Copycat Taco Bell Chipotle Ranch Chicken Stacker Recipe

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Taco Bell’s menu is ever-evolving, and that’s a big part of the fast food joint’s charm and appeal. While certain staples, like hard-shell tacos and beefy burritos, have been on Taco Bell’s menu from the get-go and will likely remain there until the end of time, other specialty items spontaneously make guest appearances — sometimes short-lived, and sometimes they become permanent fixtures. Take the Chipotle Ranch Chicken Stacker, for example, an item that cropped up most recently in a July 2025 Taco Bell Luxe Value Menu test run. Spawned from the original (and widely available) Classic Stacker, the Chipotle Chicken Ranch Stacker features grilled chicken, avocado ranch, creamy chipotle sauce, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, but perhaps the most notable thing about it is that distinctive folding.

Since there’s a chance that the Chipotle Ranch Chicken Stacker isn’t available at your nearest Taco Bell, recipe developer Julianne De Witt‘s copycat version of the stacker will help fill that Mexican food-inspired void. “This copycat Taco Bell Chicken Stacker recipe captures the flavor of the original with fresh ingredients, and the homemade sauces kick things up a notch,” De Witt says. Though she notes that making not one but two from-scratch sauces may seem like a lot of extra work, she assures us that the fresh results are well worth it (and, if you wanted, you could use store-bought sauces instead).  

As we’ve already touched on, you’ll be making two homemade sauces to bring this Stacker to life. First, for the chipotle cream sauce, you’ll need sour cream, mayonnaise, a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, lime juice, and salt. Then, for the avocado ranch, you’ll need some mashed avocado, sour cream, buttermilk, dried parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. 

As for the chicken that goes into the Stacker, you’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks. To season, you’ll want salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Finally, you’ll need 8-inch wheat tortillas to assemble the Stackers, along with chopped romaine, three-cheese blend shredded cheese (De Witt uses a cheddar, Monterey Jack, and mozzarella blend), and crushed tortilla chips.

Prepare the chipotle cream sauce by mixing the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, lime juice, and salt.

Prepare the avocado ranch by mixing the avocado, sour cream, buttermilk, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

Add the chicken to a large bowl and top with salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Using tongs, mix the spices into the chicken.

Spritz a saute pan with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken and saute it until cooked through, approximately 4 minutes.

Spoon ¼ of the chicken onto the top half of the tortilla.

Top with ¼ of the lettuce, cheese, and tortilla chips.

Add 2 tablespoons of each sauce.

Fold the wrap in half, then in thirds. Repeat.

Lightly grill the wrap on both sides until golden and warmed through. Serve with additional sauce on the side.

Perhaps one of the best things about any Taco Bell item is its capacity for customization, and the Chipotle Ranch Chicken Stacker is no exception. For starters, if you don’t have the time (or desire) to cook the chicken from scratch for this recipe, De Witt recommends using rotisserie chicken instead (or using up leftover chicken breasts that you cooked a day or two before). And, since chicken is far from the only meat on Taco Bell’s menu, take a cue from the fast food chain and switch up the type of protein you use in this recipe. “Change the protein to ground beef, shrimp, or crumbled tofu,” De Witt suggests. 

Other possible customizations involve the toppings you load into the stacker, including the cheese or veggie inclusions. If a three-cheese blend featuring cheddar, mozzarella, and Monterey Jack just won’t cut it for you, consider adding in feta or cotjia cheese for a little extra saltiness and tang. Otherwise, on the veggie front, there’s truly no shortage of options at bay. “Add more veggies like shredded cabbage, pickled onions, or jalapeños,” De Witt recommends.

This recipe calls for making both a chipotle cream sauce and avocado ranch from scratch for optimal freshness, though it is worth noting that you could skip these steps should you so choose to. Taco Bell sells bottled versions of both Chipotle Creamy Sauce and Avocado Ranch, so if you want to save a little time (or if you’re a Taco Bell aficionado who already keeps such sauces stocked in your fridge), you can opt for these store-bought versions instead.

In the case that you do make both sauces from scratch and you end up with some leftovers, you’re far from having a problem. There are quite a few uses for both the chipotle cream sauce and avocado sauce outside of a Chicken Stacker. “The avocado ranch makes perfect veggie or chip dip,” De Witt says, noting that you could also thin it with buttermilk to use as a dressing. Otherwise, she notes that it pairs well with burgers, sandwiches, and baked potatoes. And for the chipotle cream sauce, De Witt recommends adding it to a quesadilla or burrito, using it as a fry dip, or drizzling it onto huevos rancheros.