> originally published on August 25, 2015 | updated on April 19, 2022 <
Buffalo chicken tacos are generally a safe bet to brighten anyone’s day. I know I’ve already posted a recipe for buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken sliders, and a buffalo chicken caesar salad, and I’ve asked you all to send me recommendations for the best wings in the U.S., but I figure we don’t have to stop there.
So? Next stop: Buffalo Chicken Tacos (aka the best chicken tacos). This recipe makes four total tacos, which is perfect for two people to share. However, you can absolutely double or triple the recipe if needed! These come together in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Tacos
For the Tacos:
- 8 oz. boneless, skinless Chicken Breast*
- Salt & freshly cracked Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp. Avocado Oil (or vegetable, canola, or olive oil)
- 1/4 cup Wing Sauce** (such as Frank’s Red Hot)
- 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 4 Taco Size Tortillas
For the Toppings:
- Shredded Greens (such as romaine or kale)
- Shredded Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese
- Restaurant Style Ranch Dressing
- Chopped Green Onions
- OR a Creamy Ranch Slaw (recipe and ingredients are below!)
Ingredient Notes + FAQs
Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs work for this recipe. Another wonderful alternative is 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken to save even more time!
Wing Sauce: Frank’s Red Hot is my go-to for buffalo-flavored recipes, but there are so many wing sauce options available now. Use your favorite, or try a new one! And please feel free to use more sauce than the recipe calls for if you like it really saucy.
Ranch Dressing: I have a recipe for a small batch (makes 1/3 cup), homemade restaurant style ranch dressing. It’s a fan favorite, and comes together in just a couple of minutes! If you don’t want to make the homemade version, use your favorite store-bought ranch dressing. If you’re short on time but still don’t want to use bottled ranch from the shelves at the grocery store, I have a fun hack for you: ask to purchase a couple of large “to-go” ramekins (like 2 oz. or so each) of ranch dressing from your favorite wing restaurant in town! It should only cost about $1, and it’s totally worth it. 🙂
I highly recommend making your own ranch dressing anytime you have the ingredients for it. Not only does it taste SO much better than a bottle of ranch from the store, but there’s no preservatives or weird ingredients in it! I love to make a small batch of ranch, because I don’t like to have a lot of it sitting around in my refrigerator.
BUT, if you have the time (and ingredients), I highly recommend topping these tacos with a crunchy, creamy ranch slaw (recipe follows). It’s also great to mix into a giant salad with buffalo chicken if you’d prefer to go that route! I actually just toss some greens, celery, carrots, green onion, and red onion into a small to-go salad container at the salad bar in any grocery store, then mix them with ranch to make this slaw. If you’re headed to a store with a salad bar, it’s a good option to consider!
Ingredients for Creamy Ranch Slaw
- 1 cup Shredded Greens (such as kale, romaine, or your favorite)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Celery
- 1/4 cup finely chopped (or shredded) Carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped Green Onions
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped Red Onion
- 1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
Okay, so this was a recipe that I originally posted in 2015, when hashtags were apparently just starting to gain some traction. I typically take out irrelevant information from posts that I update, but I thought this was too good to remove. Just know the following is now more than six years old, so just roll with that. lol. Enjoy! 🙂
“Buffalo chicken tacos are perfect for #tacotuesday, of course. (I am still struggling with the hashtags). Actually, that reminds me of an interesting occurrence that popped into my life the other day. I was scheduled for a meeting / class that I was required to tune into via landline phone. I dialed in, started listening to the automated voice informing me of the next step and I hear her say, ‘please press your five digit PIN followed by the pound or hash sign.'”
I sat there and stared blankly ahead at the wall. “…pound or hash sign.” No, I didn’t hear that right. I KNOW I’m getting old when I felt my eyes widen and my mouth open slowly. Hash sign? Wow. Have we really reached this point? We are renaming the pound sign OFFICIALLY? Is this the slow movement into the questionable abyss that eventually forgets the proper names for things and shifts to the easy names of things to help the YOLO folks function in the world? It’s like losing Pluto all over again. Quit ruining my normalcy, new generation and science. I liked my bubble with nine planets and pound signs.
Heavy sigh. Anyway, so this recipe is perfect for Taco Tuesday or Wednesday or whatever day of the week you feel like throwing it together. Not only is the buffalo chicken the easiest thing in the world to make, but we are going to top it with a SUPER simple creamy ranch slaw. It. Is. Worth. It.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Tacos
- If you’re working with one large chicken breast, cut it in half lengthwise to create two thin chicken breasts. Look through this blog post for a visual example.
- Stir together a good pinch of salt, pepper, and the garlic powder. Season the chicken breasts on all sides with this mixture. Let the chicken rest at room temperature while you chop the vegetables for the slaw (and make the homemade ranch dressing if you’re going that route).
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the seasoned chicken breasts for about 3-4 minutes per side, until browned and the internal temperature registers 165 F. Turn the heat underneath the pan to low, and transfer the chicken to a large bowl to rest for a few minutes.
- Stir the slaw ingredients and the ranch together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Shred the chicken breasts in the bowl, then immediately transfer the shredded chicken back to the pan it was cooked in. Stir in the buffalo wing sauce and the butter until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat the tortillas for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Divide the shredded buffalo chicken between the warm tortillas, then top with the shredded ranch slaw.
- Serve immediately!
The buffalo chicken and ranch slaw will keep for up to three days, and should be stored separately.
This shredded buffalo chicken would also be really good on my Buffalo Chicken Caesar Salad! I also have a recipe for Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken if you’d rather come home to cooked chicken and throw it into some tacos!
If you make these tacos and you love them, a comment and star rating below would be amazing! Tag me on Instagram if you post a photo to social media, too. As always, feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions!
xx Sara
Shredded Buffalo Chicken Tacos (Makes 4)
Ingredients
For Buffalo Chicken Tacos:
- 8 oz. boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
- Salt + Cracked Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp. Avocado Oil or any neutral oil
- 1/4 cup Wing Sauce such as Frank's Red Hot
- 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 4 Taco-Sized Tortillas
For Toppings:
- 1 cup Shredded Greens such as romaine or kale
- 1/2 cup Shredded Cheese such as cheddar or pepper jack
- 1/4 cup chopped Green Onions
- 1/4 cup crumbled Blue Cheese or Feta optional
- 1/3 cup Restaurant Style Ranch Dressing or your favorite store-bought ranch
Instructions
- If you're working with one large chicken breast (larger than 4 oz.), cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise to create two thin halves. (See notes for a link to a visual example.)
- Stir 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder and a good pinch of Salt + Cracked Black Pepper together in a small bowl. Season the 8 oz. boneless, skinless Chicken Breast on all sides with this mixture, and let the chicken rest at room temperature for about ten minutes while you prepare the ranch dressing and toppings.
- Heat 1 tbsp. Avocado Oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes per side, until browned and the internal temperature registers 165 F. Turn the heat underneath the pan to low and transfer the chicken to a large bowl to rest.
- Shred the chicken in the bowl. Transfer the shredded chicken back to the pan it was cooked in, and stir in 1/4 cup Wing Sauce and 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter until the chicken is coated in the sauce and the butter is melted.
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
- Divide the buffalo chicken between the 4 Taco-Sized Tortillas, followed by 1 cup Shredded Greens, 1/2 cup Shredded Cheese, 1/4 cup chopped Green Onions1/4 cup crumbled Blue Cheese or Feta, and 1/3 cup Restaurant Style Ranch Dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Your taco recipe looks delicious and amazing! 🙂
I would love to hear how you like it if you get the chance to try it out! Thanks so much for stopping by!
I LOVE buffalo chicken and tacos, I can’t believe I never thought to put them together! This looks so good. I’m going to have to try it out soon!
I would love to nominate you for the Liebster Award, if you’ll accept. You can find it on my blog here: http://wp.me/p602F4-3F, but no pressure if you aren’t interested. Just let me know and congratulations on a wonderful blog, I’m so happy I found it!
Thank you for the wonderful nomination!! I so much appreciate it! And thank you for stopping by; I hope you get a chance to make buffalo chicken tacos soon. They are so addictive!