Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos with simple taco-seasoned meat, crispy corn tortilla shells, and all your favorite taco toppings!
Using rotisserie chicken makes these tacos come together in a flash– in about 30 minutes or less! Pair these tacos with this Italian Salad or this easy Cucumber Salad.
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
It’s no secret how much we love tacos — Chicken Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, and Beef Ttacos rank among our favorites. But as easy as tacos can be, they can also be time consuming to make.
And that’s why I’m sharing lifesaving Rotisserie Chicken Tacos. The meat portion takes mere minutes to whip together, thanks to already cooked and deliciously seasoned chicken. We add a few spices and ingredients to jazz up the chicken a bit more, so it truly comes together quickly.
Can you buy-pre shredded chicken?
Speaking of a quick prep time, did you know you can buy rotisserie chicken meat that has already been pulled from the bones and shredded? I’ve seen it at Costco, Smith’s (Kroger), Trader Joe’s, and Walmart. It’s a little bit more spendy, but if you’re in a real hurry, this saves even more time!
More Easy Chicken Dinners
- Chicken Stir Fry in 30 minutes or less!
- Crispy Chicken Salad with a five-ingredient honey BBQ dressing
- Pesto Chicken Tortellini reader favorite recipe
- Greek Chicken with a simple Tzatziki sauce
- Chicken Chow Mein in 30 minutes or less!
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder and garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder Note 1
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup hot water
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 teaspoon white sugar, optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 12 stand-up crispy corn tortillas
- Freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese (~ 2 cups)
- Toppings: shredded lettuce (iceburg or romaine), pico de gallo or chopped cherry tomatoes, cilantro, fresh lime, avocado, sour cream, etc. (whatever you love on your chicken tacos!)
Instructions
- SEASONINGS: Place all the seasonings in a small bowl and stir together: the ground cumin, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt ( I start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more at the end if needed) and pepper ((I add 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Stir in the chicken bouillon powder and set aside.
- CHICKEN TACO MEAT: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add in all of the seasonings and stir for 1 minute. Reduce the heat as needed, to avoid burning as the spices get fragrant. Mix in the tomato paste and 1 cup hot water. Stir until combined and smooth. Reduce the heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook for 2-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the shredded chicken and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings to preference, adding additional salt (up to 1/2 teaspoon more)or sugar as needed. Season with lime juice to desired preference (we add 2 tablespoons). Remove from the heat.
- ASSEMBLE: If you like melted cheese, add a few tablespoons of cheese to the shells and broil for 1-2 minutes to melt. Add the chicken right on top and another tablespoon of cheese on top of that (it will melt slightly because the chicken is hot). Add favorite taco toppings (we like lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime) over everything. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This worked great. I added black beans and sprinkles bacon on top. Delicious
Sounds great!
Sorry I missed the stars 😬 definitely five from me!
Awe thank you!!
Made this tonight and LOVED IT!! Big flavor, I desperately needed this break away from the ground beef tacos that I’m sick to death of. 😅 My new favorite and the kids ate thirds, too.
Excellent recipe! I used leftover roasted chicken and soft flour tortillas, otherwise followed it completely. So bright and refreshing! Thank you so much!
Yum! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks Jola! 🙂
Great flavor and so easy! Will make again.
I am so happy to hear! Thanks Mary Beth! 🙂
Loved this recipe! Used tajin instead of lime. It’s a keeper! Thank you ????
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the comment Laura 🙂
A great use for leftover chicken and a good starter recipe. I highly recommend adding a medium onion and red or green bell pepper to the garlic to simmer before adding the spice to make it more interesting. I also thought the sauce was missing a kick, so I added cayenne, Cholula, and a dash of ancho chili powder to satisfy my heat preference.
My favorite thing about those recipe is it didn’t leave my kitchen in shambles. Super easy clean up!
OMG….these are great, so easy and will definitely go into our menu rotation. They are a wonderful way to use up that last bit of rotisserie chicken!
YAYY!! I am seriously soo happy to hear this! Thanks! 🙂
I love this! It’s easy & bursting with flavor. Everybody should try it.
Thanks Lori!!
These are so easy and need to go into the regular rotation. A great use for left over chicken.
So happy to hear it! 🙂