BBQ Chicken Tacos Recipe

Whether it’s a summer picnic, Taco Tuesday, or just a casual dinner night, this BBQ chicken tacos recipe is a perfect choice. The chicken is shredded and drenched in a delectable BBQ sauce, smothered between various veggies, and stuffed inside crispy tortillas. With bright, spicy, and subtly sweet flavors as well as diverse textures, it’s a dish that never fails to impress.

Is Our BBQ Chicken Tacos Healthy?

With this recipe, we’ve made sure it’s relatively healthy by carefully selecting the ingredients and keeping important dietary components within acceptable limits. As such, each serving contains approximately:

• 457 calories
• 2.3 g saturated fat
• 609 mg sodium

Nutrition-wise, this dish is a good source of protein with chicken breasts as the main ingredient. Served alongside the meat are black beans, corn, tomatoes, and red onion, increasing the dish’s nutritional value by adding fiber, vitamins A and C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, etc.

Ingredients You'll Need

This recipe features some common tacos ingredients, with the addition of a few extra condiments to make the BBQ sauce.

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• Chicken: The chicken is cubed and then shredded for this recipe so we went with boneless skinless chicken breast. If you have any leftover chicken, that would work as well.
• Tortilla: You can use store-bought taco shells, but we just prefer baking the tortillas at home for a much better crisp. Yellow corn tortillas are most commonly used for tacos, so that’s what we went with.
• Greek Yogurt: Tacos are often topped with dollops of sour cream, but we opted for Greek yogurt, which also has a similar creamy texture and light tangy taste, to keep things healthy.

For the Sauce

• Sauces: We used tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. They coat the chicken in vibrantly sweet and savory flavors, accompanied by a tiny hint of tangy undertones.
• Spices and Seasonings: For a couple of spicy notes to the sauce, we used red pepper flakes, paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder, along with the usual staples—salt and pepper.
• Flour: The sauce tastes better with a thick consistency, so we went ahead and added some all-purpose flour as well. We made sure to cook it thoroughly to prevent that flour taste from compromising with the flavor.

For the Fillings

• Black Beans: Black beans are a staple in many Mexican dishes, especially tacos. For convenience, we used the canned variety, which doesn’t require any overnight soaking or cooking.
• Vegetables & Herbs: We went with the classics—coriander, tomatoes, corn, and red onions. Altogether, they create a crisp mixture of bright and sweet flavors.
• Lime Juice: A few squeezes of lime may seem small, but you’ll be surprised by how it instantly brightens the veggies and beans with its zesty taste.

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3. Variations and Add-ins

This recipe is quite flexible and adaptable, so feel free to switch things up each time you make it. We recommend some of the following things:

• Proteins

Besides the chicken, there are plenty of other proteins that you can use for these tacos. For a more savory taste, go for beef or turkey. If you want something mild and sweet, salmon, shrimp, or pork are excellent choices.

• Fruits and Vegetables

Our recipe doesn’t include any fruit, but if you want some, consider adding avocados, pineapples, or mangoes. As for vegetables, we recommend shredded cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, or jalapeño.

How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers

These BBQ chicken tacos can last for up to 3 days when kept in airtight containers in the fridge. You can quickly reheat them in the microwave for 1 minute or the air-fryer for around 4-5 minutes.

What to Serve

You can eat these BBQ chicken tacos as a light meal, or serve them as a main course for a Mexican-themed dinner night. We suggest pairing them with one of the following side dishes to make a full meal:

• Mixed Greens Salad Recipe
• Pico De Gallo Recipe
• Avocado Hummus Recipe
• Vegetable Dip Recipe
• Spring Salad Recipe

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Nachos Also Make the Crowd Go Wild

Filled with flavors, these BBQ nachos are to die for. The shredded chicken is seasoned really thoroughly before getting mixed with the chips and topped with the cheese.

This recipe also combines shredded chicken breast, tortilla chips, and cheese but with some vegetables to create a flavorful, colorful, and texture-rich meal. All is completed with a drizzle of plain Greek yogurt.

BBQ Chicken Tacos Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Whether it's a summer picnic, Taco Tuesday, or just a casual dinner night, this BBQ chicken tacos recipe is always a perfect choice. The chicken is shredded and drenched in a delectable BBQ sauce, smothered between various veggies, and stuffed inside crispy tortillas. With bright, spicy, and subtly sweet flavors as well as diverse textures, it's a dish that even picky eaters will love.

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• cook TIME 15 mins
• prep TIME 10 mins
• total TIME 25 mins

• COURSE Main Dish
• CUISINE Mexican
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 457 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 20 oz skinless boneless chicken breast (sliced into cubes)
• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• 3 oz canned black bean
• 6 oz tomato (diced)
• 2 oz red onion (diced)
• 3 oz corn
• 1/4 cup coriander (chopped)
• 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
• 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste
• 4 tbsp Heinz ketchup
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep:

1

Dice the Tomatoes: Half the tomato lengthwise and remove the stem, then scoop the seeds out. Cut each half into 1/4" strips, then each strip into small cubes.

2

Dice the Onion: Cut the onion in half lengthwise. Turn the half vertically and make thin slices but leave the root intact. Then turn the onion horizontally and push the knife crosswise into the slices. Then, thinly slice to make small, diced pieces.

3

Mince the Garlic: Cut off the root and remove the peel then thinly slice each clove. Rock the knife over the sliced pile a few times to finely mince the garlic.

Cook:

1

Make the Fillings: In a large bowl, toss 3 oz canned black bean, 6 oz tomato, 2 oz red onion, 3 oz corn, 1/4 cup coriander, 2 tbsp lime juice, and 1/4 tsp salt until well-mixed.

2

Sauté the Garlic and Add the Chicken: In a pan over medium heat, sauté 1 tbsp garlic with 2 tbsp olive oil for 30 seconds until fragrant. Then add 20 oz skinless boneless chicken breast to the pan and stir around for 2 minutes.

3

Add the Condiments: Continue adding 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste, 4 tbsp Heinz ketchup, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and stir for 2 minutes to evenly coat the chicken.

4

Add the Broth: Add 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth and stir around then reduce the heat to small and cook for 7 minutes.

5

Shred the Chicken: When the time’s up, turn off the heat and use 2 forks to shred the chicken. Lightly stir around to evenly coat the meat in the sauce.Preheat the oven to 375 °F to prepare for step 7.

6

Bake the Tortillas: Turn a muffin tray upside down then fold 8 6-inch corn tortillas in between the cups. Bake at 375 °F for 4 minutes.

7

Assemble the Tacos: When the tortillas are finished baking, remove them from the oven, then fill them with the shredded chicken and the pre-mixed fillings. Top with 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

BBQ Chicken Tacos Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 457Calories from Fat 120

% Daily Value*

Fat 13.3g

20%

Saturated Fat 2.3g

14%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.1g

Monounsaturated Fat 6.3g

Cholesterol 105.8mg

35%

Sodium 609.5mg

27%

Potassium 831mg

24%

Carbohydrate 45.5g

15%

Fiber 4.7g

20%

Sugar 9.6g

11%

Protein 38.9g

78%

Vitamin A 1418.6IU

28%

Vitamin C 13.8mg

17%

Calcium 78.1mg

8%

Iron 2.4mg

13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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