Grilled Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tacos. (2024)

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Weeknight-style Grilled Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tacos. Chicken grilled with buffalo sauce, stuffed into hard shells, topped with cheese, and grilled until melty. Each buffalo taco is crunchy on the outside and spicy, saucy, and cheesy inside. Serve with a creamy, tangy jalapeño ranch, greens, and an avocado on top. These come together easily and are so delicious. They’re the perfect crispy taco that everyone loves, and they’re so fun for summer!!

With every season, I find new inspiration, and right now, I’m excited about summer grilling, I think everyone is. After a long winter and spring, I’m excited to be outside. Sharing simple but delicious summer recipes is what we all need right now!

I’ve been craving buffalo chicken! At first, I was just thinking I’d do some grilled buffalo chicken, but that felt boring, and tacos sounded equally good.

So I thought, why not grilled buffalo chicken stuffed inside crispy shells? Yum!

Usually, when I make buffalo chicken, I make a breaded variation to really soak up the sauce. These, however, are nothing like that. They’re fresher, which is so nice for summer!

I tend to make a lot of tacos all summer long, but these buffalo-style tacos are a new favorite. They require so little effort, I know you’ll love them!

Let’s Get Into Details

Step 1: season the chicken

This is pretty simple: toss some chicken tenders (or, if you love thighs, use those) with seasoned salt, chipotle chili powder, and buffalo sauce. You can use store-bought buffalo sauce or make your own.

If you want to make your own sauce, it’s pretty easy. Mix 1/2 cup or so of hot sauce (I use Franks) with an equal amount of melted butter. Then add seasoned salt and pepper. That’s it!

Step 2: grill the chicken

Now you grill! You can use a grill pan or an outdoor grill, both are great.

Grill the chicken until lightly charred on either side. If you’re using chicken tenders, this takes 5 minutes or so! So fast!

Step 3: shred the chicken and assemble

Shred the chicken and toss with more buffalo sauce.

Next, grab your taco shells. Stuff them with cheese and chicken and place each shell directly on the grill or use a grill basket. Cover the grill and let the cheese melt.

Step 4: make the 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.

Toss a whole bunch of shredded lettuce with the ranch. I like to add cilantro, scallions, and lime juice, too.

Step 5: finish these up!

Stuff the dressed-up greens into each shell on top of the chicken and cheese. Add extra sauce and avocado.

And that’s it! Quick and easy! Love that for summer!! Enjoy!

Looking for other summer tacos, try these:

Chili Crisp Chicken Tacos with Spicy Mango Salsa

Crispy BBQ Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa and Jalapeño Cream

Crispy Chipotle BBQ Chicken Tacos with Creamy Charred Corn Salsa

Hawaiian Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Pineapple Salsa

Sheet Pan Jalapeño Pineapple Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Garlic Sauce

Lastly, if you make these Grilled Buffalo Ranch Chicken 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!