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Grilled Chicken Tacos Recipe

Grilled Chicken Tacos are a quick and easy lunch or dinner that you can put together in a flash! Slow smoked in a delicious verde sauce right on the Traeger, these tacos shred nice and are perfect to make ahead of time for a tasty but quick dinner.

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Introducing a twist on classic grilled chicken tacos that will become your go-to recipe for summer cookouts. We start with chicken breasts, a staple ingredient that provides a blank canvas for bold flavors. Unlike traditional grilling methods, we are braising the chicken on a pellet grill. This technique locks in moisture and infuses the meat with all that amazing flavor in the sauce.

The secret to this dish is the sauce: a combination of verde salsa and beer. As the chicken braises, it soaks up the tangy, spicy, and malty flavors of the sauce. This creates a rich flavor profile that will make your taco night a smashing success!

Once braised, the chicken is easily shredded, offering tender chicken that goes wonderfully all the toppings you can throw at it. The final result? Tacos that deliver on both taste and texture.

So fire up your pellet grill and gather your ingredients. This is one recipe you won’t want to miss out on, whether you’re a taco novice or a seasoned pro.

Check out all of my Traeger Recipes!

Chicken Tacos Recipe

Grilled Chicken Tacos shopping list

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Make my Homemade Salsa Verde too!

Chicken Tacos Recipe

How to make Grilled Chicken Tacos

This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

1

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Preheat

Fire up the grill and let it preheat to 350°F.

2

Grill

Season the chicken breasts and place onto the grill. Cook 10 minutes each side. While it is grilling, add the verde salsa, beer, and onion to a large grill-safe pan. Put it on the grill to heat up while the chicken finishes cooking.

3

Braise

Put the chicken breasts into the braising liquid and let them braise for 30 minutes. Flip over in the pan and then let them continue to braise until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. They’ll shred better at 175°F.

How long it’ll take depend entirely on how thick your chicken breasts are.

4

Shred

Once the chicken breasts reach temp, remove from the liquid and shred with forks or claws. Put it back into the sauce.

5

Enjoy

Load up the shredded chicken into tortillas and top with your favorite taco fixings.

Try our Smoked Quesabirria Tacos!

More great recipes with a kick

These recipes are full of spice and not for the faint-hearted! If you like jalapeños, start cooking.

Grilled Chicken Tacos
Yield: 10 servings

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Grilled Chicken Tacos

This delicious grilled chicken tacos recipe is cooked on the pellet grill in a rich verde sauce until it is tender and shreddable and ready to be loaded up into tortillas!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 tablespoons Spanglish Verde Rub
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 2 cups Mexican beer
  • 2 cups salsa verde
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Preheat the Traeger to 350°F.
  2. Season the chicken breasts with the verde rub and place onto the grill. Cook on each side for 10 minutes.
  3. In a grill-safe baking dish, add the chicken breast, onion, beer, and salsa verde.
  4. Place, uncovered, back onto the grill.
  5. Cook for 30 minutes, and flip the chicken breasts over in the sauce. Cook for another 15-30 minutes, or until the chicken is at least 165°F. Shredded the breasts will be easier closer to 175°F.
  6. Remove from the grill, shred with two forks, and put back into the sauce.
  7. Load up into your favorite tortillas and top with your favorite toppings.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 143Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 335mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 20g

Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate.

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Danielle

Thursday 21st of July 2016

These look amazing! I love all the fresh flavors from the grill.

Smothered Burritos » Or Whatever You Do

Monday 23rd of May 2016

[…] you use this awesome stuff in? I have a fantastic spicy one-pot Mexican rice, spicy carnitas, and a grilled chicken taco recipe that’s begging to have this cilantro added to […]

Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files

Thursday 25th of June 2015

We love adding some good ol spice to our food but nothing that will burn our taste buds off! And these tacos look perfect for a fun taco dinner night!

Nicole Johnson

Friday 3rd of July 2015

Thanks Meg!! You'll love these. Let me know if you try them out!

Kim (Feed Me, Seymour)

Wednesday 24th of June 2015

These look so great! A perfect Father's Day meal. Or perfect for any day, definitely making them next week!

Nicole Johnson

Wednesday 24th of June 2015

Thanks, Kim!

Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen

Tuesday 23rd of June 2015

I am all about using our grill right now, and I could do some damage on these gorgeous tacos! Those sauces look amazing!

Nicole Johnson

Wednesday 24th of June 2015

We really really loved them! Such a fun project to work on!

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