Add a spicy kick to taco night with these Easy Buffalo Chicken Tacos! Made with perfectly seasoned Buffalo Chicken, crisp lettuce, and creamy ranch dressing, these tacos are an easy 15-minute dinner your family will love!
This simple recipe for Buffalo Chicken Tacos is one of my all-time favorite leftover chicken recipes. From start to finish, even counting the time to make the homemade buffalo sauce, these Buffalo Chicken Tacos are ready in about 15 minutes, making them a staple recipe for busy weeknight dinners.
There are two things I know to be a fact.
- Tacos, be it beef tacos, fish tacos, shrimp tacos, or shredded chicken tacos, are a universally loved food.
- Buffalo Chicken, whether served as Buffalo boneless wings, Instant Pot Buffalo wings, Buffalo Chicken salad, or a Buffalo Chicken bake, is one of the most flavorful ways to enjoy chicken.
When you put the two together to form a Buffalo Chicken Taco, you can ensure that everyone will devour dinner.
Notes on Ingredients Used
- Cooked Chicken: Use any leftover cooked chicken you have on hand. Instant Pot Chicken Breasts, Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken, Homemade Rotisserie Chicken, or Oven Roasted Chicken Breasts are all great options for this recipe.
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce: Instead of using pre-made buffalo sauce, I encourage you to make your own. It only takes a few minutes and a handful of ingredients to make and it is so much tastier than store-bought sauce.
- Hot Sauce: Use a cayenne-based hot sauce, like Franks Red Hot.
- Honey: A bit of honey helps to balance out the sweetness.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Rounds out the buffalo sauce and
- Vinegar: Use apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar to help round out the flavor in the sauce.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter or omit the added salt if using salted butter.
- Garlic Powder: I find garlic powder flavors the sauce without overpowering it, as minced garlic can.
- Lettuce & Carrots:
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar or Colby cheese pair well with the buffalo flavor.
- Ranch Slaw: This simple slaw is made by tossing shredded carrots and shredded lettuce (or cabbage) with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing. This fresh, creamy lettuce slaw finishes these buffalo tacos off with incredible texture and flavor.
- Tortillas: Use corn, flour, or homemade tortillas for assembling these Buffalo Chicken Tacos.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Tacos
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Prepare the Ranch Slaw. To give the flavors in the ranch slaw time to marry together, you want to start this recipe by mixing the lettuce, carrots, and dressing together and then chill until the tacos are ready to assemble.
Step Two: Prepare Buffalo Sauce. The buffalo sauce is as easy as mixing the ingredients and bringing them to a simmer.
Step Two: Toss Chicken with Buffalo Sauce. After the buffalo sauce has been prepared, fold in the shredded chicken. The sauce should warm the chicken up perfectly, but if needed simmer on low heat for a minute or two.
Step Three: Assemble Tacos. Once the buffalo chicken is made, it is time to assemble the tacos. I do recommend warming the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until pliable, as it enhances the flavor and makes them easier to work with.
∗ Instant Pot Option ∗
An alternative option for making Buffalo Chicken Tacos is to begin this recipe by preparing Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken. The chicken cooks right in the buffalo sauce, meaning all you have to do is assemble the tacos using the prepared chicken and top as directed.
More Delicious Taco-Inspired Recipes
Did you try these Buffalo Chicken Tacos? If so, please take the time to leave a comment and review below.
Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- ½ cup hot sauce such as Frank's Red Hot
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce or a pinch of salt
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tablespoon honey optional
- 12 tortillas or taco shells
To Serve Buffalo Chicken Tacos
- ½ head iceberg lettuce shredded
- ¼ cup shredded or thinly sliced carrots
- ¼ cup ranch dressing or blue cheese plus more for serving
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the shredded lettuce, carrots, and ¼ cup of the ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Toss together until everything is well combined. Cover and refrigerate until the buffalo taco meat has been prepared.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the hot sauce, vinegar, butter, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce together. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering and the butter has melted, turn off the heat. Add the honey and shredded cooked chicken to the pan and toss to evenly coat in the sauce.
- Heat the flour or corn tortillas in a dry skillet, one at a time, until warmed through and pliable.
- Using tongs, or a slotted spoon, fill the taco shells with the buffalo chicken mixture. Top with the lettuce and carrot mixture and shredded cheese. Feel free to top the tacos with additional dressing, minced chives, or crumbled blue cheese. Serve immedaitely.
Meredith
These look delish! Am I missing the amount of vinegar needed for the buffalo sauce? I don’t see it listed in the ingredients list, just in the preparation directions.
Thanks. Hoping to make these tonight with leftover chicken!
Kristen Chidsey
Sorry about that, Meredith! It is 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar.
Olivia
These tacos were a big hit in my house! My family couldn't get enough of them, thank you for the recipe! We'll definitely be having these again soon.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that! Thank you for taking the time to share, Oliva!
Katie
I love trying new flavors of tacos and these were such a great idea! I love buffalo + ranch especially.
Sharina
We had a wonderful and satisfying taco night because of these buffalo chicken tacos! They are packed with flavors and the dressing is a winner!
Kristen Chidsey
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!