Baked Chipotle Beef and Melted Cheese Tacos. Taco-seasoned ground beef cooked and stuffed into chipotle sauce–dipped tortillas with melty cheese. Bake on a sheet pan until the edges of each taco get a little crispy and the cheese is perfectly melted. Finish each taco with lime, cilantro, avocado, and lots of spicy chipotle sauce. They’re crispy-ish, Birria-style (but way easier) tacos that are no fuss and quick to make. Everyone in the family will love these for taco night!

Naming recipes can be so hard sometimes. These could be called so many different things! In the end, no matter what you call them, they’re just plain delicious.

Inspired by dipped Birria tacos, but made in a fraction of the time with ground beef and a can of enchilada sauce. I’ve been making these all month long, and we can’t get enough of the crispy edges, the melty cheese, and that chipotle sauce. My family is officially obsessed.

I’ve been serving each dipped, baked taco with grilled corn salsa and chunks of avocado tossed in lime and salt. Nothing fancy! But the chipotle sauce on the side? That’s non-negotiable—I double the recipe every time.

Here are the details

Ingredients – for the chipotle sauce

• red enchilada sauce
• canned chipotle chilies in adobo
• dried oregano
• apple cider vinegar
• salted butter
• cinnamon

Ingredients – for the tacos

• ground beef – or use ground chicken
• a yellow onion
• taco seasoning
• corn tortillas
• mixed Mexican cheeses – I love a spicy cheddar, colby jack, and pepper jack blend
• Monterey Jack cheese

• chopped cilantro
• cubed or sliced avocado
• lime zest and lime juice
• grilled corn or corn salsa

Special Tools

You’ll need a skillet. I recommend an 11-inch cast-iron skillet. And a sheet pan.

Steps

Step 1: Make the chipotle sauce

Pour a can of red enchilada sauce into the blender with the chipotle chilies, oregano, and vinegar. Blend until smooth.
Now pour the sauce into a shallow skillet. Add a few tablespoons of butter and the cinnamon stick (or use ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon). Fill the empty enchilada sauce can with water and add that to the skillet too.
Simmer until the sauce is combined and warmed through, then season with a pinch of salt.

Step 2: Cook the beef

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef (or chicken) with the onions and taco seasoning until the meat is mostly cooked through, about 10 minutes. The aroma will be incredible!
I love to make my own seasoning using chili powder, chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
Add water to the skillet and simmer until the sauce thickens around the meat.

Step 3: Assemble and bake the tacos

Dip each corn tortilla into the warm chipotle sauce, then arrange on a baking sheet. Fill with cheese and the seasoned meat.
Bake for about 15 mins, until the taco edges are crispy and the cheese has melted.

Serve

Top with avocado tossed in lime zest, juice, and sea salt, plus fresh cilantro and grilled corn. Serve the extra chipotle sauce on the side for dipping—each bite is even better dunked into that warm, smoky sauce.

Looking for more simple weeknight recipes? Here are a few favorites:

Crispy Cider Braised White Chili Chicken Tacos

Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos

Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips

Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme

Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch

Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos

As a recipe developer, I spend my days cooking, baking, and tasting. As much as I love my job, I’m ready to get out of the kitchen by six o’clock each day. This means I often rely on quick, simple, and, most importantly, dependable recipes for weeknight dinners. Sheet pan meals are a favorite, as they let the oven do most of the work and require just a few minutes of prep.

Recently, this easy chicken dinner has been a lifesaver: Juicy chicken thighs, crispy croutons, and tender, broiled asparagus are all cooked on a single baking sheet, then served over a bed of hearty frisée. A sweet, tangy salad dressing made with mustard, honey, vinegar, garlic, and oil serves double duty as a flavorful marinade, brushed on the chicken partway through cooking for extra flavor and a shiny finish.

Get More From Your Sheet Pan

While it’s tempting to throw everything on a sheet pan and hope for the best, there’s a more thoughtful approach to take. As Serious Eats editorial director, Daniel, wrote in his 10 Essential Rules for the Best Sheet Pan Dinners, “the act of orchestrating a more complex recipe on a single sheet pan requires a good deal of cooking intuition and technique.” Because different foods cook at different rates, preparing and assembling a delicious meal on a single sheet pan benefits from “a much greater degree of coordination, space management, and understanding of how different ingredients cook.”

With a bit of planning, you can have chicken that’s well-browned and juicy, croutons that are toasted but not burned, and tender asparagus that’s tender but not mushy. The key is to cook the meal in two different phases: I bake the chicken and croutons in a 450°F (230°C) oven until the bread is crisp and the chicken is cooked, then I swap the croutons out for fresh stalks of asparagus. The pan goes under the broiler, which provides just enough heat to brown the chicken and cook the asparagus until it’s sweet and tender.

Because the hottest areas of a sheet pan are around the edges, I arrange the chicken around the perimeter of the pan. Likewise, placing the cubed bread in the center prevents it from browning too quickly, though you’ll still need to flip the bread once to encourage even cooking. The same goes for the asparagus: Placing it in the center of the pan means it won’t overcook or burn before the chicken is done.

Getting the Chicken Right

In the first phase of cooking, the chicken is cooked to a safe internal temperature (165°F/74°C), and the croutons become golden and toasty, a process that takes approximately 15 minutes. The chicken is technically cooked at this stage, but for maximum flavor and browning, I flip the chicken thighs, glaze them, then place them under the broiler to continue cooking. As Serious Eats senior culinary editor Leah has noted, cooking your chicken thighs to 185 to 195°F (85 to 90°C) is actually “the key to peak tenderness.” The higher temperature breaks down collagen into gelatin, resulting in tender, juicy meat.

Reach for Hardy Greens

Frisée is hardy and slightly bitter, which allows it to stand up to the sweet, punchy dressing and won’t easily wilt under the heat of the cooked chicken. If you can’t find frisée, you can substitute other greens; a blend of hearty chicories, such as radicchio or endive, would work well. Though mixed greens are far more delicate than frisée or radicchio, they’ll work in a pinch, but keep in mind they’re far more delicate and likely to wilt. To avoid this, you can always place your chicken to the side of the salad, rather than on top.

Schmaltzy Croutons, Please

After the chicken and asparagus have been removed from the sheet pan, I like to briefly return the croutons to the pan and stir them around in the chicken juices—which gives them a nice savory flavor—before putting them on top of the salad.

Cook Mode
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For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup stoneground mustard, such as Grey Poupon (2 ounces; 57 g)

• 3 tablespoons honey (1 1/2 ounces; 65 g)

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar

• 2 medium cloves garlic (10 g), minced

• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad:

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, 4 to 6 thighs

• 3 cups crusty bread (6 ounces; 170 g), such as sourdough, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 pound (454 g) asparagus, ends trimmed

• 1 medium head frisée or mixed greens, washed and spun dry, cut or torn into large bite-sized pieces

1. For the Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt to combine. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking vigorously and constantly, until emulsified and creamy.

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken thighs with 1/3 cup of dressing, tossing to evenly coat. (See notes.) Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Refrigerate the remaining dressing separately until ready to use.

3. When ready to cook, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). On a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, arrange cubed bread in the center center. Drizzle bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil, tossing to evenly coat. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and arrange chicken thighs upside down around bread; reserve marinade for brushing. Lightly season bread and chicken with salt.

4. Bake, flipping bread once halfway through, until bread is crisp and chicken is cooked, brushing with reserved marinade halfway through, 15 to 17 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should register at least 165°F/74°C.)

5. Using a kitchen towel or oven mitts, carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Adjust oven rack to upper third position, about 6 inches from the broiler. Heat broiler to high.

6. Using tongs, flip chicken and, using a pastry brush, brush top of chicken lightly with reserved dressing. Transfer croutons to a plate and arrange asparagus in a single layer in the center of the baking sheet. Drizzle remaining olive oil over asparagus, season with salt, and return baking sheet to oven. Broil, turning asparagus once halfway through, until chicken is well-browned and asparagus is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil while you dress the salad.

7. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss frisée with enough reserved dressing to evenly coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into 1-inch thick pieces. Arrange on serving plates with salad and asparagus on the side. Return croutons to baking sheet and toss in pan juices, then garnish chicken, salad, and asparagus with croutons. Serve.

Special Equipment

13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, instant-read thermometer, pastry brush

Notes

Alternatively, chicken can be marinated in a zip-top bag. Place chicken and 1/3 cup dressing in a zip-top bag, seal, and massage chicken through plastic until evenly coated with dressing. 

Make-Ahead and Storage

The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.