Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tacos

5 from 1 vote
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These cheesy buffalo chicken tacos are made with chicken breasts, flour tortillas, cheese, and buffalo sauce. This is my all-time favorite chicken taco recipe! It’s super easy to make, inexpensive, and loaded with flavor!

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cheesy buffalo chicken tacos with lime wedges on the side.

These delicious buffalo chicken tacos are a little bit spicy but nothing too crazy! I love to serve these with Spanish rice and refried beans but feel free to serve them with just lime wedges and hot sauce!

INGREDIENT NOTES & SUBSTITUTIONS

  • Chicken – Although I used chicken breasts, feel free to use boneless chicken thighs.
  • Buffalo Sauce – If you’re not a fan of buffalo sauce, use hot sauce or bbq sauce.
  • Cheese – I used Colby Jack cheese but feel free to use any type of cheese you have on hand. Mozzarella cheese, Pepper Jack, or even blue cheese crumbles will work!
  • Onion, Red Bell Pepper, and Garlic – Optional but adds flavor and texture.
  • Spices – I used a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Feel free to use the spices of your choice or taco seasoning.
  • Tortillas – Corn or flour tortillas will work for this recipe.
chicken, oil, spices, garlic, lime, onion, red pepper, buffalo sauce, cheese, butter, tortillas.

HOW TO MAKE THEM

See the recipe card below for the full recipe.

  1. Add the chicken, butter, spices, and buffalo sauce to a slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
  2. Once the chicken is fully cooked through, shred it using two forks or an electric mixer. If using an electric mixer, don’t overmix. Don’t discard the buffalo sauce in the slow cooker.
  3. Cook the onions and pepper in a large skillet for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cilantro, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 20 seconds. Add the shredded chicken to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce. Add more if you want it extra saucy. Check for seasoning and set it aside.
  4. Lay the tortillas on a baking sheet and add cheese and chicken to each tortilla and fold the tortillas in half. Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of leftover buffalo sauce in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  5. Fry the chicken tacos for 2-3 minutes on each side and enjoy!
Four photo collage showing how to make buffalo chicken tacos.

TOP TIPS

  • Feel free to use store-bought rotisserie chicken if you don’t feel like cooking the chicken from scratch. It’ll save you some time and be just as delicious!
  • Serve these tacos with avocado crema, sour cream, or guacamole for extra flavor.
  • Use an electric mixer to shred the chicken once it comes out of the slow cooker but don’t overmix it otherwise it will resemble tuna and become mushy.
  • Add a good amount of oil to your skillet before frying the tacos otherwise they can stick to your skillet.
  • Don’t want to fry them? Bake them at 400 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes.

HOW MUCH CHICKEN DO I NEED?

You’ll need about 3 pounds of chicken breasts for the entire recipe and about 1/4 cup of cooked shredded chicken for each taco.

three buffalo chicken tacos stacked on a cutting board.

STORAGE

Place any leftovers in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer, microwave, or oven until heated through.

MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY…

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cheesy buffalo chicken tacos with lime wedges on the side.
5 from 1 vote

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tacos

These cheesy buffalo chicken tacos are made with chicken breasts, flour tortillas, cheese, and buffalo sauce. This is my all-time favorite chicken taco recipe!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total: 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 12
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Ingredients 

  • 3 lbs chicken breasts
  • 1 cup buffalo sauce
  • 3 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt , or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon Paprika
  • ½ onion, diced
  • ½ red bell pepper , diced
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 12 small Flour Tortillas
  • 4 cups Colby Jack Cheese
  • oil

Instructions 

  • Add the chicken breasts, buffalo sauce, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and butter to your slow cooker. Cover and cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
  • Once the chicken is fully cooked through, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it using two forks or an electric mixer. If using an electric mixer, don't overmix. Don't discard the buffalo sauce in the slow cooker, we're going to need it later.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 20 seconds.
  • Add the shredded chicken to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce. Add more sauce if you want it extra saucy. Check for seasoning and set it aside.
  • Lay the tortillas on a baking sheet and add cheese and chicken to each tortilla and fold the tortillas in half. Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of leftover buffalo sauce in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Fry the chicken tacos for 2-3 minutes on each side and enjoy!

Notes

  • Feel free to use store-bought rotisserie chicken if you don’t feel like cooking the chicken from scratch. It’ll save you some time and be just as delicious!
  • Use an electric mixer to shred the chicken once it comes out of the slow cooker but don’t overmix it otherwise it will resemble tuna and become mushy.
  • Add a good amount of oil to your skillet before frying the tacos otherwise they can stick to your skillet.
  • Don’t want to fry them? Bake them at 400 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 1448mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 759IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 356mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 425
Keyword: buffalo chicken tacos, Chicken Tacos, how to make buffalo chicken tacos
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