Next Post
Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Butter Bread.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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!
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.
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!
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Made the buffalo chicken part last night and it’s delicious already on its own…and I didn’t even do the taco crispy/cheesey ranch part yet. Doing that for dinner tonight…can’t wait to put it all together!
Hey Denise,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xx
I made this recipe and it was really good but was way to salty. I will definitely make it again but will probably omit the seasoned salt altogether.
Hi Kari,
Thanks for trying these tacos and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear they were too salty for you! xTieghan
Very tasty but my corn tortillas don’t look like your picture. Is your picture with taco shells? My tortillas split and curled.
I think because in video she put olive oil over the taco shells to get crispy, she left out in recipe directions
Hi Brenda,
Did you follow the notes for making them at the end of the recipe? That is key! Thanks for trying the recipe! xTieghan
Could I use flour tortillas instead, and spray with PAM spray to make them crispy in the oven?
Hi Linda,
Sorry, that’s not going to give the same results:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
When I oil The fresh tortillas, do I then turned them over so the oils on the outside or the inside?
Hi Brenda,
You can oil both sides of the tortillas. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Yes delicious! Love the ranch dip!
Hi Brenda,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Absolutely delicious! What an easy and quick recipe in the Instant Pot. Used the homemade hard shells with corn tortillas, so crunchy! This is a keeper!
Hey Laura,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for making these tacos, I love to hear that they were enjoyed! xT
Triple excellent! So many great taste sensations! Jalapeño ranch sauce is great!
Hey Laura,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
I loved this recipe! I made the instant pot version and I made the hard tacos, but next time I’ll buy hard shells to save a few minutes.
This recipe made a lot of chicken, so I had leftovers for wraps the next day
The ranch for this recipe was absolutely unreal. The only change I made was I had to use 2 tsp. Of dried chives instead of 2 Tbsp. of fresh because I didn’t have any fresh.
Hey Melinda,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making these tacos, I am so glad to hear that they were enjoyed! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Hi I couldn’t find chipotle peppers would serrano peppers be okay to use? Thanks!
Hi Amber,
Sure, that would work! Chipotle peppers in adobo will also work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xx
I’ve made these two times so far. The first time was a run through to see if we’d like to make them for a dinner that we host with my sister every other week. I doubled the ranch recipe so that I had it prepped for the dinner party a few days later (this ranch is yummy). I couldn’t find chipotle peppers so I used canned chipotle peppers that were in a red sauce (probably adobo). The first run we used store bought crunchy taco shells. They were delicious but I did learn a few lessons. I used an instant pot and cooked for 10 mins. The chicken wasn’t as easy to shred so next time, 12 mins. I did not drain the chicken from the juice in the instant pot which made the base of the taco shell soggy and blow out when trying to remove them from the pan. I laid aluminum foil down in the pan and the cheese stuck to the foil and the soggy tacos did too. The 2nd go around the 12 mins in the instant pot allowed the chicken to shred more easily. We also drained the chicken so the tortillas weren’t soggy. We decided to use corn and flour tortillas and use the “homemade” method. They turned out better (still delicious) but the bottoms still blew out. After studying the photos on this recipe page I think I know what I’ll do next time. It looks like Tieghan used parchment paper to protect the pan and laid the tacos on their side rather then upright (which is how I orientated them). I think this will help with the bottom blowouts and create a better, all around crunchy taco.
Hey April,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a ton for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a winner:)
Tieghan,
Made these for the 2nd time and they are a huge hit with my family! The sensational flavors that meld together are absolutely incredible! I used boneless thighs each time and chipolte peppers in Adobe. My season salt is a Mississippi favorite that I use on almost everything that calls for a season salt and the Ranch Dip is a favorite! I could put this on toast! It is so tasty and flavorful, we have to triple the dip so there is enough to share between us! Thanks for sharing this hugely successful meal!
Hey SusanBeth,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Happy Monday! xT
Excited to try! My family and I love all your recipes! How would you adjust this for already shredded cooked chicken?
Thanks so much Abbey!! I honestly wouldn’t use shredded already cooked chicken here:) You really want to allow the chicken to cook with the sauces and seasonings to absorb all of the good flavors! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
My husband is obsessed with these! He especially loves the ranch. Im lactose intolerant so I omitted the buttermilk and it turned out delicious even without it! I think next time Ill try using corn tortillas instead of store bought shells since they seemed to break easily and it made stuffing with chicken a bit challenging. We obviously didn’t care because it tasted awesome! Thank you for sharing this 🙂
Hey Wanda,
Perfect!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Will doubling the recipe increase the cook time in the crock pot?
Hey Chris,
I would cook for at least 7 hours on low and just make sure your pot is large enough to handle doubling the recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made these tacos over the weekend & they were absolutely delicious! Make sure not to skimp on the homemade jalapeno ranch- it’s a game changer!
Hey Erica,
Perfect!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed these tacos, thanks for making it:) xx
These tacos are delicious! I used soft taco shells to make homemade hard shells and they came out so good! Nice and crispy and the way the cheese melts, perfection.
One of my new favorites. So many layers of flavor in this relatively simple recipe. Just delicious!!
Hi Treena,
So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Hi Lauryn,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing with your family:) xTieghan