How to make crispy Buffalo chicken tacos with collard slaw and a protein-packed ranch dressing

These Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Tacos from my cookbook “The Protein Meal Prep Plan” are stuffed with a collard slaw made with a protein-packed ranch dressing (yes … protein ranch!) that, I have a feeling, will surprise you by how delicious it is.

This protein ranch is so good, I make extra for topping salads, dipping veggies for snacks, and just about anything else I can think of. Double up!

If you’ve never baked a crispy taco and then peeled it back open to stuff in a cool, crunchy slaw (this one is rich in calcium, fiber and vitamin K), then you’re in for a real treat. Pickled onions, along with the slaw, are a fabulous addition to these tacos, if you have them on hand.

If you’re grain-free or dairy-free, opt for cassava flour-based tortillas, pick up a store-bought dairy-free ranch dressing, and replace the Monterey Jack cheese with a dairy-free shredded cheese. And if you have folks in the house who are sensitive to spicy foods, you can skip the Buffalo sauce for their portion, opting instead for a simple salt and pepper seasoning.

Serves 4 to 6

Total Cook Time: 35 minutes

PROTEIN RANCH DRESSING:

1 cup cottage cheese

2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

1 tablespoon dried dill

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

BAKED TACOS:

3 cups shredded roasted chicken

¼ cup buffalo sauce

15 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Olive oil or avocado oil spray

3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (12 ounces)

4 heaping cups chopped collard greens

1 cup protein ranch dressing

1. Combine all the protein ranch dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Mix the chicken with buffalo sauce until well coated.

4. Place the tortillas in a single layer on the lined baking sheets, spray the tops with oil, then flip them over. Place 1 heaping tablespoon shredded cheese on one half of each tortilla. Follow this with about 2 tablespoons of the buffalo chicken mixture. Finish with 1 more tablespoon cheese. Bake the open-faced tacos for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

5. Remove the tacos from the oven and press them closed (they should stay closed now that the cheese is melted). Flip them over and return them to the oven for 10 more minutes. Flip them over one more time and bake for a final 5 minutes.

6. While the tacos bake, toss the shredded collards with the protein ranch dressing until evenly coated.

7. To serve, peel back one side of each crispy taco (careful, they’re hot!) and stuff a generous spoonful of the collard slaw inside.

Cassy Joy Garcia is the author of “The Protein Meal Prep Plan,” as well as “Cook Once Dinner Fix,” “Cook Once, Eat All Week” and “Fed and Fit.” Her food blog is “Fed and Fit.” She lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and three children.

Excerpted from “The Protein Meal Prep Plan” by Cassy Joy Garcia. Copyright (copyright) 2026 by Cassy Joy Garcia.  Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.