Quick Look at these Easy Buffalo Chicken Smash Tacos
- Ready In: 35 minutes!
- Serves: 6
- Main Ingredients: ground chicken, butter, onion, lettuce, celery, ranch dressing, small tortillas, and the best homemade buffalo sauce!
- Dietary Info: dairy-free friendly and gluten-free friendly
- Equipment: flat top griddle (like a Blackstone), burger press, & parchment paper. A cast iron skillet can be used in place of a griddle.
Share and summarize this recipe:
Why You’ll Drool Over This Recipe
- All the BEST buffalo chicken flavor that you know and love!
- Cook time of only 5 minutes!
- Cooking outside on the Blackstone for easy clean-up.
- Crunch from the most amazing fresh ranch salad on top.
- A fun spin on that traditional smash burger taco that will become your new favorite!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Ground Chicken – highly recommend using chicken for that classic buffalo chicken flavor, but ground turkey could also be used.
- Shredded Butter & Onion – my secret ingredients for the most juicy and flavorful chicken patties. The onion adds flavor and the fat of the butter renders to keep everything so juicy!
- Buffalo Sauce – option to make your own homemade buffalo sauce or pick-up your favorite store-bought buffalo sauce.
- Celery + Romaine Lettuce – fresh and crisp toppings that can’t be skipped!
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Smash Tacos
Step 1 – Mix up all the chicken burger ingredients in a bowl.
Step 2 – Separate into 6 equal-sized portions and freeze for 15-30 minutes.
Step 3 – Mix the lettuce, celery, green onions, and ranch in a separate bowl.
Step 4 – Smash the chilled burger balls on a hot griddle with parchment and burger press.
Pro Tip
While the chicken burger balls chill in the freezer, prep and toss the ranch salad and get the flat top griddle fully ready to go. The cook time goes very fast and, for best results, you will want to bring the burger balls directly from the freezer to the preheated cook top.
Step 5 – Flip the burger patties, add cheese, and tortillas next to them.
Step 6 – Serve with the ranch salad and desired toppings.
Erin’s Testing Tips: What We Learned
👉 Do NOT skip the freezing step! Working with ground chicken can be very sticky. Putting the burger balls in the freezing for 15-30 minutes right before cooking is very helpful to reduce that stickiness.
👉 Have everything ready to go before cooking, the cook time goes very fast and you will want to be ready!
👉 HIGHLY RECOMMEND warming the tortilla next to the smash burger – do NOT mash raw meat into the tortilla, it gets way too soggy! This is a different process than others, but we have tested this method MANY times and it gives far better results.
Best Ways To Serve Buffalo Chicken Smash Tacos
The creamy and crunchy ranch salad included in the recipe card below is a must! Then add some slices of avocado, blue cheese crumbles, and another drizzle of the buffalo sauce for the most delicious smash burger taco you have ever eaten. And if you are looking for a side dish, we highly recommend some carrot sticks or a simple side salad!
Buffalo Chicken Smash Tacos FAQs
I would not recommend fully cooking these smash tacos ahead of time, but many of the pieces could be prepped ahead. Mix the burger mixture, chop the fresh ingredients (wait to toss in the ranch dressing), and make the homemade buffalo sauce, if making your own.
Street taco tortillas are the perfect size for these, but feel free to use flour, corn, or a gluten-free version.
Made this recipe and loved it?!
We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Follow Us on Social
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup white onion, shredded & moisture squeezed out
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, shredded (sub plant-based butter)
- 1 tablespoon buffalo sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ⅓ cups celery, thinly sliced
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
- ⅓ cup green onions, sliced
- ⅓ cup ranch dressing
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 slices white American cheese, sub provolone
- 6 street corn flour tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
Optional Toppings:
- blue cheese crumbles
- buffalo sauce, homemade buffalo sauce or store-bought sauce
Instructions
- Burger Mixture: In a large bowl, add 1 pound ground chicken, shredded onion, shredded butter, 1 tablespoon buffalo sauce, 2 teaspoons garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix to fully combine. Divide into 6 equal-sized balls on a plate and place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes (this will help them not be so sticky when you smash them).
- Mix Slaw: While the chicken mixture chills, add 1 ⅓ cups celery, 1 cup romaine lettuce, ⅓ cup green onions, and ⅓ cup ranch dressing to a separate large bowl. Toss to combine and set aside.
- Prep Other Ingredients: Make sure you have the tortillas, cheese slices, parchment papers, and tools ready to bring out to the Blackstone griddle (or use a large cast iron skillet or a flat-top insert for your grill). The cook time goes super fast so having everything ready-to-go is a must!
- Cook Patties + Toast Tortillas: Preheat flat top griddle to a medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and spread around the cook top. Place the burger balls on the hot cooktop with a parchment sheet on top, then use the burger press to gently flatten the patties. This will take about 15-20 seconds per patty. Let sit and cook for 40 seconds. Flip the burgers, place a slice of cheese on each one, and then place the tortillas on the cook top next to each patty. Close the lid and let burgers cook for about 1-2 minutes. Open lid and flip tortillas. Use a large spatula to lift patties and place on top of toasted tortilla. Transfer them all to a plate.
- Top + Serve: Add your desired amount of the slaw mixture, 2-3 thin avocado slices, a drizzle of extra buffalo sauce and blue cheese crumbles (if you want). Enjoy!
Notes
- Burger Balls: each chicken burger ball should be approx. 3 ounces.
- Avocado: the slaw was tested with the avocado mixed in and served separately as slices. Personally, we preferred them as slices (not mixed into the slaw) but they were delicious either way.
- Freezer: do not skip the freeze time for this recipe! It is so much easier to smash the chicken patties when they go right from the freezer to the hot cooktop!
- Dairy-Free: use a plant-based butter and either omit the cheese slices or use a dairy-free alternative.
- Gluten-Free: use gluten-free tortillas!
Bridget says
These were so good! And so easy to make!