that comes with it, from queso to guacamole, very seriously. In fact, we eat tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner and create our own versions of tacos which include a lot of Southwestern influence (Texans love Hatch green chiles!) or other famous Texas eats like chopped brisket tacos.
Our family, particularly my husband, loves tacos so much that we have either traditional ground beef, shredded chicken tacos or breakfast tacos *at least* once a week. For ground beef tacos, I usually simply season the beef with my homemade taco seasoning and for chicken tacos, I make “salsa chicken” where I pour some Pace® Chunky Salsa over chicken in a slow cooker and let in cook all day long.
However, the last few times I’ve run to Walmart to pick up our Taco Tuesday essentials, I’ve switched up our go to shredded chicken tacos, and used our favorite Pace® Medium Chunky Salsa to make these Chicken Ranch Tacos! I even upped our taco topping game and threw in some bacon and extra creamy ranch dressing, because why not!?!
Chicken Ranch Tacos
This recipe for Bacon Chicken Ranch Tacos is a fun, easy and family friendly way to change up your go to taco night. Not only is Pace® Medium Chunky Salsa our favorite salsa for our salsa chicken tacos, Pace® is America’s Favorite Salsa for Tacos too!
We love both Pace® Medium Picante Sauce and Pace® Medium Chunky Salsa for not only topping our tacos, but for serving as a “side dish” with tortilla chips because Pace® has a bold kick of flavor that can make a basic taco night top notch!
Is Taco Tuesday a regular thing in your house? If so, what are your favorite taco recipes? Please share in the comments below!
Helpful chicken taco cooking tips and tricks:
How do you make chicken tacos?
Some people make chicken tacos by seasoning chicken breasts or thighs with taco seasoning and then cooking the chicken in a skillet over medium high heat.
However, I prefer to keep things easy and simple and make shredded chicken tacos by cooking chicken breasts in a slow cooker with salsa.
Can you freeze leftover salsa chicken?
Yes, you can freeze leftover cooked salsa chicken in a freezer safe baggie for 2-3 months.
You can also turn salsa chicken into a freezer meal by placing the raw chicken into a freezer safe baggie and pouring the salsa over the chicken in the bag. Remove all the excess air and then freeze for 4-5 months. When ready to cook, remove from freezer, thaw and place in slow cooker.
What to serve with Chicken Ranch Tacos?
I always serve Chicken Ranch Tacos with Pace® Medium Chunky Salsa and tortilla chips, Cilantro Lime Rice and either this Charro Beans recipe or easy, seasoned black beans (rinsed and drained canned black beans cooked with chicken broth and some salsa).
Chicken Ranch Tacos
Change up your weekly taco night with this easy and flavorful recipe for Chicken Ranch Tacos made in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3 chicken breasts)
- 1 (1-ounce) package ranch dressing mix
- ½ teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 ½ cups Pace® Medium Chunky Salsa
- For serving:
- 5-6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ cup diced red onions
- 2 cups torn iceberg or Romain lettuce
- 12 flour tortillas
- 1/3 cup prepared ranch dressing
- ½ cup Pace® Chunky Salsa Medium
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in an even layer in the slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with dry ranch dressing mix, salt and black pepper. Pour 1 ½-2 cups Pace® Chunky Salsa over chicken, adding enough to completely cover the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.
- When chicken is cooked, shred with a fork and toss with an additional ½-1 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa, if desired.
- Serve shredded chicken in warmed tortillas with desired toppings.
Tuesdays are for Tacos. Tacos are for Pace®. Stock up on all your Taco Tuesday essentials, including Pace® Medium Picante Sauce and Pace® Medium Chunky Salsa (available in 24-ounce bottles) at your local Walmart! And for more taco recipes and ideas, click here or follow Pace® on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.