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Weeknight style cheesy baked Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili Tacos. Topped with all the toppings! Because loaded tacos are just better. Ground chicken seasoned with a homemade “ranch” seasoning mix, spicy buffalo sauce, and salsa verde. The meat is stuffed into hard shell tacos, topped with cheese, and oven-baked – because we love a crispy, crunchy taco! Serve each taco with a creamy cilantro lime ranch sauce, and a mix of your favorite taco toppings. They come together in minutes and are so delicious.
Well, these might just be my new favorite taco, and my family’s too. So ummy, as little Mr. Oslo would say!
I think by now you all know just how much my family loves tacos. We grew up eating my dad’s baked tacos weekly. And now, I’ve pretty much carried on that tradition with my younger siblings. Only I love to switch up my flavors!
To be honest, I made these last week just because I wanted tacos and was hoping to make a quick meal. Nothing fancy at all. I had ground chicken in the fridge, so I thought I would do a simple buffalo chicken taco.
I started throwing things in. Before I knew it, I had what I’m now calling spicy buffalo white chicken chili tacos.
A mix of buffalo sauce and salsa verde. Very similar in flavor to my recent Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili! If you’ve enjoyed that chili, you may love these tacos even more!
Here are details
Start with the taco meat. This comes together in minutes. Use ground chicken and cook it with an onion and a mix of dried herbs: parsley, chives, and dill. Then add garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. This is the “ranch” seasoning blend.
When the meat is cooked, add the buffalo sauce and salsa verde. Then just cook until the sauces coat the chicken.
Now for the shells. Instead of using store-bought taco shells, I like to take corn tortillas. I stuff them with the taco meat plus cheese and oven-bake them until crispy. I rub each tortilla with olive oil and then flip them halfway through cooking. This is key to getting the tacos extra crispy on both sides.
If you have a couple of extra minutes, I recommend making your own shells. They’re always preferred over store-bought for any kind of taco I serve!
While the tacos are baking, I prep the toppings. A cilantro ranch, candied jalapeños, lettuce, and lots of green onions. Oh, and extra buffalo sauce too!
For the ranch, I used fresh cilantro and plenty of lime in place of the usual herb mix. I also stirred in some pickled jalapeños for a spicy, tangy kick. This is the perfect sauce to dollop onto each cheesy, crunchy taco.
Crispy shells and taco meat that’s extra saucy with just the right amount of spice and flavor!
So fast and easy, but still so yummy! A great weeknight taco, that’s totally fresh and new! Nothing boring over here!
Looking for more simple Mexican recipes? Here are a few favorites:
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema.
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Lastly, if you make these Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili Tacos, 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!
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili Tacos
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 433 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 12 hard shell tacos (see notes for homemade option)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Ranch
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped + 2 tablespoons brine
- 1/3 cup lime juice
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, chicken, and onion over medium heat. Cook the meat, breaking it up as it cooks, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the poblano pepper, parsley, chives, dill, garlic powder, paprika, and a pinch of salt. Add 1/3 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly around the chicken, 5 minutes. Stir in the buffalo sauce and salsa verde. Cook until most of the sauce coats the chicken, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. 3. Line the taco shells up on a sheet pan or in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake 5 minutes. Evenly divide the meat among each taco shell and top with cheese. Bake 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.4. Meanwhile, make the "ranch". Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until creamy. 5. Serve the tacos topped with the ranch, avocado, candied jalapeños, and any other desired toppings.
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.
Would ground beef work with this? The flavor sounds good but I don’t usually have ground chicken.
Hi Gloria,
Yes, ground beef will also work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Made these tacos last night, and they are SO good! Tieghan, you are so right:making the “homemade” shells doesn’t take too much time and so worth it. Keeping this one, for sure. (I had ground beef on hand and used that instead of chicken and it turned out yummy)
Hey Kirsten,
Happy Monday!!☃️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was enjoyed! xT
another winner! Made these tonight for dinner, and they are absolutely phenomenal. Make as directed and don’t forget to follow the note for the homemade crispy taco shells. The ranch sauce is the perfect topping. I love the fact that these are already assembled; hot and crispy and ready to eat. Thanks Tieghan !
Hey Carol,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
Hey Tieghan – these sound delicious. What Buffalo sauce do you use? Is there a recipe or is it store bought?
Hey Tracy!
Thanks so much! I like Frank’s buffalo sauce! Let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Oh heck yes! All of your taco recipes are huge hits in our house. Can’t wait to make this!
Awe thanks so much Shelly!! I hope your family loves these! xT
Hi Tieghan, do these tacos use one or two shells? It looks like one pic has soft and hard shells (two shells for one taco) but the ingredients only list the hard shells. Wasn’t sure which is correct? Thank you!
Hey Ellie,
Honestly, it’s totally up to you! You can do hard shells or double, with the soft and hard! Either way, these are great! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi. Baked tacos sound great …but I’m confused by the third photo. It shows soft tacos with hard tacos inside. Like a double layered taco. Your recipe only says to use one tortilla per taco though. Wondering if that step is missing or the photo is an accident. Thanks!
Hey Deb,
You can do either! My family loves the double tacos, but totally not necessary for this recipe! Let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This recipe sounds amazing!! I can’t wait to try it!! I do have one question, do you think this recipe would work with shrimp instead of the ground chicken?
Thanks so much Mary:) Sure, shrimp would be delicious! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
I cannot wait to make these!! Thank you!
Thanks so much Carrie! I hope you love this recipe!! xx
Hi Tieghan. Can you update the recipe to include the ingredients and steps needed to make the candied jalapeños?
The first time they are mentioned is when you say to top the tacos with them in step 5.
Hi Marcie,
I was just looking this up, because I remembered them from an “oldie but goodie” jalapeno cornbread recipe where she used them – they were so good.
Recipe can be found here: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/sweet-kentucky-bourbon-corn-pudding-with-candied-jalapenos/
Hey Marcie,
You can find the recipe for the candied jalapeños located here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/
I hope you love these tacos, let me know if you give them a try! xT
Hi! Love the idea of candied jalapeños…how do you make them??
Thanks so much Allison! You can find the recipe for the candied jalapeños here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
So delicious and amazing! One can ever tire of tacos and you never cease to come up with awesome and unique ideas for ALL THE TACOS. These were just what the doctor ordered for a delicious winter evening dinner. The ranch sauce was top notch!
Hey Aline,
Happy Wednesday!! I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit:)
Tieghan, I have been making your food for years now. I love the flavors, colors and presentation of your meals! Thank you for inspiring my cooking! Attached is a video of a catering event I did using all your recipes. It was a big hit! Thanks!
file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/f0/00/2686A499-C53C-4B5F-BA71-83A654B15806/IMG_4176.MOV
Awe, thank you so much for your kind message Teresa! I am so glad you have been enjoying the recipes and truly appreciate you making them:) xT
What’s the sauce on the side in the pic? Looks good, but doesn’t look like ranch?
Hi Meghan,
Those are the candied jalapeños:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope these turn out tasty for you! xT
How boring! do something different.
The same could be said to you.
How incredibly uncalled for. I’m sorry you feel it necessary to be so negative for absolutely no reason on what is otherwise a lovely forum.
How immature! Learn proper capitalization.
I’m curious as to which salsa verde and Buffalo sauce you used?
Hey Lori,
I like Frontera brand salsa verde and Frank’s Buffalo Sauce. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This is about as far from boring as one can get. By all means, though – please share a link to your better idea.