These Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Blue Cheese Radish Slaw will knock your taste buds off! And your family will want these ALL time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

You know, sometimes you have an idea that is so good! But it takes you a few times to nail the recipe. This Buffalo Chicken Tacos is one of those recipes. It took me three tries to get this recipe to a place where it was super delicious and ready to share.

How do you test a recipe?

For me, that starts with creating the recipe for the idea I have in my head. Sometimes I do some research and see what others have used to make something similar. Often there’s a spice or an herb I wouldn’t have thought of that I will incorporate into my recipe. And when I feel like I’ve covered all the bases needed to make the idea I write the recipe.

I will admit that I’m not the best at making sure the instructions are thorough. Sometimes I write the instructions after I’ve created the dish and might forget an ingredient or a step. But I am getting better at this making sure my instructions make sense and have all the ingredients in there. It helps to have others read them, too, for clarity.

Next, I’ll make the recipe. Sometimes that means I measure everything before I cook. But that’s not always the case. Especially if it’s a recipe I’m making on a weeknight after work. All bets are off with those! I measure as best I can and try to remember what I used. If it’s complicated, I’ll grab my notepad or sometimes use Google to keep track of the ingredients. You’d be surprised how useful the hands-free apps on your phone can be.

After I’ve made the recipe, like this Buffalo Chicken Tacos, I usually have additional ingredients, steps, or observations to add about how the recipe comes together.  At that point I’ll update the written recipe. Sometimes, as in the case of this recipe, the first version was horrible. I didn’t cut the wing sauce enough making it super salty for me. For me, it was completely inedible. Then again, I am super sensitive to salt.

How do you write a recipe?

After making the first Buffalo Chicken Tacos recipe, I knew things needed to change in the second version. This meant a re-write of the first recipe. Which for some might seem basic, but there’s lots to consider when writing a recipe.

I write the ingredients in the order in which you use them. With one exception and it’s more a personal preference than anything. I don’t like to list the same ingredient twice with 2 different measurements. So, I will combine them and then state divided in the ingredients list. Nothing irritates me more than having to measure something, setting it aside, and then having to measure it again later in the recipe. I want to measure once!

Use standard measurements. Not everyone making your recipe lives where you live. I see that quizzical look on your face. I distinctly remember a conversation where a blogger was complaining about a comment they received on their recipe. They listed 2 sticks of butter. Well, a stick is not a standard measurement in my opinion.

In some parts of the world their butter comes in one pound block or a tub. Sometimes it’s just a ball. So, when writing your recipe, think about people in other countries. How will they make your recipe if you use a stick of butter?

Sometimes it’s necessary to weigh ingredients. For the case of my macaron recipes, the dry ingredients get measured. Everything else is usually cups or tea/tablespoons. The same might be true for bread baking recipes. I have yet to master bread baking, but I do know that humidity plays an important role for dry ingredients. It might even make or break your recipe success for others. So, have someone test the recipe after you write it. Especially if it’s a baked recipe where the humidity could alter the results.

Test, test, and test again.

After the first batch of Buffalo Chicken Tacos was too salty, I overcompensated and didn’t have enough sauce. The chicken was dry. And it was tough for some reason. I’m not sure why for a slow cooker recipe. My only thought was the chicken was an older chicken that was tough. It baffled me. And I almost gave up on this recipe.

You know what they say, right? “Third time’s a charm!” And it was. When I walked in the door, the house smelled so delicious! And that night for dinner, I made turned my Buffalo chicken tacos into a taco salad. I was lazy and I didn’t feel like getting the corn tortillas out of the fridge.

Besides, I wanted to see how it would work as a Buffalo Chicken Taco salad instead of just tacos. And let me tell you. It was AMAZING! The cool, crisp lettuce with the spicy chicken. So, for those like me who don’t want to heat up the taco shells for tacos, turn yours into a taco salad. You can top it with more blue cheese and some ranch dressing.

This recipe is inspired by a restaurant in Rochester, NY. I talk about that restaurant in this Air Fryer Zebb’s Wings recipe. They had awesome wings and really great sauce. I tried my best to replicate that recipe from memory. The idea of combining the Buffalo sauce and the dressing together is something I to use every time I make wings with Buffalo or hot sauce.

Why do you serve slaw with Buffalo Chicken Tacos?

I know it might sound weird for some, but slaw or at the very least cabbage tops many tacos in Latin America. While cabbage is not native to North America, it’s definitely a crop that has taken hold. It’s hearty and has a quick growing season. Meaning if you plant them in July then you can harvest mid-October or early November.

Cabbages are hearty vegetables, too. In the correct conditions a head of cabbage can last up to 2 months in the fridge. But if you have a root cellar a cabbage can last even longer. One of the best things about the cabbage is its longevity!

It’s not surprising that cabbages are in almost every cuisine on the planet. Including Latin American. While they don’t have a radish blue cheese slaw, they do have many soups and stews that use cabbage. Then there’s a few ensaladas to top your tacos with. Or to use as a base for delicious meat like the Buffalo chicken taco meat.

The only reason I made this slaw for the Buffalo chicken tacos is because I bought some HUGE, and I mean H.U.G.E., radishes at the farmer’s market. They’re super crisp and slightly spicy. The perfect cool, crispy, and peppery compliment for these tacos.

You can make a large batch of this chicken for these Buffalo chicken tacos. Then you can use it for some stuffed peppers and use the rest for some chicken dip. It’s truly versatile and definitely work making a double batch.

 

     

Taco About It

• Blackened Salmon Tacos from Art of Natural Living
• Bratwurst Tacos from Palatable Pastime
• Buffalo Chicken Tacos from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Grilled Shrimp Tacos from That Recipe
• Instant Pot Pork Verde Tacos from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Sweet Potato Tacos from Jen Around the World

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