BBQ Chicken Tacos

BBQ Chicken Tacos with charred tortillas are loaded with tangy sauced chicken, a black-bean-veggie mix, and the best creamy cilantro sauce.

Pair these tacos with an easy salad like this Panzanella Salad or this Fruit Salad Recipe.

BBQ Chicken Tacos

BBQ Chicken Tacos, bursting with flavor and texture, feature a dual-purpose creamy cilantro sauce. It both coats the cabbage and is drizzled over the completed tacos.

Despite seeming complex, they’re easy and quick to prepare using rotisserie chicken and store-bought BBQ sauce. The veggie topping, a mix of chopped tomatoes, red onions, canned black beans, and frozen corn, is simple. The sauce, made effortlessly in a blender, can be pre-made, as can the veggie prep. Ideal for meal prep, store the components separately and assemble fresh tacos daily for lunch.

Ingredients In BBQ Chicken Tacos

TACOS

• Rotisserie Chicken & BBQ Sauce: The chicken, shredded and mixed with BBQ sauce, forms the protein base, adding a rich, savory flavor.
• Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion, Black Beans, Corn: These vegetables and beans add freshness, crunch, and a mix of sweet and sharp flavors, along with extra fiber and nutrients in these BBQ Chicken Tacos.
• Tortillas: These serve as the wrap for the tacos, providing a soft or slightly charred texture depending on preparation. Cook over the gas flames for extra flavor.
• Green Cabbage: Shredded and mixed with cilantro-lime sauce, it adds a crunchy texture and absorbs flavors from the sauce.

SAUCE

• Cilantro Lime Sauce Ingredients (Lime, Garlic, Cilantro, Jalapeño, Mayo, Sour Cream): Combined, these create a creamy, tangy sauce with a kick of spice. The lime adds zest and freshness, garlic brings depth, cilantro offers herby notes, jalapeño introduces heat, and the mayo and sour cream create a rich, smooth texture.

How To Make BBQ Chicken Tacos

1. Sauce: Blend lime juice and zest, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, mayo, and sour cream. Refrigerate.
2. Chicken: Mix shredded rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce. Warm if needed.
3. Veggies: Combine chopped tomatoes, red onion, black beans, and corn.
4. Cabbage: Toss shredded cabbage with some cilantro-lime sauce.
5. Tortillas: Grill or microwave until warm, then fold BBQ Chicken Tacos.
6. Assemble: Layer cabbage, BBQ chicken, and veggies on tortillas. Add optional avocado and cilantro. Drizzle with sauce and serve.

Toppings

• Avocado: Add thin slices to each taco, or mash with salt, pepper, and lime juice for guacamole. Skip if not preferred.
• Veggie Salad: Mix drained black beans, thawed corn, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. Substitute with red bell pepper if desired.
• Cilantro: Optionally, top BBQ Chicken Tacos with chopped cilantro.
• More Sauce: Drizzle extra cilantro-lime sauce over the tacos before serving.

More taco recipes

• Healthy Tacos
• Chicken Tinga Tacos
• Turkey Tacos
• Chicken Taco Salad
• Chipotle Chicken Tacos

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5 from 4 votes

BBQ Chicken Tacos

By Chelsea Lords

These BBQ Chicken Tacos with charred tortillas are loaded with saucy chicken, a black bean veggie mix, and a creamy cilantro-lime sauce!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 13 tacos

Equipment

• Blender or mini food processor

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Tacos

• ▢ 2 cups rotisserie chicken
• ▢ 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• ▢ 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 1/3 cup diced red onion
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 cup frozen and thawed corn or corn cut from a cob
• ▢ 12 to 15 small corn tortillas or flour tortillas
• ▢ 3 cups shredded green cabbage
• ▢ Serving suggestions see note 1
• ▢ Cooking spray optional

Cilantro Lime Sauce

• ▢ 2 limes
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 1/2 of a large bunch cilantro 1 loosely packed cup
• ▢ 1/2 jalapeño pepper 1 heaping tablespoon, or 1 full jalapeño for spicier dressing
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayo
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream I use fat-free

Instructions 

• Zest and juice limes to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice. Add juice and zest to a blender or mini food processor with minced garlic, cilantro, 1/2 the seeded jalapeño (or more for a spicier sauce; add slowly if you like less heat), mayo, and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend or pulse until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Pull chicken from the bones and shred or chop. Add BBQ sauce and mix to combine. If chicken is cold, warm it through in a pan over low heat.
• In a large bowl, combine chopped cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, drained and rinsed black beans, and corn.
• Remove 1/2 cup of the cilantro-lime sauce, and toss it with shredded green cabbage to combine. Set aside.
• Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil cooking spray and “grill” tortillas on stovetop over the open flame until slightly charred. Alternatively, warm (covered with a damp paper towel) in the microwave. After tortillas have been warmed or charred, quickly fold them in half so they will fold easily when assembled.
• To the tortilla, add the dressed cabbage, a few spoonfuls of BBQ chicken, and a few spoonfuls of the veggies. If desired, add avocado and fresh cilantro to each taco. Drizzle with extra cilantro-lime sauce and enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Here are some optional serving suggestions: fresh cilantro, fresh limes, and 1 large avocado.

Storage: Store leftover BBQ chicken, black bean mix, and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Leftovers will last up to 3–4 days in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 222IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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