buffalo chicken tacos with lime ranch (instant pot)

Buffalo chicken tacos will blow your mind with its simple preparation yet complex flavors, tastes and textures.

Gain a sense of accomplishment when you and your family are delighted by dinner (just look at those colors!), PLUS it’s a nutrient-dense, well-balanced meal!

My picky son put cabbage on his taco.
Cabbage!
Typically he wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole but he got so into building his tacos, he forgot to be picky!

chicken buffalo tacos—anything but boring

Do you think that eating healthy means having a dry, grilled chicken breast, steam broccoli (plain) and dry sweet potato for dinner? That’s what I thought “healthy” eating had to be for a long time.

I thought I’d never eat anything “fun” again. It was depressing.

There was another time in my life where I made a change and was convinced I’d never have any fun again—
when I stopped drinking.

I’ve never been more happy to be WRONG.

When we decide to change destructive behaviors, often we assume the outcome will be worse than what we’re currently living. We need to remind ourselves that there’s a reason we’re changing—
What we’re current doing isn’t that good!

If you’re struggling to eat more healthy or break food addictions, don’t assume you’re destined to a life of dried chicken breast that drops like a hockey puck on a plate.

Look at these buffalo tacos—look at the colors and textures! Look at the creamy dressing (yes, you can have dressings—they can be healthy too)!!!

These are the types of meals that get me so freakin’ excited because they are such a pleasure to eat PLUS their nutrition provides energy, helps digestion, reduces cravings and allows me to appreciate food!
This is what I want to share with YOU!!

These buffalo chicken tacos have juicy, tender, shredded chicken with crisped edges in a buffalo sauce that has perfect spice and heat. Pair that with tangy, sweet lime ranch dressing, crispy, fresh cabbage shreds and soft, mild avocado. All of this is neatly (or not so) packaged in a tortilla of your choice (and I have lots of tortilla options below, depending on your diet)!

You don’t even need a tortilla, this chicken and dressing works wonderfully on a bed of crisp, fresh greens!

can I make buffalo chicken tacos low carb or grain free?

Yes! There are many low carb or grain free options. Here are some suggestions to serve these tacos on:

• lettuce leaves (Bibb or butter lettuce works best) or a whole roasted pepper
• cassava or almond flour tortillas
• brown rice tortillas (obviously these are grain but a gluten-free option)
• Ezekial sprouted grain tortillas
• a salad or bowl with cauliflower rice or beans

Note, I love to use these alternative tortillas which can be found on amazon or in the organic freezer isle of most grocery stores. Since these are frozen (and also don’t have a TON of flavor), I LOVE to brown them before serving.

To brown tortillas:

1. Heat a skillet on medium heat
2. Brush both sides of each tortilla. Sprinkle salt, pepper and/or garlic powder.
3. Lay the tortilla on the skillet and cook on each side for a couple minutes (until nicely browned).
4. Once you take it out of the pan, I fold it while it’s still pliable from the heat.

how to make buffalo chicken tacos

I get so pumped by how easy these are!

1. Place chicken thighs in instant pot.
2. Add seasoning and Buffalo sauce. Cook 15 minutes with 5-10 natural release.
3. Spread on sheet tray and broil.
4. Combine lime ranch ingredients and blend in food processor or blender.
5. Boom, you’re done!

While chicken is cooking, go nuts slicing, dicing and shredding cabbage, lettuce, avocado, onions. Also, make the lime ranch dressing.

You can make the lime ranch dressing days ahead of time if you like (It gets more flavorful because flavors have had time to meld together).

FUN TIP: Slice, dice and/or shred extra veggies so you can store and add them to eggs or salads quickly!

what to put on buffalo chicken tacos

One of the things that I love about tacos or fajitas is the opportunity to get creative! Because this buffalo chicken taco recipe already has bold flavor with the buffalo sauce and ranch, I find that it’s not necessary to add much more. Some suggestions:

• smashed avocado or bacon guacamole
• shredded cheese
• julienne carrots (love the orange pop of color!)
• cilantro
• mango salsa
• diced peppers or onions
• pickled onions
• shredded cabbage or lettuce

what to serve with buffalo chicken tacos

I typically serve buffalo chicken tacos with a side salad or veggie. You could also make bacon guacamole and serve with tortilla chips.

If you’re not eating grains these days, Siete and From the ground up make fantastic tortilla chips made of cassava or cauliflower.

how to store buffalo chicken tacos

Buffalo chicken makes great leftovers. I often make a double batch so that everyone can have tacos for lunch the next day. Any leftover meat can also be used in sandwiches, as a pizza topping, or on a salad.

can I use chicken breasts for buffalo chicken tacos

Stick to thighs if you can because the white meat from the breasts tends to dry out. I’ve done a mix of thighs and breasts before and that turned out well.

how to make buffalo chicken tacos in the crock pot

If you don’t have an instant pot, you can make these in the crock pot. Place your chicken thighs, buffalo sauce and seasoning in a crock pot and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Once it’s fork-tender, shred the chicken and then place on a sheet tray to broil (see instructions).

are buffalo chicken tacos paleo, whole30 or keto?

Yes, you can certainly make them to be compliant with all of the above. Use approved condiments for these diets which are suggested in the notes recipe section.

Also, stick with one of the grain-free options mentioned above for your tortillas.

other paleo or whole30 meals you’ll love:

• beef lo mein (paleo, keto, whole30 variations)
• shrimp tacos with spicy lime slaw
• sesame chicken with “fried” cauliflower rice
• sloppy joes on crispy sweet potatoes with pickled onions
• steak fajita stuffed sweet potatoes

and for dessert…

• scrumptious low carb chocolate cake
• dairy-free cheesecake with chocolate ganache
• skillet cinnamon apples with orange cream sauce
• homemade twix bars (keto, GF)

If you tried this recipe, leave a comment and let me know how it was! I’d love to hear from you!

This recipe was adapted from Pinch of Yum. Another site that always proves healthy eating can be fun!

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