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Buffalo chicken tacos on a platter.
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Buffalo Chicken Smash Tacos

Buffalo wings, but make them smash tacos. These buffalo chicken smash tacos are spicy, crispy, juicy and loaded with all the flavors you love from buffalo wings. Finished with a zingy slaw and a creamy blue cheese ranch drizzle, they're gorgeous for an easy dinner.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buffalo chicken tacos, smash tacos
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 440kcal

Ingredients

For the Buffalo chicken tacos -

  • 1 lb ground chicken (500g)
  • ¼ cup buffalo hot sauce
  • ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper
  • 12 mini tortillas
  • Olive oil for cooking

For the slaw -

  • ½ of a white cabbage shredded
  • 2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar

For the blue cheese ranch sauce -

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or use mayo, egg-free garlic aioli, Kewpie mayo, sour cream, or whipped cottage cheese
  • 1 tablespoon blue cheese crumbled (plus extra to serve)
  • 2 teaspoons ranch seasoning
  • A handful of fresh chives chopped (plus extra to serve)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Mix the buffalo chicken topping. Add the ground chicken to a mixing bowl, along with ¼ cup of buffalo hot sauce, ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese, the crushed garlic, salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well to combine.
  • Make the slaw. Mix the shredded white cabbage with the sliced scallions, then toss with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Set aside for now.
  • Make the blue cheese ranch. Add ½ cup of Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese, 2 teaspoons of ranch seasoning, the fresh chives, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a small bowl. Mix well with a fork, mashing the blue cheese into the yogurt as you go. Taste, then season with a little salt or pepper if needed. If you'd like your sauce a little looser, mix in a splash of water.
  • Press the topping onto your tacos. Scoop up a heaped tablespoon of the buffalo chicken mixture, and press it onto a mini tortilla, using the back of your spoon to smooth it right to the edges. Try to keep the topping quite thin and even - this will help the chicken cook quickly and evenly. Repeat with the remaining mixture and tortillas.
  • Cook your tacos. Set a large frying pan or skillet (using non-stick will help with any possible sticking here) over high heat, then add a drizzle of olive oil. When nice and hot, place a topped taco, chicken side down, into the pan. Use a flat spatula or fish slice to really 'smash' the taco into the pan. This helps the topping stick to the tortilla and cook quickly. Cook for about 4 minutes, then flip the tortilla and cook for another 30 seconds. The chicken should look crispy and golden. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to cook a few tacos at once.
  • Top the tacos and serve. Drizzle the cooked tacos with the blue cheese ranch sauce, then pile on the crunchy slaw. Finish with extra chives and a little more hot sauce or blue cheese if you like. Enjoy while lovely and hot.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: If you're not a blue cheese fan, swap it for creamy feta or freshly grated Parmesan. I like Greek yogurt for the sauce because it adds a nice tangy element, but you could swap it for mayo (or garlic aioli or Kewpie mayo), sour cream, whipped cottage cheese, or crème fraîche. Use a store-bought slaw if you like, to make things even easier. You could use ground turkey, pork, beef, or a plant-based alternative instead of chicken.
PREP AHEAD: There are a few ways to get ahead with this recipe. You can mix the Buffalo chicken topping up to 3 days in advance, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also top the tacos 24 hours in advance, then store them stacked on top of each other, with a piece of parchment paper between each layer, in an airtight container in the fridge. The slaw can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge until you're ready to serve. And the blue cheese ranch will keep for at least 3 days in the fridge too.
TOPPING NOT STICKING TO YOUR TORTILLAS? There are a few ways to combat this. Make sure you spread your topping into a thin, even layer on your tortilla. About 5mm thick – a thin coating, rather than a thick patty. Use a non-stick pan to cook your smash tacos. It’ll make flipping easier and lessen the risk of any sticking. Really press (smash) the tacos into the pan. I like using a flat spatula or a fish slice for this. It helps the topping stick and set into the tortilla as it cooks. Your pan should be nice and hot when you add your tacos. This helps the topping cook quickly and ‘seal’ itself to the tortilla.

Nutrition

Serving: 3tacos | Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1300mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g