Marinating your chicken in buttermilk and Buffalo sauce before air frying is the secret to adding a kick of extra flavor to these delicious Buffalo Chicken Tacos!

Restaurant Style Buffalo Chicken Tacos

We have a local Tex-Mex restaurant that I recently visited with friends and Buffalo Chicken Tacos came highly recommended, so of course I had to try them!

And since they have made it to the blog, you know they were delicious enough for me to recreate them at home. You’re going to thank me, I promise.

The differences in the restaurant’s version and mine are just a few.

1) They make theirs into a Chalupa-type situation with a soft taco shell and melted cheese hugging a hard taco shell that held all of the goods.

I am just using a soft taco shell here – but hey, go for the full on version, my friends you won’t be sorry.

2) I air fried my chicken tenders and I am almost positive the restaurant’s were fried 😉

Oven Baked Crispy Chicken

If you don’t have an air fryer, no worries, feel free to fry or oven bake you tenders. I don’t feel that an air fryer is necessary for this recipe.

Buttermilk and Hot Sauce Marinated Chicken

I also went an extra step in marinating my chicken tenders for a day or so in a combination of buttermilk and Frank’s hot sauce.

I definitely feel this added to the juicy Buffalo tenders and kept them super flavorful during cooking.

If you don’t have time to do this that far ahead of time, no worries, even marinating for 30 minutes will be fine; you will still love the end results!

How to Make Healthy Air Fried Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Marinating your chicken in buttermilk and Buffalo sauce before air frying is the secret to adding a kick of extra flavor to these delicious tacos!

Once marinated, dredge in breadcrumbs and air fry until crispy.

Serve them on tortillas with extra Buffalo sauce, ranch, avocado and lettuce.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes 12 seconds

Total Time: 1 hour 26 minutes 12 seconds

Marinating your chicken in buttermilk and Buffalo sauce before air frying is the secret to adding a kick of extra flavor to these delicious tacos!

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken Breast Tenders
1 cup Buttermilk, make your own version of buttermilk (1cup milk + 1T vinegar or lemon juice)
1/4 cup Buffalo Sauce
2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs, or breadcrumb of choice
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Olive Oil Spray
Taco Shells of Choice
Miscellaneous Toppings: Lettuce, cheese, avocado, guacamole, blue cheese crumbles, etc.

Instructions

In a sealable container or gallon zipper bag, add the Chicken, Buttermilk and Hot Sauce; be sure that the tenders are covered in the mixture. Seal and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
When you are ready, remove the chicken from the fridge.
Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400 degrees. If you are using the air fryer, just set the temp and turn it on for 15 minutes.
In a container large enough for dredging, add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder and toss to combine.
One at a time, remove a tender and let the marinade drip off a bit. Then dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate until all are breaded.
If you are planning to oven bake these, you'll have the best luck by placing them on a rack on top of a baking sheet so that the tenders can have air flow all around them. If you don't have these items, you can still place them on a baking sheet and just flip halfway through cooking.
If you are air frying these, spray the bottom of the air fryer with olive oil or non stick spray. Place a single layer of chicken tenders in the fryer and spray the tenders with the olive oil.
Close it up and cook for 6-8 minutes then flip and cook for 6-8 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
When the chicken is done, start building your tacos! I used soft shells and topped with lettuce, avocado, more Buffalo sauce and Ranch dressing.
I hope you enjoy these Buffalo Chicken Tacos!

Notes

Oven Baked:

If you are planning to oven bake these, you'll have the best luck by placing them on a rack on top of a baking sheet so that the tenders can have air flow all around them.

If you don't have these items, you can still place them on a baking sheet and just flip halfway through cooking.

While preparing the breadcrumb mixture, preheat the oven to 425

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and then place the rack on top.

Once the chicken has been dredged, place on top of the rack then bake for 12 minutes, flip, then back for 10-12 more minutes or until crispy.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1 grams
Amount Per Serving Calories 858Total Fat 42gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 27gCholesterol 75mgSodium 2252mgCarbohydrates 82gFiber 8gSugar 11gProtein 40g

Nutrition calculation is offered as a courtesy and no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. The data provided are a product of online nutrition calculators and should be considered an estimate only. I am not a registered dietician nor a certified nutritionist. For more accurate information, or if you have dietary restrictions, please consult a trusted professional. A Healthy Makeover strongly supports Intuitive Eating, body trust, and Health at Every Size.