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!
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.
HOW TO MAKE THEM
See the recipe card below for the full recipe.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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.
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
Servings: 12
Calories: 425kcal
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!
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
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