I’m not big on making recipes just because they’re trendy, but this new way to make tacos has been all over my social media feeds and I HAD to try it (with an AK twist, of course).
You’ve probably heard of smash burgers, but have you tried smash tacos?! I had so much fun grilling up these smashed buffalo chicken tacos with the team a few weeks ago. We’re mixing buffalo sauce right into the chicken mixture for a kick of heat, then topping the tacos with a crunchy, yogurt-based slaw. SO GOOD.
Oh, and these incredible tacos come together in just 30 minutes. Summer dinner perfection!
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What are smash tacos?
Instead of cooking meat and piling it up onto a tortillas, you’ll actually press ground meat into the tortilla itself and cook it directly on a grill or skillet! It’s SO easy and there are tons of amazing flavor combinations you can try.
Everything you’ll need to make these smashed buffalo chicken tacos
I love how simple the ingredients are to make these delish tacos. We’re packing in the fresh veggies and herbs, too! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vegetables: the base of the crunchy slaw is made from shredded cabbage and shredded carrots.
- Herby ranch dressing: you’ll blend up plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, honey, a jalapeño, fresh cilantro, garlic, dill, and chives to make the BEST dressing for the slaw.
- For the chicken: we’re using lean ground chicken to make the smashed tacos. You’ll mix it with cilantro, buffalo sauce, scallions, garlic, and salt.
- Tortillas: I like to use small flour tortillas for these smashed tacos!
- For serving: enjoy as is or add fresh avocado, extra buffalo sauce, and jalapeño slices (or my pickled jalapeño recipe).
Make these tacos your own
There are plenty of yummy ways to customize these buffalo chicken smash tacos:
- Add a kick of heat. if you love spicy food, choose a spicy buffalo sauce and keep the seeds in your jalapeños!
- Cheese it up. I think these would also be delicious with sharp cheddar cheese or even crumbled bleu cheese to pair with the buffalo.
- Go gluten-free. Simply use corn tortillas in place of the flour tortillas.
Can I use a different meat?
Feel free to use any ground meat you’d like in these tacos! I recommend no leaner than 93% so that they’re not dry.
Is there a dairy-free option?
Yes! Feel free to use your favorite plain dairy-free yogurt in the slaw, or swap it for one of these slaw recipes:
How to make smashed chicken tacos
- Make the slaw. Start by tossing the cabbage and carrots with a little salt. Blend the dressing ingredients together, then toss the cabbage with the dressing.
- Mix the chicken. Add your ground chicken to a separate bowl and mix with the herbs and buffalo sauce.
- Prep the tortillas. Spread just about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto one side of each tortilla. It should be thin!
- Cook the tacos. Place the tortillas meat-side down onto a greased griddle on your grill or stovetop, or on a skillet on your stovetop, and press down slightly with a spatula. Cook for a few minutes, flip, and cook the tortilla side.
- Top & devour. Add the slaw and any other fresh toppings to your tacos, and dig in!
Storing tips
- The slaw: keep any leftover slaw in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- The tacos: store any leftover tacos without the slaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or on a griddle, then top with the slaw and serve.
More summer dinners you’ll love
- Grilled Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetables
- Moroccan-Spiced Turkey Burgers with Creamy Feta Sauce
- Crazy Good Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Grilled Turmeric Lime Chicken Bowls
- Chipotle Lime Salmon Tacos with Corn Avocado Peach Salsa & Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Get all of my dinner recipes here, and my grilling recipes here!
I hope you love these smashed buffalo chicken tacos! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Buffalo Chicken Smash Tacos with Herby Ranch Slaw
Ingredients
- For the slaw:
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- ½ cup shredded carrots (optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- For the chicken:
- 1 pound ground chicken (93% lean)
- ¼ cup diced fresh cilantro
- 2 to 3 tablespoons buffalo sauce
- 2 tablespoons diced scallions
- 1 clove garlic, grated (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 to 10 small flour tortillas
- For serving:
- Avocado slices (from 1 to 2 avocados)
- Extra buffalo sauce, for drizzling
- Jalapeño slices, if desired
Instructions
- Add shredded cabbage and carrots (if using) to a medium bowl and sprinkle with salt. Use tongs to toss together.
- Add the yogurt, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, honey (or sugar), garlic, dill and chives to a blender and blend until smooth and well combined, 1 minute. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and use tongs to toss to combine until the cabbage is well coated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the chicken, cilantro, buffalo sauce, scallions, garlic and salt until well combined.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of the chicken onto a tortilla so that it is thin. You should get about 10 to 12 tortillas.
- Place a griddle, large cast iron skillet or a large nonstick pan over medium heat (about 400 degrees F.) I prefer to use a griddle so that you can do more tortillas at a time and flip easier.
- Once the pan is hot, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and swirl the oil around the pan. Place the tortilla meat side down, pressing down slightly with a spatula, and cook until golden, 2 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack or platter and cook the remaining tortillas, adding more oil to the pan if necessary so the chicken doesn’t stick.
- Top each tortilla with the cabbage slaw, a drizzle of buffalo sauce, avocado slices and jalapeño, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
could I use finely chopped cooked chicken in place of the ground chicken?
They won’t be “smash” tacos anymore, but you could just enjoy these as normal chicken tacos with your cooked chicken and the slaw on top!
These are very flavorful! Love this recipe. Instead of purchased buffalo sauce, I made my own and substituted the normal butter with plain greek yogurt for a more healthful spin. There are a few variations of course to the smashed tacos, but we really loved these and the fun of making them. Definitely staying in our rotation.
That sounds perfect! So glad you love these ones!
I never leave reviews but this is one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever tried, period! Brava, Monique!
So happy to hear that!!
I’m confused; is the ground chicken in the ingredients cooked, just plain, before continuing to prepare/assemble the meal? How does it stay on the wraps?
The ground chicken ingredients get mixed, then pressed raw onto the tortillas. The mixture will stick to the tortillas! Check out the photos and video for more of an explanation if you’d like a visual 🙂
I had no idea how this was going to turn out at first because I’ve never made tacos in this way, but I think they just became my favorite tacos! There is so much depth and balance of flavor. I forgot to buy an avocado and it still turned out great. Relatively easy to prepare, though I don’t have a griddle and next time will use two pans to save some cooking time. Thank you for the recipe!!
Right?! So fun and SO delicious! Glad you enjoyed!
Any other sauce recs if buffalo isn’t a thing? Thanks!
BBQ sauce would be great!
I’ve made these multiple times now and they are so good! I love the heat from the buffalo balanced with the coolness of the slaw. Such an easy dinner to throw together.
The perfect combo! Glad you enjoyed!
These were REALLY tasty–just the right spiciness. i did make the full recipe and the slaw dressing is one of our new favorite things! As has been ground chicken, so I was delighted to find a new way to use it. We are a family of 2, so I grilled 3 tacos, saving the remaining chicken and slaw for another day. The leftover slaw disappeared almost immediately, but we did have tacos a second time, and I made the remaining chicken mixture into little meatballs which I cooked in my airfryer for snacks. I’m not wild about scallions, but minced them really fine–they have a tendency to turn into hard little nuggets. I wouldn’t hesitate to use onions instead. While this recipe is going to show up on our table again, the slaw is going to happen even without the tacos! That dressing is totally brilliant!
Perfect! Sounds like a great way to use up leftovers 🙂 Glad they were a hit!
Do you think it would be possible to make these with chickpeas instead of chicken? 😬
You could definitely give it a shot! I haven’t tested it but I love the sound of that 🙂
This recipe was tasty and a great way to load up on protein with tons of flavor. I meal-prepped them by layering the tortillas with the smashed meat between layers of parchment paper inside an airtight tupperware.
Perfect! Great idea!
Made this last night and it was so good! Made as written, but realized I did not blend my yogurt sauce, just diced everything and mixed up. Delicious that way too. Next time I will blend. Yes, there will be a next time! Yummy, delicious and healthy!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
We’re obsessed with these in our house. Would love more flavor variations!
Same! I’ll have to make some new flavors!
This recipe was easy to make and the flavors were incredible! My husband and I both agreed it’s a new regular in our meal prep rotation 😍
So good!! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂
Incredible recipe- the slaw puts it over the top. Both my husband and my child asked when I’ll be making these tacos again-soon!
So happy to hear that!!