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.

Finished BBQ chicken tacos topped with vegetables, beans, cilantro, and creamy dressing, ready to serve.

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.

Making sauce by blending all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

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.

Mixing BBQ sauce with rotisserie chicken, assembling black beans, corn, tomatoes, and onions, and tossing to combine to make the delicious BBQ chicken tacos recipe.

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.

Quick Tip

If you have time, make the creamy cilantro-lime sauce in advance; it gets more and more flavorful as it sits! Plus, with the sauce done, dinner assembly is a breeze!

Finished meal, delicious and ready to eat, with a bowl of barbecue sauce nearby.

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

5 from 4 votes

BBQ Chicken Tacos

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
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 13 tacos

Equipment

  • Blender or mini food processor

Ingredients 
 

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 jalapeรฑo pepper 1 heaping tablespoon, or 1 full jalapeรฑo 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 jalapeรฑo (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 โ€œgrillโ€ 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.

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.

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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5 from 4 votes

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15 Comments

  1. Shannon says:

    5 stars
    These were excellent – my whole family loved them! They come together quickly and are easy!

    1. Chelsea says:

      I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Shannon!

  2. Mollie says:

    5 stars
    Iโ€™ve made this recipe a couple of times, my husband requests it. If I donโ€™t feel like making the sauce I just drizzle on homemade ranch dressing. Five stars, delicious tacos!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I love it! Thanks so much for your comment Mollie! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Andrea says:

    5 stars
    Very good and tasty. My husband liked it. I made his cream with the spices in it. I’m not a very spicy person, so I left those out. We enjoyed it.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So thrilled these were a hit!

  4. Jasmin says:

    How do you recommend charring the corn tortillas without a gas stove? Is there a method for an electric range or another technique entirely? Thank you.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I’d spray both sides with cooking spray and cook in a heated skillet over medium high heat until lightly charred, maybe 15-20 seconds per side?

  5. James O'Dell says:

    Can I make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead ??

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Absolutely! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Lyndsey says:

    5 stars
    making these for the second time tonight! thanks for the great recipe!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Oh yay! So great to hear! Thanks for the comment ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Alice says:

    these tacos look amazing!

  8. Ashley says:

    Taco night is always one of our very favorites! These look fantastic Chelsea! Have a great weekend!!

  9. Gayle says:

    These tacos are just calling my name, Chelsea!