These Buffalo Chicken Tacos are filled with buffalo drenched shredded chicken and shredded cheese all within baked crunchy taco shells. Take your taco Tuesday to the next level with these crispy tacos!
We love taco night in this house! I'm always looking for a different way to enjoy all my favorite traditional tacos. Growing up, we always had the option of picking soft or hard taco shells. My mom would warm up a few of each shell and put all the ingredients in a glass taco bar serving platter. I now know this was an easy dinner for her to put together and something the whole family enjoyed.
If you're a buffalo sauce lover and are looking for more recipes you HAVE to try my Easy Breaded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easy taco recipe. This buffalo chicken tacos recipe is simple to follow!
- Meal prep-friendly. Prep the slow cooker buffalo chicken for your week ahead.
- Fresh simple ingredients. Find the ingredients at your local grocery store or already in your pantry.
🥘Ingredients
- Chicken breasts. I used chicken breasts for this recipe as they take a shorter amount of time to cook and shred.
- Spices. A mix of onion powder, garlic powder and paprika to enhance the flavor of the buffalo sauce.
- Buffalo sauce. My favorite is Primal Medium Buffalo Sauce.
- Avocado. A ripe avocado to use as the base of the dipping sauce.
- Yogurt. I use Greek yogurt in most dressings and sauces for its creamier texture.
- Fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice. Fresh citrus and herbs compliment the spicy buffalo sauce.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
📖Substitutions & Variations
- Choose your tortillas. You can use corn tortillas or flour tortillas for this recipe!
- Chicken. Use what you have! You can shred chicken thighs and chicken tenders. You can even use any leftover chicken or crispy chicken.
- Add your favorite toppings. Make it your own by adding ranch dressing, blue cheese crumbles, sour cream or whatever you normally enjoy in your buffalo chicken recipes.
If you don't want to bake the tacos:
- Flame grill the tortillas- I highly recommend heating them over an open flame on a gas stove for 15-30 seconds per side, until slightly charred. You can also heat them wrapped in foil in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-10 minutes, in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute wrapped in a damp paper towel or in a lightly oiled skillet for 30 seconds per side. Warm tortillas are a must!
🔪Instructions
Choose your method of cooking:
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
- Place the chicken, seasonings and buffalo sauce in the Instant Pot. Cover with lid, set to high pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Slow-release the pressure for 5-10 minutes, then remove the lid and shred chicken with two forks.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
- Place the chicken, seasonings and buffalo sauce in the slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook on high heat for 3-4 hours, then remove the lid and shred chicken with two forks.
Step 1: Place the chicken, seasonings and buffalo sauce in the instant pot or slow cooker. Cook according to the instructions above.
Step 2: Take the cooked chicken out and shred with two forks. Toss chicken with extra buffalo sauce if needed.
Step 3: Make the dipping sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread or spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil. Add ⅓ cup of chicken to each tortilla topped with cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Bake for 10-15 minutes and then broil for 2 minutes until tacos are golden. Serve with avocado cilantro dipping sauce.
👩🏻🍳Sarah's Top Tips
- I love The New Primal medium buffalo sauce, but your favorite will work great.
- To make the buffalo chicken tacos less spicy use a mild buffalo sauce.
- This buffalo chicken would be great on brioche buns as a sandwich or on top of lettuce as a salad.
- The buffalo sauce acts as a marinade. Cooking the chicken in the buffalo sauce and spices allows the chicken to be full of flavor!
🥗Serving
Serve these crockpot Buffalo Chicken Tacos up for an easy weeknight meal and a crowd-pleaser. Tacos can only be complete with a delicious drink to wash them down. Try my Simple Grapefruit Margarita or a 3-ingredient Tequila Sour.
🥣Storage & Reheating
To store leftover buffalo chicken, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend storing leftover baked tacos, as they will be soggy. Keep ingredients separate if you're making them ahead of time.
To freeze leftover buffalo chicken, place it in a freezer-safe bag or container and store it for up to 3-4 months. Be sure to defrost overnight, in the refrigerator, before cooking.
More Taco Recipes
- Ground Chicken Tacos25 Minutes
- Cod Fish Tacos23 Minutes
- Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa30 Minutes
- Flank Steak Fajitas1 Hours 5 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and comment below. Share it on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!
📋 Recipe
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Buffalo Chicken Tacos
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
Ingredients
Buffalo Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
Avocado Cilantro Sauce
- ½ large avocado
- ¼ cup unsweetened low-fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ½ lime, juiced
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Tacos
- 12 corn and flour mix tortillas, or flour tortillas (corn tortillas may crack unless warmed up before adding chicken)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
- Place the chicken, seasonings and buffalo sauce in the Instant Pot. Cover with lid, set to high pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Slow-release the pressure for 5-10 minutes, then remove the lid and shred chicken with two forks.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
- Place the chicken, seasonings and buffalo sauce in the slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook on high heat for 3-4 hours, then remove the lid and shred chicken with two forks.
Avocado Cilantro Sauce
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
Tacos
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread or spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil.
- Add ⅓ cup of chicken to each tortilla topped with cheese. Fold the tortilla in half.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes and then broil for 2 minutes until tacos are golden. Serve with avocado cilantro dipping sauce and lime wedges.
Sarah's Tips
- I love The New Primal medium buffalo sauce, but your favorite will work great.
- To make the buffalo chicken tacos less spicy use a mild buffalo sauce.
- This buffalo chicken would be great on brioche buns as a sandwich or on top of lettuce as a salad.
- The buffalo sauce acts as a marinade. Cooking the chicken in the buffalo sauce and spices allows the chicken to be full of flavor!
- To store leftover buffalo chicken, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend storing leftover baked tacos, as they will be soggy. Keep ingredients separate if you're making them ahead of time.
- To freeze leftover buffalo chicken, place it in a freezer-safe bag or container and store it for up to 3-4 months. Be sure to defrost overnight, in the refrigerator, before cooking.
The cookbook is packed with easy-to-follow recipes that require only 6 ingredients to help you simplify your weeknights. Includes kitchen tips, ingredient swaps & grocery lists!
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