Slow-cooker buffalo chicken is smothered in the easiest homemade hot sauce and tucked into corn tortillas with black beans and cheddar cheese then pan-fried to crunchy, golden hotness.
Otherwise known as the life-changing taco.
Yes, that’s a drastic statement but I don’t know how I’ll ever look at any other taco the same way again.
It’s not just the hot and spicy filling but mostly it’s the method of cooking them with the filling instead of stuffing them after.
It all starts with the buffalo sauce – it’s easy to make by simmering hot sauce, butter, garlic powder and black pepper together then pouring it over boneless chicken breasts in the crockpot.
I wanted tender, juicy chicken for this and slow-cooking it is the least fussy way to get there.
The chicken is shredded or cut up then mixed with black beans and cheddar cheese.
Corn tortillas go down in a hot, oily pan where one side gets topped with the filling, sprinkled with cheese and folded over.
The tortilla is a lot crunchy and a little chewy with piping hot cheese that melts and melds everything together in a way that is so different from the traditional taco.
Life-changing, I tell you.
I was perfectly happy dunking them in guacamole and sour cream but you can also lift up one side of the hot taco and stuff it the more traditional way with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sour cream.
If you never had a taco like this before expect your taco-eating ways to be forever changed.
Never the same.
Fair warning.
- 1 cup red hot sauce (like Cholula)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- coarse salt and fresh black pepper
- 1 can (14 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 + ½ cups fresh shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- vegetable or canola oil
- about 11 - 12 corn tortillas
- guacamole and/or sour cream, for serving (like Wholly Guacamole)
- Add the hot sauce, butter, garlic powder and black pepper to a small saucepan set over low heat. Stir until the butter melts then turn heat up to medium-low and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place them in a 4-quart slow cooker. Pour the hot sauce over them and cook on high 4 hours or low 6 - 8.
- Shred the chicken with two forks right in the crockpot or remove it to a cutting board, if you can, it might fall apart, and cut it into bite-sized pieces, add it back to the pot.
- Stir the black beans into it and let it cool off to lukewarm then stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large frying pan (or two) on medium to medium-high heat and add enough oil (about 2 tablespoons) to generously cover the bottom.
- Add a tortilla to the pan and put a scant ⅓ cup of the filling on one side, spread it out evenly over one half and sprinkle with cheese, fold it over then press it down a little. Repeat with as many tortillas as you can fit in the pan.
- Cook on each side until golden and crispy about 3 minutes per side, using tongs and a spatula to turn them. Repeat, adding more oil to the pan as needed until all the tacos are made. Place them on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve with guacamole and/or sour cream or lift one side and stuff with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.
Copyright ©Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice by Reeni Pisano All Rights Reserved
I could be perfectly happy if this was the only kind of taco I ever ate
Me too Ann! 🙂
Made these for dinner and they were a hit! I used 1/2 hot sauce and 1/2 cup of Buffalo wing sauce which added great flavor.
Thanks Beata! I’m glad they were a hit! 🙂
This is the best recipe i’ve made in a long time! I am always looking for new things to make and usually afterwards I think “It was ok” and I never make it again. But this by far was the BEST! Simple ingredients, so much flavor, love the crispiness of frying the corn tortillas and tons of leftover chicken too. I cant wait to make more tomorrow! Thank You so much for this keeper!
Thanks a lot Michelle! I’m glad they were a hit! I love them too! 😉
Delicious black bean tacos Reeni love it.
I made these last night, and they were amazing! Thanks for the great recipe.
Thanks a lot Alison! I’m glad they were a hit!
I am drooling…I too like the way you cooked them…nice and crispy…I’m sure your boys went crazy over them.
Wowza! Those look incredible. Saved and pinned! I cannot wait to try this. My family would devour these.
Hi Reeni, love crisp tacos, these look wonderful.
I’ve never had tacos like that but I’m ready to try! They sound yummy!
Moon, hope you had a wonderful weekend! Purrs, Angel & Isabella
Dear Reeni, I think this sounds wonderful and I am sure it is. A great meal for the summer or anytime of year. Blessings dear. Catherine
These tacos look so delicious, they look awesome! 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Okay so … I may just find you and kiss you. I used to get these Red’s Buffalo Quesadillas from the grocery to bring to work because my boyfriend does not–I repeat, does not–know how to leave leftovers for lunch the next day, and the grocery store recently stopped selling them. I’ve been totally lost on what to take for lunch since then. These right here are … well, basically the same exact thing I’ve been bringing for lunch.
Basically, stop being so awesome!
Thanks so much Ashlee! That pretty much makes my night! 🙂 You’ll have to let me know how you like them!
Now I want tall my tacos to be crispy!! And melty and ooey and gooey.
pass me a plate, I want one of these now 🙂
Pan-fried tacos…this is genius! They look mouthwatering, Reeni.
I am totally smitten with these crispy tacos, and I will make them this week week to prove it!
Thanks Julia! Hope they’re a hit! 🙂