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.
Easy and quick to make, great flavor too. A new favorite, many thanks!
So happy to hear this! Thanks Suzy! 🙂
I made this last night and it was spot on! I’ve
been trying to find a recipe for my leftover
Chicken Rotisserie from Costco. It was very
juicy and flavorful!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Shirley! 🙂
Not sure what I did wrong but this was way too spicy!!! Making for a family birthday get together with kids attending. Threw it out. 😖
What chili powder did you use?
I used McCormick Dark Chili Powder. Could that be the problem?
It could if you find that pretty spicy. I typically haven’t found McCormick chili powder to be overly spicy. I haven’t tried their dark chili powder though
Well, the flavor was amazing. Maybe I messed up. Will definitely make again and just cut back on the amount of spice. Thank you!!!
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks Donna! 🙂
In my experience, the McCormick dark chili powder is definitely spicier than their regular.
This was delicious and definitely a keeper. I had leftover broiled chicken thighs that I cut into small cubes. One thing I found is that’s it’s VERY spicy—far more than my usual homemade taco sauce. It must be the paprika, or maybe I have a super spicy paprika on hand. Anyway my hubby loved it! I put sour cream and avocado on mine, added a little beans and rice, and it was to die for.
So happy you enjoyed! You can definitely do less paprika!
So, do you fill the taco shells with filling & heat the taco shells up in oven to warm them? I’ve never used them before, only the soft tortillas. Thank you!
Hey Janet! The directions are in step 3: “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).” Hope that helps!
Wondering if this recipe can be frozen and if it taste as good. My mom lives alone I would love to cook in advance and have her be able to pull out and eat. She’s older and only one since my dad passed. Just want to see if anyone has tried freezing the chicken taco recipe.
My family loved it!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Denise! 🙂
Enjoyed this recipe very much. Didn’t have cumin or paprika. Added some onions in with the olive oil, after onions are translucent added the garlic. Followed the
Other instructions and didn’t really miss the other
Ingredients. Will make again for sure. Delicious.
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks Myra! 🙂
Looks amazing! Can this recipe be made a day ahead? If so, how would you suggest reheating? Thanks!
I am always looking for recipes that use Rotisserie Chicken. Loved this recipe. So much flavor and not a lot of heat, which we prefer. I wouldn’t change a thing. The prep time was about 20 minutes. We left out the optional sugar. We cut this recipe in half since there are only two of us.
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks! 🙂