Traeger Smoked Pulled Chicken Tacos

When it comes to tacos on Traeger grills and pellet smokers, red meat and cheese rule the land. I love a brisket or pulled pork taco as much as the next person, but with this recipe I wanted to make kinda healthy tacos that still delivered big flavors. And I think I’ve done it with these smoked chicken tacos.

Boneless skinless chicken thighs are seasoned and smoked on a bed of sliced onions in olive oil then braised in non-alcoholic beer or your favorite braising liquid to finish. The pulled chicken has 20 grams of protein with just 10 grams of fat and 180 calories per serving. Pair that with a grilled tortilla and you have an amazing high protein taco right off the smoker.

Part One: Smoking Mexican Seasoned Chicken Thighs Over Onions

The recipe calls for a homemade rub with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, coriander, and cinnamon. If you have a go-to chicken rub for tacos, it’s fine to use it here. I make a 3-ingredient shredded chicken with Kinder’s chicken fajita seasoning and non-alcoholic beer that’s pretty darn good.

My spice blend is a bit more warm and earthy than your typical Tex-Mex chicken seasoning, but people seem to like it over the past five years since my Mexican shredded chicken recipe was published.

You could always split the recipe into two pans and try multiple rubs. Check out my chipotle bbq smoked chicken for another variation worth trying.

In my experience, the best way to make smoked pulled chicken with boneless skinless chicken thighs is to season and cook the chicken at 225ºF for 60-75 minutes before adding a braising liquid, covering, and cooking for another 75 minutes at 350ºF. This allows the chicken to pick up the smoky flavor you’re after while staying tender and juicy for shredding.

Unlike my Korean BBQ pulled chicken on the Traeger, which starts with the chicken directly on the grill grates, this Mexican chicken starts in a pan on top of sliced onions tossed with olive oil and salt. The chicken still picks up plenty of smoke and a bit of color in the first part of the cook, but you get the delicious jammy onions that cook in olive oil and rendered chicken fat for a few hours.

And there’s no need to clean the grill grates with this method, for what it’s worth!

A Tip for More Smoky Flavor

If you’re using a newer model Traeger like the Woodridge Elite I developed this recipe on, the Super Smoke function is very helpful in getting even more smoky flavor into the chicken in a short time period.

If your pellet grill doesn’t have Super Smoke or a similar function like SmokeBoost on the Weber Searwood, you might look into using smoke tubes with pellets or wood chips. I know that method has gained popularity as of late. Here’s a video from Chef Tom at Allthingsbbq with an example.

Personally, I think you’re totally fine without any of the added bells and whistles. I just wanted to put it on your radar.

Part Two: Braising the Smoked Chicken

Once the chicken has picked up a bit of color around the edges (see the photo below for an example), it’s time to add a braising liquid, cover with vented foil or a cracked lid, and crank up the temperature.

My braising liquid of choice is beer, or in this case, non-alcoholic beer. If you can find a non-alcoholic Mexican beer like Athletic Brewing’s cerveza or Corona’s NA beer, go that route.

All that said, the recipe only calls for a cup. So don’t feel the need to make a non-alcoholic beer run just for this recipe. Chicken broth, water, or maybe a blend of water and a bit of apple juice would add a little something extra. Oranges and other citrus works really well with these flavors, but I think it’s best reserved for adding fresh when serving.

Keep an eye on the chicken to see when it’s ready to shred. If it has any resistance when poked with a fork or tongs, give it a bit longer. Chicken thighs are so forgiving, and it’s very unlikely you’ve overcooked them.

If you need to extend the cook time, check on the onions and make sure you don’t need to add more braising liquid.

Once the chicken is falling apart when nudged, it’s time to make pulled chicken and start preparing all your taco fixin’s.

Part Three: Shredding the Chicken, Serving, and Leftovers

While you can serve the pulled chicken straight away, giving it an extra 20 minutes or so at 350ºF (uncovered) will give the pulled chicken time to soak up some of the juices and pick up a bit more browning. Take a look at the before and after photos below to see the difference.

This also gives you plenty of time to properly warm enough corn tortillas for serving. I like to pop them straight on the grill grates. Just be sure not to leave them on the grill too long or you’ll have crispy baked tostadas instead of malleable tortillas for tacos.

As far as fixin’s go, I think these smoked chicken tacos are best with a simple assortment of fresh cilantro and onion, a squeeze of lime juice, and a pinch of cotija cheese. I have a recipe for smoked borracho beans that call for cooking at 300ºF but should be fine riding alongside the chicken all the way. Add a little cilantro lime cauliflower rice, and you have yourself a proper fiesta.

Quesadillas and burritos, smoked nachos, burrito bowls, and taco salads all come to mind for other ways to use the chicken if you’re looking to mix things up. You could also make chicken wraps (like these) by rolling this chicken in flour tortillas with some grilled veggies then grilling the wraps to seal.

You probably don’t need my help coming up with ways to garnish tacos. But just in case you need some ideas for leftovers, I’ll point you towards my air fried chicken quesadillas and chicken breakfast burritos (swap this chicken for the rotisserie chicken).

That’s the way to the tortilla crumbles. Have a question about an ingredient substitution, pellet smoker operation, or anything else? Leave it in the comments at the bottom of this post.

No questions? Grab the printable recipe card below and get cooking. Just don’t forget to come back and leave a recipe review if you love your smoked chicken tacos!