Rotisserie Chicken Tacos

These rotisserie chicken tacos are a great way to elevate freshly pulled or leftover rotisserie chicken. Pulled chicken is tossed with a simple fire roasted tomato and chipotle sauce and broiled in the oven for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken gets crispy around the edges. That leaves the perfect amount of time to warm tortillas and get all your favorite taco toppings ready to go.

I love that each 4-ounce serving of this Tex-Mex rotisserie chicken has 15 grams of protein with just 2 grams of fat and 115 calories. You can make absolutely loaded tacos on thick flour tortillas and still have a high protein meal that’s under 500 calories. Or if you’re a nachos fan like me, this chicken is an amazing topping alongside beans and cheese.

But enough talk, let’s dive in and talk about the ingredients, substitutions, and tips for serving.

Making Tacos with Pulled Rotisserie Chicken

The recipe calls for tossing a pound of pulled rotisserie chicken with a blender sauce. I used breast meat only without any skin, in case you’re curious about the nutrition facts. You’ll want to pull the chicken into smaller pieces but avoid over-shredding so you don’t end up with stringy chicken.

As for the sauce, here’s everything you’ll need:

• Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
• White Onion and Peeled Garlic
• Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, and Ground Cinnamon

This sauce is not overly spicy, but you can swap the chipotle peppers for double concentrated tomato paste and/or a couple tablespoons of cider vinegar. You can really get creative with the sauce. The only thing I’d caution against is adding too much liquid, as it will take a lot longer under the broiler to thicken.

You could also probably get away with pre-made simmer sauces, taco seasoning sauces, and other homemade sauces like the chipotle pineapple sauce in my breakfast bowls.

Once the rotisserie chicken is coated in your choice of sauce, pop it under the broiler for 15-20 minutes. The sauce will thicken and the chicken will char and crisp around the edges. Just keep an eye on it, as every oven is a bit different!

And that’s really it. Pretty easy, no?

Update: If you’ve haven’t seen my Korean BBQ rotisserie chicken bowls, I used a sheet pan to broil leftover rotisserie chicken and sauce. You could use a half sheet pan with this recipe to speed up the broiling.

Tips for Serving and Chicken Taco Side Dishes

If you’re not warming your tortillas, you’re messing up. While you can simply throw tortillas in a skillet or use your oven to warm them up, I like to let them hang out directly over a low burner on a gas stovetop. This creates some charring around the edges and warms the tortillas at the same time. Just be sure to use tongs!

I’ll also mention that you could easily use this chicken to make plenty of other dishes like the nachos I mentioned above, classic quesadillas or air fried quesadillas, tostadas, chicken enchiladas, or even get creative with Tex Mex pot pie or high protein cheesy chicken burritos.

As for garnishes, I recommend the following lineup:

• pickled onions or jalapeño peppers
• freshly chopped cilantro
• lime wedges
• nonfat Greek yogurt (or light sour cream)
• salsa verde or creamy avocado salsa
• cotija cheese or queso fresco

And here’s a handful of rotisserie chicken taco side dishes:

• frijoles charros (Mexican pinto beans)
• 10-minute refried black beans
• Mexican rice or Mexican cauliflower rice
• low calorie baked tortilla chips or jicama chips
• guacamole and other dips

Okay, that should cover everything you need to know about making tacos with rotisserie chicken and how to serve them like a pro. If you have a question I missed, leave it in the comments below. And if you’re looking for more meals to make with rotisserie chicken, check out my honey sesame rotisserie chicken, chicken gyros, or low calorie chicken salad recipes next.