These buffalo chicken tacos are a great semi-homemade dinner or appetizer idea. Frozen chicken tenders make these super easy to get on the table, and fast!
This is one of my Main Dish recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
I love semi-homemade dinners like my chicken parmesan casserole, because they’re a busy family’s dream!
You’re still putting a hearty dinner on the table that you made, but you had a little helping hand from the grocery store.
If you’re a fan of buffalo chicken, then these are the tacos for you! It combines the amazing boldness of buffalo chicken flavor, with a fun taco night.
Plus these tacos are really customize-able, so you can make the perfect buffalo chicken tacos for you and your family!
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Chicken – you can use any chicken tenders you like best. We really like the Just Bare brand of lightly breaded tenders.
- Buffalo sauce – this is what gives these that classic buffalo chicken flavor and color. Use any brand and heat level that you prefer.
- Celery – for that amazing crunch, and it also cools down the heat from the buffalo sauce a little bit.
- Blue cheese – blue cheese is a classic companion to buffalo chicken. No need to break the bank, those pre-crumbled tubs of blue cheese work just fine.
- Green onions – optional, but recommended for flavor and freshness.
- Blue cheese dressing – if you’re not a blue cheese dressing fan, ranch is a great alternative.
- Tortillas – for making the tacos!
How to make buffalo chicken tacos?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Toss. Combine the cooked chicken tenders with buffalo sauce.
- Chop. Cut the buffalo chicken tenders into small bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble tacos. Top the tortillas with chicken, celery, green onion, blue cheese, and dressing.
Helpful Tip!
Even though soft flour tortillas are depicted in the photos, you can absolutely make these with corn tortillas, tostadas, or hard taco shells… whichever your family would like best.
Variations of this recipe
- Chicken – breaded frozen chicken tenders are what we use most of the time (spicy or regular), but if you have leftover chicken, or even a shredded rotisserie chicken, those will work just as well.
- Hot sauce – we like to use Franks RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce, but please feel free to use any brand or heat level that you’d like.
- Dressing – if you like ranch instead of blue cheese, you can substitute ranch.
- Tortillas – flour tortillas are what we typically use, but feel free to use corn tortillas or hard shells if you prefer. It’s also really nice to char the edges of the tortillas if you have time.
- Heat level – if you prefer a more mild heat level, you can use a more mild hot sauce, and don’t drizzle any additional sauce on the tacos. To make these tacos hotter, you can use spicy breaded chicken tenders, a hotter buffalo sauce, drizzle extra sauce, and/or toss some sliced jalapeños onto the tacos.
FAQ’s
They’re similar, but hot sauce is essentially peppers, vinegar, water, and seasonings. Buffalo sauce is hot sauce that has melted butter added to it, and it has a smoother and more bold flavor (usually).
You can use your favorite, but we really love the Just Bare brand of lightly breaded chicken tenders (they have a spicy and regular variety).
Making chicken tacos ahead of time
I don’t recommend making these tacos completely ahead of time, but you can save a little time by slicing the celery and green onions and storing them in the refrigerator.
Storage
If you have any leftovers, I highly recommend storing the components separately, otherwise the tacos will get soggy.
I would reheat the chicken in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, then just assemble the tacos.
My Favorite Taco Holder!
These holders aren’t necessary, but they sure make it easy to keep your tacos upright on your plate!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 frozen chicken tenders cooked according to package directions
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce or hot sauce if you prefer
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing
- 4 soft taco sized flour tortillas
Instructions
Prep chicken
- Cook chicken tenders, according to the package directions.
- Once chicken tenders have cooked, add to a large bowl and pour in buffalo sauce and stir/toss to combine well.
- Then add the chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Assemble tacos
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds, then top with buffalo chicken tender pieces, chopped celery, blue cheese crumbles, and green onions.
- Drizzle with blue cheese dressing, then serve hot, with some carrot and celery sticks if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- The times listed for this recipe do not include the time needed to cook the frozen chicken tenders, since that will vary from brand to brand and cooking method to cooking method.
- I’ve estimated this recipe makes 4 soft tacos, but please feel free to divide it up into as many servings as you’d like.
- If you’d like more spice, feel free to drizzle the tacos with additional buffalo sauce.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Patti says
I mix Franks hot sauce in a bowl with the tenders then bake, super yummy
Michelle Paden says
Omg made these tonight with all the ingredients suggested and they were amazing! New favorite taco recipe! Yummm 😋 Thanks for sharing!
Catalina says
The Buffalo Chicken Tacos were a game changer! The spicy buffalo flavor paired perfectly with the creamy blue cheese dressing. These tacos have quickly become a family favorite.
April says
My kids LOVED these! They were so quick and easy to make, and full of flavor!
Sandra says
Made these over the weekend for a gathering and it was a hit! Everyone love it and wanted more!
Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Dessert says
I absolutely loved this! It’s so convenient to make, but the combination of flavors is just too good to resist! These are now a regular on my menu!
Krystle says
A great combination of two of my favorite dishes. We love making this on busy weeknights
Beth says
I love having all the hallmark flavors of Buffalo chicken in one hand-held container. All the dip and everything is in there!