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–+ servings
BBQ chicken tacos arranged on a platter.

BBQ Chicken Tacos

40aprons.com/bbq-chicken-tacos/
All the flavor of a loaded shredded BBQ chicken sandwich in taco form.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Assemble 10 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 12 tacos

Equipment

  • grill gas or charcoal
  • Large plate
  • neutral-flavored cooking spray
  • Tongs
  • internal meat thermometer
  • Cutting board
  • Pastry brush
  • medium mixing bowl
  • Silicone spatula
  • small mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • Sharp chef's knife or tools to shred chicken
  • 13 Paper towels
  • water
  • Large microwave-safe plate
  • Microwave

Ingredients

For the BBQ Chicken

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
  • 1 tablespoon BBQ dry rub (plus more if desired)
  • salt (optional, to taste)
  • ½ cup BBQ sauce (store-bought or homemade, plus more if desired)

For the Slaw

  • 2 cups shredded cabbage (shred your own or use bagged coleslaw mix)
  • ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice (juice from approximately half of 1 medium lime)
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (plus more if desired)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (more or less to taste)
  • 1 pinch salt (more or less to taste)

For the BBQ Aioli

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
  • 1 teaspoon BBQ dry rub

For the Tacos (All Optional)

  • 12 tortillas (corn or flour tortillas; 6-inch or 8-inch)
  • ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
  • ½ cup crumbled queso fresco

Instructions

To Grill the Chicken

  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat, between 375° and 400° Fahrenheit.
  • While grill preheats, place 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts on large plate. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon BBQ dry rub and salt (optional) evenly over chicken breasts, seasoning all sides completely. Use more dry rub if desired.
  • Once grill has preheated to target temperature, spray grill grate lightly with neutral-flavored cooking spray. Place seasoned chicken breasts on grill grates over indirect heat.
  • Close grill lid and grill chicken, undisturbed, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • After 4 to 5 minutes, open grill and flip chicken breasts over. Close grill lid and grill chicken, undisturbed, 4 minutes more.
  • After 4 minutes, open grill lid and insert internal meat thermometer into thickest area of chicken breasts. If needed, continue grilling chicken until internal temperature reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
  • Once target internal temperature is reached, carefully transfer chicken breasts to cutting board. Immediately brush ½ cup BBQ sauce onto grilled chicken, dividing sauce evenly between both sides of each chicken breast. Set chicken aside to rest 5 minutes.

To Make the Slaw

  • While chicken rests, add 2 cups shredded cabbage, ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and 1 pinch salt to medium mixing bowl.
  • Gently stir slaw ingredients together until fully incorporated. Taste mixture and stir in additional lime juice, mayonnaise, sugar, and/or salt as desired. Set aside.

To Make the BBQ Aioli

  • Add ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, and 1 teaspoon BBQ dry rub to small mixing bowl.
  • Whisk ingredients together until fully combined. Taste aioli and mix in additional BBQ sauce and/or dry rub as desired. Set aside.

To Assemble the Tacos

  • Once chicken has rested 5 minutes, chop or shred chicken into small pieces. Set aside.
  • Wet 13 paper towels under running water. Squeeze out some water from each paper towel, leaving paper towels wet but not dripping. Spread one damp paper towel out across large microwave-safe plate.
  • Place 1 tortilla on top of paper towel. Cover tortilla with second wet paper towel, making sure all edges of tortilla are completely covered.
  • Repeat, alternating tortillas and damp paper towels, until all 12 tortillas have been stacked on plate and covered by paper towels. Make sure each tortilla is completely covered with paper towel, with no edges exposed.
  • Microwave tortillas in 30-second increments, checking tortillas after each burst, until tortillas are soft and pliable.
  • Once tortillas have been steamed, fill each tortilla with BBQ chicken and slaw. Drizzle BBQ aioli over taco filling. Repeat until all tortillas have been filled.
  • Top tacos with ½ cup thinly sliced green onions and ½ cup crumbled queso fresco if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

  • Chicken Thighs: Thighs will need to cook longer than breasts, so adjust the cook time as needed - approximately 6 to 8 minutes per side. Remove the chicken thighs from the grill when their internal temperature reaches 175° Fahrenheit. Let them rest 5 minutes before chopping or shredding.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1tacoCalories: 238calProtein: 19gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 341mgPotassium: 406mgTotal Carbs: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gNet Carbs: 18gVitamin A: 168IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 1mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/bbq-chicken-tacos/