Home > Dinner > Rotisserie Chicken Tacos Rotisserie Chicken Tacos November 14, 2019 | 54 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. 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! How to make Rotisserie Chicken Tacos The pictures above correlate to the descriptions below. Toss together the spices. We use cumin, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and of course, salt and pepper. Make the sauce. Start by cooking garlic in olive oil, toasting the spices in the oil, and then adding in the tomato paste and chicken stock/broth or water with chicken bouillon. This sauce slightly thickens and reduces. Pull the meat off the rotisserie chicken and shred or chop it. Toss the chicken in the sauce until coated. Once you’ve got the seasoned chicken, it’s all about how you want to top your tacos. We think freshly grated cheese, shredded lettuce, a sliced avocado, chopped cherry tomatoes, and a scoop of sour cream make for the best Rotisserie Chicken Tacos! How do you make rotisserie chicken taste better? I mentioned that we add a few things to the rotisserie chicken, and this completely amps up the flavor. Our additions are simple — some tomato paste, typical taco seasonings, and chicken bouillon powder. Fresh lime juice also goes a long way to add flavor and freshness. How much chicken do I need for tacos? For these Rotisserie Chicken Tacos, you’ll need 3 cups of rotisserie chicken. A normal rotisserie chicken yields about 4 cups of meat, so use the leftovers in this Chicken Pot Pie recipe! 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! FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Rotisserie Chicken Tacos 4.96 from 45 votes - Review this recipe Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos with simple taco-seasoned meat, crispy corn tortilla shells, and all your favorite taco toppings! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Rotisserie Chicken Tacos 4.96 from 45 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos with simple taco-seasoned meat, crispy corn tortilla shells, and all your favorite taco toppings! Course Dinner Cuisine Mexican Keyword rotisserie chicken tacos Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Cook Time 10 minutes minutes Total Time 25 minutes minutes Servings 12 tacos Calories 178kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $5.79 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!)US - Metric USMetric InstructionsSEASONINGS: 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 NotesNote 1: I use Knorr® Seasoning Granulated Chicken Bouillon. You can use chicken stock or broth (low sodium) in place of the water and bouillon granules. Nutrition FactsServing: 12servings | Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.8g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 37.1mg | Sodium: 114.3mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 0.7g We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
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! Reply
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! Reply
Excellent recipe! I used leftover roasted chicken and soft flour tortillas, otherwise followed it completely. So bright and refreshing! Thank you so much! Reply
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. Reply
What if u have no skillet to prepare rhe shredded chicken in? I only have an air fryer bake convection oven to work qith. Reply
Made these for dinner last night, so yummy! I always struggled to figure out a way to make a rotisserie “Mexican” style. This nailed it. Easy and delicious. My husband ate FIVE! Thanks for the brilliant recipe! Reply
I followed this recipe but change it @ the end I warmed corn tortillas and filled 1/2 way, used toothpicks to close then I fried them in vegetable oil. They were a HIT! my boyfriend Loved them …plus my son saw them on the stove when he got home from work and just confessed to me he couldn’t resist and ate one last night then said they were delicious! Reply
I got an enthusiastic fist-bump from my husband for this meal! Perfectly delicious! Thanks for another great recipe, Chelsea! Reply
I only changed 1 thing – I did not have tomatoes paste on hand so I used sugar free ketchup instead (Hunts) I added 3 Tablespoons instead of 2. Hubby ate 4 Tacos in record time! He says they are definitely a chicken taco winner! Thank you for sharing this fantabulous recipe! 🌮 Reply
I PREPARED THIS FOR MY FAMILY AND EVERYONE LOVED IT. I LIKED THE COMBINATION OF SPICES THAT YOU USED. IT GAVE IT A SPECIAL TASTE. Reply
I made the chicken taco recipe and it was delicious! I used the rotisserie from the night before and shredded and made as leftovers and it was a big hit with the family. I’ll be using this recipe again and again! Delicious!! Reply
This is delicious! Was so happy to find this recipe… it has the same spices I use in my homemade chili gravy for enchiladas, without making the roux first!!! Excellent taste and easy! I use it for tostadas Compuestas and it’s fabulous Reply
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. Reply
Looks amazing! Can this recipe be made a day ahead? If so, how would you suggest reheating? Thanks! Reply
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. Reply
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. Reply
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! Reply
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! Reply
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. Reply
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. 😖 Reply
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 Reply
Well, the flavor was amazing. Maybe I messed up. Will definitely make again and just cut back on the amount of spice. Thank you!!!
