BBQ Pulled Chicken Tacos

Made in no time, those pulled chicken tacos will become your favorite recipe for those nights when you craving tacos and want something quick, easy, and yet delicious!

Let’s talk about this recipe for pulled chicken tacos first. No, they are not Mexican, I mean, you won’t find those types of tacos in the streets of my country. Maybe in some Tex-Mex restaurants, but not at any traditional cenaduría or taco stand.

Nevertheless, this type of tacos are delicious and very popular outside Mexico, and, since taco shells are very easy to find everywhere, I think this is still a good recipe to share with you. So, let’s see how to make them.

How To Make Chicken Pulled Tacos

Place garlic, cumin, onion, pepper, chili powder, paprika, and oregano in a bowl. Add lime juice and oil then mix to combine. You can also use store-bought taco seasoning if you want. Add to chicken and turn it to coat it evenly.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet or a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook chicken for 10 minutes flipping it 2-3 times until is fully cooked.

PRO TIP: Prepare your toppings while the chicken is cooking. Chop the lettuce, make the pico de gallo salsa recipe, etc.

Place cooked chicken in a dish or large plate and cover with aluminium foil. Add chicken stock to the skillet where you cooked the chicken, add the BBQ sauce and the tomato sauce. Scrap the base of the pan to loosen the bites

Roughly shred the chicken using two forks and then return it to the pan with sauce. Mix well and allow to simmer for 3 minutes at low heat or until the sauce has thickened. Adjust salt to taste.

Assemble

• Warm your taco shells following the instructions on the package or, if you using soft tortillas, heat them in a non-stick pan/skillet until soft and pliable.
• Add first some lettuce so it will help to prevent the taco shell from getting soggy too fast.
• Add chicken with a bit of sauce.
• Top with pico de gallo salsa, sour cream (optional) and cheese. Enjoy your pulled chicken tacos!

Subs

• Use a chicken rotisserie or turkey leftovers instead of cooking your own chicken. It saves tons of time! Just shred it and cook it in the sauce as the recipe calls.
• You can use store-bought taco seasoning.
• You can use soft corn tortillas or even flour tortillas if you want soft tacos. Just remember to warm them properly.
• Sub the BBQ sauce with tomato sauce + 1 teaspoon sugar. It doesn’t taste same, but the chicken will come delicious anyway.

How To Warm Soft Tortillas

Heat a cast iron skillet or a comal over medium-high heat. Place the tortillas and heat for about 15-25 seconds on each side, use tongs to flip tortillas. Flour tortillas warms quickly, so watch out and have the tongs ready to flip them or take them out the skillet as soon as you see some dark spots appears.

Remove tortillas from the heat and place them between a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm and pliable. Use them to make your pulled chicken tacos!

Drinks to serve

Serving those pulled chicken tacos in a Mexican themed party? Or jus want to enjoy them with a Mexican drink? Here are some options for you:

• Tamarind drink.
• Agua de Melón (melon drink).
• Pineapple agua fresca.
• Agua de pepino (cucumber fresca drink).
• Tepache (pineapple fermented drink).
• Michelada (beer drink).

Easy Pulled Chicken Tacos

author Maricruz Avalos

12 tacos

Pulled chicken tacos will become your favorite recipe for those nights when you craving tacos and want something quick, easy, and yet delicious!

prep 15 minutes

cook 15 minutes

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Ingredients 

Cups (US) – Metric

For pulled chicken

• ▢ 1 ½ lb bonless chicken breast (note 1)
• ▢ ½ tsp garlic, cumin, onion, pepper and chili powders. (each)
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1 ½ Tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 Tbsp lime (juice)
• ▢ ⅔ cup BBQ sauce (note 3)
• ▢ ¼ cup tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock

For serving

• ▢ 12 taco shells (note 4)
• ▢ 2 cups lettuce (shredded)
• ▢ ⅓ cup cheese (shredded)
• ▢ 2 cups pico de gallo salsa

Instructions

 

• Place all seasonings, lime juice and oil in a bowl and mix to combine. Add to chicken and turn it to coat it evenly.
• Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook chicken for 10 minutes flipping 2-3 times until is fully cooked.
• Place chicken in a dish or large plate and cover with aluminium foil.
• Add chicken stock, BBQ and tomato sauce to the skillet. Scrap the base of the pan to loosen the bites and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
• Roughly shred the chicken using two forks and then return it to the skillet with sauce. Mix well and allow to simmer until the sauce has thickened (about 4 minutes). Adjust salt to taste.

Assemble tacos

• Warm your taco shells following the instructions on the package.
• Add some lettuce on the bottom of a taco shell.
• Add chicken with a bit of sauce.
• Top with pico de gallo salsa, sour cream and cheese.

Notes

1. You can use a rotisserie chicken or turkey leftovers to make this recipe.
2. Sub the spices for chicken with your favorite brand of taco seasoning.
3. Sub the BBQ sauce with tomato sauce + 1 teaspoon sugar. It doesn’t taste same, but the chicken will come delicious anyway.
4. For soft tacos, use soft corn tortillas or even flour tortillas. Just remember to warm them properly.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 617mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 459IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

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