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Weeknight-style Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Creamy Jalapeño Ranch. Chicken slow cooked in homemade buffalo sauce, then mixed with cheese, stuffed into tortillas, and oven-baked. Each buffalo taco is crunchy on the outside, and spicy, saucy, and cheesy inside. Serve with a creamy, tangy jalapeño ranch and an avocado on top. These come together easily and are so delicious. The perfect crispy taco that everyone loves!
The very first full week of September and I’m already back with the buffalo chicken recipes. The second football season starts back up all I can think about is fun game night appetizers and dinners. That’s the month of September for me. Then, when October hits I move on to Halloween 24/7.
But for now, it’s fun game day style recipes. And while I know these aren’t traditional tacos, they really are so delicious!
Here are the details
These are easy you guys. I want to start out by saying you can make these in either the crockpot, instant pot, or on the stove. Either option works, so use whichever method suits you best! They will all give you the same outcome.
For the crockpot, simply add all the ingredients right into the crockpot. For the hot sauce, I like to use Frank’s Red Hot. Next, add the butter, seasoned salt, and pepper. Let it all slow cook, then shred the meat right into the buffalo sauce.
The very same with the instant pot, except the cooking time is much, much shorter (just 8 minutes).
And for the stove-top, it is slightly more involved, but it’s still easy. Just cook the chicken in a skillet until seared, pour in the sauce, butter, and seasoned salt. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Then shred the chicken right into the sauce.
For the crispy shells
Instead of using store-bought taco shells, I like to take corn tortillas and stuff them with the buffalo chicken and cheese. Then I throw them into the oven to bake until the tortillas are crispy.
This method is my favorite and I use it every time I make tacos for my family. We love the crispy oven “fried” shells and melty cheese. It’s the best when some of the cheese melts out onto the pan and gets crispy too. Delicious.
Of course, feel free to use store-bought shells when in a time crunch! The directions I gave in the recipe calls for store-bought, but I provided my homemade recipe too!
The creamy jalapeño ranch
I know that making homemade ranch is just another step, but it really is worth it. And it’s easier than running to the market to pick up a bottle.
I keep mine pretty simple and straightforward. Sour cream or yogurt, mayo, buttermilk, parsley, dill, onion, garlic, and of course, the jalapeños. Instead of fresh jalapeños, I like to use pickled. Using pickled jalapeños adds a subtle, tangy kick that I find especially delicious.
Finish these up with avocado on top, fresh cilantro, and extra buffalo sauce.
Simple to make, but so yummy and fun for fall nights. My family loved these crunchy, crispy tacos!
Looking for more simple game day recipes? Here are a few favorites:
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Lastly, if you make these Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 762 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 cup hot sauce (I like Franks Red Hot)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- black pepper
- 12 hard shell tacos (see notes for homemade option)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- cilantro, green onion, and avocado, for serving
- 2 chipotle peppers, chopped
Creamy Jalapeño Ranch
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup pickled jalapeños
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the chicken, hot sauce, chipotle, butter, seasoned salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours.2. When finished cooking, shred the meat and toss with the sauce, then remove the chicken from the sauce, saving the extra sauce for serving. Preheat the oven to 425° F.3. Line the taco shells up in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake 5 minutes. Stuff the chicken in each taco shell and top with cheese. Bake 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.4. Meanwhile, make the Creamy Jalapeño Ranch. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until creamy. Season with salt. 5. Serve the tacos topped with cilantro, green onions, avocado, additional buffalo sauce and Creamy Jalapeño Ranch.
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the chicken, hot sauce, chipotle, butter, seasoned salt, and pepper. Seal the and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the steam. 2. When finished cooking, shred the meat and toss with the sauce, then remove the chicken from the sauce, saving the extra sauce for serving. Preheat the oven to 425° F.3. Continue on with the recipe as directed in steps 3-5 above.
Notes
For Easy Homemade Hard Shells: Warm 8-12 corn tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each flat and then layer evenly with cheese and chicken. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.
So yummy! We made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! The only complaint was—I didn’t make enough! 🙂 The chicken was yummy and so easy in the crockpot. For the tacos, I did a pan of the hardshells and a pan of the soft corn shells. We loved them all! The ranch sauce was delicious! Will def be making again!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out and leaving such a kind comment! xT
Delicious flavor and easy to make! Only change I made was halving the portions for the ranch dressing; in my experience the portions for HBH dressings/sauces always make way too much for our family. Although in this case the leftovers could be used for salads and other meals (I just don’t like having extra random jars in my fridge)!
Thanks so so much for trying out the recipe, I really hope you loved it! xT
What is seasoned salt? This isn’t a thing in my country and clicked on the shopping list link and it had a vague description of “spices, onion, garlic”.
What spices usually go in this mysterious Americana item?
My sauce wasn’t creamy it was runny. Any suggestions
Hi there! I would add some more sour cream or yogurt! xT
Delicious! Made in the stovetop with chicken thighs. Took about 20 minutes. Made the shells with small street taco size corn tortillas. Served with ranch and avocado. Will definitely make again and share with friends!
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂 xT
I made this for my family of six (four smalls under the age of 10) and everyone devoured it! Even the two year old ate a full taco (or two)! The jalapeño ranch dressing is our new go-to in the house.
Love to hear this! Thank you so so much! xT
My husband especially loves buffalo chicken anything and this was one of the best recipes we’ve made in that category. Will definitely make again. I did make a few tweaks to the recipe: I used flour tortillas instead of corn (preference only), substituted 1/2 cup whole milk plus 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar in the dressing instead of buttermilk, only used 1.5 tsp of season salt (but next time would only use 1 tsp). I used about 3 large chicken breast and cooking them on high in the slow cooker only took about an hour and a half, and may have been done a little sooner, but I wasn’t watching. I also used a sheet pan instead of 9×13 and spread the pan with some canola oil and rubbed one side of each tortilla in a light layer to keep from sticking and to help crisp. I ended up baking at 425 for 5 min on one side, then flipped and another 5 minutes on the other side and broiled each side for a minute or two to really get the tortillas crispy.
Thank you for this comment! I appreciate it! xT
Hello. These look delicious! Question – the chipotle peppers, are they fresh or canned in adobe sauce?
Thank you.
They are canned in adobo sauce! xT
Hi! This was so delicious! My kids thought it was really hot/spicy. How do I tone it down? Thank you!
Hi there! I would just use a little less hot sauce! xT
This recipe was easy and delicious! I’ll be making these tacos 🌮 regularly.
Thank you for trying out this recipe Michelle! xT
Just made these and WOW! New favorite for my husband. I made creamy jalap sauce right after placing chicken in slow cooker and stuck it in the fridge till the dish was ready.
Also- I followed her Easy Hardshell Tortilla version and used a wire cookie cooling rack placed atop a baking sheet and had amazing crispy tacos. Not the least bit soggy. Would highly recommend!
Thanks for trying out the recipe! So glad you loved it! xT
🙂
I love this recipe. We have had it several times! One question… any suggestions on how to keep the bottom of the taco shells from getting soggy? I try to get as much juice out as I can before I stuff them, but it’s hard to keep them crisp! They’re great regardless, just a little trickier to eat!
Hey Amanda,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:) You could try baking them on a sheet pan with a wire rack, that might help! xx
Delicious!! I cannot wait to try again soon! The soft corn tortillas from Target worked perfectly and did not break. Also, loved the Jalpeno Ranch, added some cottage cheese for consistency.
Hey Alyssa,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
love love love this recipe! It’s so quick and easy to prep and my husband and 2 year old love it too!!
I like using the leftover shredded chicken for lunch the next day with avacado, cheese, cilantro and a drizzle of the ranch
Hey Karissa,
Happy Wednesday!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was delish! xT
OMG. My friend made these for us for dinner. Crisping the tortillas with all of the goodness inside is brilliant. I’m making tomorrow but feeling lazy so using store bought lime cilantro crema as a topper. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx