Super-speedy BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw requires minimal ingredients and packs a flavor punch! We toss packaged coleslaw with coleslaw dressing and load that up in a tortilla. Top with saucy BBQ chicken and fresh sweet corn and dinner’s on the table!
BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw
We love all things BBQ Chicken at my home (these BBQ Chicken Wraps, BBQ Chicken Sandwich, and BBQ Chicken Salad are a few favorites! And now these tacos are here to join in on the fun.
We’ve featured a BBQ Chicken Tacos recipe before, but this version is pretty different. Those BBQ chicken tacos ended up more Southwestern-inspired with black beans and peppers and a cilantro-lime sauce. We make these ones with coleslaw instead — more of a classic BBQ chicken flavor!
They also couldn’t be much easier to make; these BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw take minutes to whip together and the whole family will flip for them!
BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw Ingredients
- Corn. We love raw sweet corn cut right off the cob to top these tacos — it’s delicious raw and adds a nice crunch. No corn on the cob? Frozen corn (thawed) or even canned (drained) will work too.
- Coleslaw mix. Nothing fancy here — just a store-bought package of coleslaw works great! You’ll find most coleslaw mixes in the produce section of the grocery store near other packaged salad mixes.
- Fresh (refrigerated) coleslaw dressing. The refrigerated coleslaw dressings are typically found in the chilled area of the produce section, not with the shelf-stable dressings. The freshly made ones have a nice fresh flavor; our two favorites are Litehouse® or Marie’s®
- Rotisserie chicken. Pre-cooked and seasoned chicken saves loads of time on its own, but to save even more time on the chicken, you can purchase rotisserie chicken meat already pulled from the bones and shredded or diced — a lot of grocery stores sell this conveniently prepared chicken!
- BBQ sauce. Any BBQ sauce you enjoy is one you’ll likely enjoy in these BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw. My personal favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ® (original) sauce or Stubb’s Original BBQ® sauce.
- Corn tortillas. More on this ingredient below
Tortillas
We love corn tortillas with this saucy slaw and sweet BBQ chicken. They can be tricky to work with, though, because they break easily and dry out quickly. I recommend charring the tortillas for the best flavor and texture! When charring, work with one at a time, leaving the rest in the bag so the others don’t dry out too quickly.
We like thin corn tortillas best for these tacos. My family enjoys Mission® extra-thin corn tortillas (not sponsored).
Here’s how we char the tortillas:
- Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. I use an olive oil-based spray (canola works as well) and give each side a good spritz.
- Very lightly char each side of the tortilla over an open flame on the stovetop. If you don’t have an open flame, warm for 10-15 seconds in a skillet.
- Immediately remove the tortilla from the heat and fold in half. Place under a towel (keeps them warm!) and repeat until all the tortillas are charred.
- Once all the tortillas have been charred and folded, add the slaw and BBQ chicken.
This recipe is supposed to be quick, but charring tortillas is super fast and well worth the extra minute — it adds an incredible amount of flavor and texture to the tacos.
Quick Tip
If you don’t love corn tortillas, use flour ones. Even though flour tortillas fold nicely, I still like to spray them with cooking spray and brown them in a skillet or over an open flame; this adds so much flavor! If using flour tortillas, I like the unbaked ones (by TortillaLand®; not sponsored) and cook them in a skillet first. And if you aren’t in the mood to char them, they make a nice sandwich wrap without being heated.
Variations
For a little more pizzazz, add a thinly sliced, ripe avocado to these tacos. It adds a nice creaminess! A few sprigs of cilantro also add a nice contrasting and fresh flavor to these BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw.
Quick Tip
Add sauces to personal preference. This recipe is very forgiving and you can really play around with quantities to get things exactly as saucy as you’d like. For saucier chicken, add a touch more BBQ sauce. For a saucier slaw, add a touch more coleslaw dressing. And of course, if you prefer less sauce, just reverse this!
More Taco Recipes
- Pinto Bean Tacos with a cilantro sauce
- Steak Tacos with corn topping
- Baked Chicken Tacos with ground chicken
- Chicken Tinga Tacos with pickled red onions
- Beef & Potato Tacos with pickles
BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw
Equipment
- Small pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce or more to taste
- 1 cup raw sweet corn cut from the cob or frozen and thawed corn
- 3 cups packaged coleslaw mix
- 1/2 cup coleslaw dressing
- 8 to 10 extra-thin corn tortillas
- Cooking spray
- Fresh cilantro optional
- 1 ripe avocado optional
Instructions
- Toss coleslaw mix and coleslaw dressing together with tongs. Feel free to add more dressing for a saucier slaw or more coleslaw for a less saucy slaw. Let stand, tossing once more before assembling tacos.
- Shred a rotisserie chicken (or use a pre-shredded rotisserie chicken) and add to a small pot. Add BBQ sauce (start with 1/2 cup and add more as desired). Gently stir over low heat with tongs until chicken is coated and warmed through (see note 1).
- Spray both sides of tortillas with cooking spray and char tortillas directly over the gas flames for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until tortillas are lightly charred and soft. Immediately fold tortillas in half (so they will fold into a taco nicely later) and place under a towel to keep warm. See note 2 for more warming methods.
- Divide saucy coleslaw among tortillas. Top with warmed BBQ chicken. Sprinkle corn (cut off the cob or thawed) evenly on top. If desired, add fresh sliced avocado and cilantro to tacos. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
As your brother in law I have to say, these tacos are my wife’s favorite recipe they are to die for! So good!
Love hearing that! 🙂 Thank you!