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Dill Pickle Ranch Smash Chicken Tacos

Dill pickle ranch smash chicken tacos with ultra-crispy smashed patties and a tangy dill pickle ranch drizzle. Ground chicken is formed into thin patties, smashed on a hot cast iron griddle for crisp edges, then topped with cheddar and tucked into warm tortillas.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Smash chicken
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 0.5 cup dill pickle juice
  • 0.25 cup ranch seasoning mix
  • 4 cheddar cheese slices
  • 8 dill pickle chips
  • 8 warm flour tortillas
Dill Pickle Ranch Sauce
  • 0.5 cup ranch dressing
  • 0.25 cup dill pickle juice
  • 2 tbsp diced dill pickles
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill
Toppings
  • 1 shredded lettuce
  • 1 tomato slices
  • 1 red onion

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron griddle

Method
 

Make the smashed chicken patties
  1. Mix ground chicken with dill pickle juice and ranch seasoning mix until evenly combined. The texture should look uniformly speckled, with no dry seasoning pockets.
  2. Heat a cast iron griddle over medium-high heat and lightly butter it. Wait until the surface is hot enough to sizzle when a small bit of mixture touches down.
  3. Form the chicken mixture into 4 thin patties. Keep them evenly thin so they crisp quickly and smash consistently.
  4. Smash each patty thin with a spatula and cook for 2-3 minutes until crispy. You should see browned, crisp edges and a cohesive crust.
  5. Flip the patties, top with cheddar cheese slices, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. The cheese should melt and look slightly bubbly where it touches the hot griddle.
Mix sauce, warm tortillas, and assemble tacos
  1. Mix ranch dressing with dill pickle juice, diced dill pickles, and fresh dill to make the dill pickle ranch sauce. Stir until the sauce looks creamy with evenly distributed pickle and dill.
  2. Warm the flour tortillas until pliable and lightly steamy. They should flex without cracking when you fold them.
  3. Fill each tortilla with smashed chicken patties. Add the patties while they’re hot so the crust stays crisp.
  4. Top with dill pickle chips, shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and red onion. Arrange so each taco gets a mix of crunchy pickle, fresh greens, and juicy tomatoes.
  5. Drizzle with dill pickle ranch sauce just before serving. Finish with a visible ribbon or pool of sauce on the chicken and toppings.

Notes

For best crispiness, press the patties very thin right after they hit the hot griddle and avoid moving them for the first 2-3 minutes. Store leftover dill pickle ranch sauce in the fridge up to 4 days; store cooked chicken patties in the fridge up to 3 days and reheat in a hot skillet for re-crisping (freezing not recommended for best texture). For a dairy-free option, use a dairy-free cheddar-style melt and ensure your ranch seasoning mix is dairy-free.