Taco night just got easier with this recipe for Rotisserie Chicken Tacos. Quick, easy, healthy and full of flavor, this is a dream meal for those hectic weeknights. Combine rotisserie chicken meat with chipotle peppers, avocados, red-skinned potatoes and romaine and and a lively vinaigrette. On the table in around 30 minutes.
Another one of our favorite ways to use leftover rotisserie chicken is for this Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Soup. I urge you to take a look at that quick meal recipe also.
Aren’t tacos amazing? While eating Taco Bell as a teenager, little did I know that a few hundred miles directly south of me, people were churning out authentic Mexican homemade taco shells, filled with fresh meat, exotic spices and rolling them up into pure bliss. And had been doing so for centuries.
Tacos are so versatile, so easy and you can turn just about anything into a taco filling. Like these Chipotle Rotisserie Chicken Tacos. Drizzled with a tingling chipotle vinaigrette and you’ve got chicken chipotle tacos that you’ll think about long after the meal is done.
When you need dinner fast, these rotisserie chicken tacos are the ticket. A recipe that is so very easy and so packed with flavor.
This is a Rick Bayless chicken tacos recipe, which he calls Chicken Salad Tacos. Rick specializes in authentic Mexican food, but has no issues taking modern liberties with his creations. This is a great example of thinking outside the taco shell box.
Let’s take a look.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Romaine Lettuce: Flavoring lettuce makes these somewhat of a chicken salad tacos.
- Corn Tortillas: Note: I have made my own corn tortillas using blue and red masa. Purchase soft corn tortillas from the Mexican food aisle at the store. Either yellow or white corn tortillas will work.
- Potatoes
- Rotisserie Chicken
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
- Avocado
- Onions
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Mexican Oregano: Mexican oregano has lemon and citrus flavors which always pair well with spicy Mexican recipes.
- Olive Oil
Ingredient Substitutions
- Lettuce: Romaine lettuce is a very crispy lettuce. Avoid substituting softer lettuces such as red leaf, rather choose Iceberg Lettuce for that crispy texture.
- Potatoes: I like those small red skinned potatoes for this recipe because you don’t have to peel them. A very good substitute would be small Yukon Gold Potatoes. Creamy in texture and no peeling required.
- Chicken: The beauty of these tacos is that using a rotisserie chicken makes this an easy fix. You can also cook and shred either boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
- Oregano: If you can’t find Mexican oregano, please don’t substitute the more commonly found Mediterranean oregano. The flavor profiles are not similar. A better substitute is Marjoram. Known for its aroma and delicate flavor, its related to oregano and will bring a sweet undertone to any recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for complete ingredients and instructions.
Making rotisserie chicken tacos are a breeze. Let’s get started.
- Step 1: Prepare the potatoes. Slice the potatoes and place in a microwave safe bowl. Drizzle them with ¼ cup water, or better yet, chicken broth. Add about a teaspoon of kosher salt, cover with plastic wrap and using a fork, poke a few holes in the top of the plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Reserve potato water.
- Step 2: Using a fork, rough chop the potatoes. Set aside.
- Step 3: Make the vinaigrette. Add vinegar, oregano, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, and onion to the bowl with the potato cooking water to make a dressing.
- Step 4: Using a whisk, mix well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Step 5: Scoop the potatoes into a large bowl. Add the shredded rotisserie chicken and drizzle on the dressing and toss everything together. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to blend flavors.
- Step 6: Just before serving, add the lettuce and avocado to the bowl. Drizzle with the oil and toss to combine.
Serve with warmed corn tortillas and enjoy. Serve with a wedge of lime as a squeeze of lime juice is always a delicious addition to tacos.
Variations, Favorite Taco Toppings
- Instead of sliced avocado, once the tacos are assembled, add a dollop of guacamole on top.
- Radishes are a common topping for Mexican tacos. Add some thin slices on top.
- Trying to save on carbs? Use cooked small cauliflower florets instead.
- Sprinkle on some Mexican crumbling cheese such as Cotija cheese. Feta cheese is a good substitution if you don’t have Cotija.
- Want to make this a vegetarian taco? Substitute white beans for the chicken.
- Use store purchased formed crispy taco shells rather than soft corn tortillas.
- Use street taco size flour tortillas.
- I personally don’t think a taco should be served without slices of fresh jalapeno pepper and chopped cilantro. And always squeezed lime juice.
- A dollop of sour cream would be nice here.
Equipment Needed
- Microwave Safe Bowls: I don’t know how I ever lived without my nesting microwave safe bowls. They’re easy to store because they stack inside each other. And there are nine sizes, convenient for about anything you’re cooking up.
Storage
Unfortunately once these tacos are mixed together, storing leftovers won’t work. The vinegar in the dressing will wilt the lettuce once it sits for awhile.
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos FAQ’s
Absolutely yes. Adding in some of the dark meat from the thighs will add even more flavor.
Because we’re also adding potatoes to these tacos, which will add part of the buik for the filling, we need only about 8 ounces of rotisserie chicken. Perfect for using up some of that left over rotisserie chicken. Tip: Instead of trying to smush chicken into a measuring cup, use a kitchen scale to weigh the chicken. And by all means it doesn’t have to be exact. I don’t think I’ve ever measured the chicken for this recipe. I’ve always just assembled a small little pile of shredded chicken. For comparison, keep in mind that a normal rotisserie chicken will yield about 4 cups of meat.
Using a fork, pry a big piece of chicken from the bones. Using two forks, or clean hands, simply pull apart the meat into small shredded pieces.
Rotisserie chicken will keep in the refrigerator 4 – 5 days after purchase. So make these tacos within that time period. And don’t throw away the carcass. Make chicken stock and freeze it for future use.
Pro Tip – Warming Tortilla Shells
You simply can’t take a corn tortilla out of it’s package and make a taco. You have to soften that tortilla so it’s flexible. To warm tortillas, place them in a very damp clean dish towel. I just quickly one swipe the towel under low pressure water from the tap to add a little bit of moisture. You can also dampen a double thick paper towel, big enough to cover the tortillas. Wrap a stack of corn tortillas in the towel and place the package into a gallon zip lock bag. Don’t close the bag. Microwave for 4 minutes at 50% power.
Recipe For Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
Using a rotisserie chicken makes these chicken salad tacos a breeze to make. are A great recipe to have in your back pocket for an easy weeknight meal. I hope you give them a try.
And if you’re taco crazy like us, don’t miss my taco category. You’ll find lots of great taco recipes, including the most popular on my site for Fried Tacos.
Related Recipes
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Chipotle Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 8 ounces red skin or Yukon Gold potato sliced ¼ thick
- ¼ cup water
- 3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican if you have it
- 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can of chiles en adobo
- ½ sweet onion fine chopped
- 8 ounces cooked chicken shredded (rotisserie chicken makes this easy)
- 2 cups sliced romaine leaves
- 1 avocado flesh scooped from skin and cut into ¼ cubes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 soft corn tortillas warmed
- Serve with lime wedges and sliced jalapeno
Instructions
- Place sliced potatoes into a large microwaveable bowl, drizzle with ¼ cup water and sprinkle generously with salt. Cover with plastic wrap, poke a couple of holes in the top and microwave on high for about 4 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Scoop the potatoes onto a cutting board, leaving the liquid behind. Let the potatoes cool.
- Use a fork to break the cooled potatoes into ½ inch pieces.
- Make the Vinaigrette: Add vinegar, oregano, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, and onion to the bowl with the potato cooking water to make a dressing. Mix well, then season with salt to taste.
- Scoop the potatoes into a large bowl. Add the chicken and drizzle on the dressing and toss everything together. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to blend flavors.
- Just before serving, add the lettuce and avocado to the bowl. Drizzle with the oil and toss to combine. Serve with warmed tortillas for soft tacos.
Notes
- Instead of sliced avocado, once the tacos are assembled, add a dollop of guacamole on top.
- Radishes are a common topping for Mexican tacos. Add some thin slices on top.
- Trying to save on carbs? Use cooked small cauliflower florets instead.
- Sprinkle on some Mexican crumbling cheese such as Cotija cheese. Feta cheese is a good substitution if you don’t have Cotija.
- Want to make this a vegetarian taco? Substitute white beans for the chicken.
- Use formed crisp taco shells rather than soft corn tortillas.
- Use street taco size flour tortillas.
- I personally don’t think a taco should be served without slices of fresh jalapeno pepper and chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Rotisserie chickens are great. Oddly, we rarely buy them to eat as-is, but more so we can use them in other dishes. 🙂 This is a great use for them — thanks.
You can always be assured that a Rick Bayless recipe will please. Rotisserie chickens certainly have made our lives simpler making this recipe come together so quickly,
These look very good Chef but for some reason we rarely eat tacos unless it’s fish. I guess we should think in terms of a Mexican sandwich for a quick meal.
These are my favorite kind of flavors, the PNW is wonderful but Mexican/Southwest food is not one of them. Can’t wait to sink my teeth into these delicious tacos, making for company next week. Pinned!
What a pretty salad Lea Ann and so full of wonderful flavors. I always have a jar of chipotles in adobo sauce in my ‘frig and I love the incredible kick they give to a dish. Hope you have a nice weekend.
Sam
Thanks Sam, you too!
Drooling here…I’ve been on a chipotle kick lately and I can just taste these tacos now, great combination of flavors and textures, Lea Ann 🙂
Thanks Sue. Rick Bayless never fails.
Lea Ann, how quickly can you deliver about half a dozen of these gorgeous tacos? I’m not really in the mood to cook this week, so if you were my neighbor I’d be dropping in every evening, saying “Ohhh you’re having dinner now, I don’t want to interrupt, I’ll come back later, ooh, something smells good …” Or is that too subtle?
I wish you were my neighbor. I’d be mooching food from you all the time. 🙂
Wow, I could eat one (or a dozen) of those! Yummm!
🙂 Thanks Kathryn.
Rick Bayless is great — SO inventive. Love tacos — you can do anything with them. This looks terrific. Definitely my kind of dish — thanks.
Thanks John.
We love those flavors too and they always taste so fresh when cooked at home. I love the flavor of chipolatas in adobo!. Delicious recipe, Lea Ann!
Thanks Susan.