Grilled Chicken Tacos are a quick and easy lunch or dinner that you can put together in a flash! Slow smoked in a delicious verde sauce right on the Traeger, these tacos shred nice and are perfect to make ahead of time for a tasty but quick dinner.

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Name: Grilled Chicken Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts; 3 tablespoons Spanglish Verde Rub; 1 large onion, sliced; 2 cups Mexican beer; 2 cups salsa verde; 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Introducing a twist on classic grilled chicken tacos that will become your go-to recipe for summer cookouts. We start with chicken breasts, a staple ingredient that provides a blank canvas for bold flavors. Unlike traditional grilling methods, we are braising the chicken on a pellet grill. This technique locks in moisture and infuses the meat with all that amazing flavor in the sauce.

The secret to this dish is the sauce: a combination of verde salsa and beer. As the chicken braises, it soaks up the tangy, spicy, and malty flavors of the sauce. This creates a rich flavor profile that will make your taco night a smashing success!

Once braised, the chicken is easily shredded, offering tender chicken that goes wonderfully all the toppings you can throw at it. The final result? Tacos that deliver on both taste and texture.

So fire up your pellet grill and gather your ingredients. This is one recipe you won’t want to miss out on, whether you’re a taco novice or a seasoned pro.

Check out all of my Traeger Recipes!

Grilled Chicken Tacos shopping list

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Chicken breasts
Spanglish Asadero Verde Rub
Lime
Verde salsa
Mexican beer (Corona or Modelo)
Taco Toppings
Tortillas

Make my Homemade Salsa Verde too!

How to make Grilled Chicken Tacos

This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Preheat

Fire up the grill and let it preheat to 350°F.

Grill

Season the chicken breasts and place onto the grill. Cook 10 minutes each side. While it is grilling, add the verde salsa, beer, and onion to a large grill-safe pan. Put it on the grill to heat up while the chicken finishes cooking.

Braise

Put the chicken breasts into the braising liquid and let them braise for 30 minutes. Flip over in the pan and then let them continue to braise until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. They’ll shred better at 175°F.

How long it’ll take depend entirely on how thick your chicken breasts are.

Shred

Once the chicken breasts reach temp, remove from the liquid and shred with forks or claws. Put it back into the sauce.

Enjoy

Load up the shredded chicken into tortillas and top with your favorite taco fixings.

Try our Smoked Quesabirria Tacos!

More great recipes with a kick

These recipes are full of spice and not for the faint-hearted! If you like jalapeños, start cooking.

Yield: 10 servings

Grilled Chicken Tacos

This delicious grilled chicken tacos recipe is cooked on the pellet grill in a rich verde sauce until it is tender and shreddable and ready to be loaded up into tortillas!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons Spanglish Verde Rub
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups Mexican beer
2 cups salsa verde
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

Preheat the Traeger to 350°F.
Season the chicken breasts with the verde rub and place onto the grill. Cook on each side for 10 minutes.
In a grill-safe baking dish, add the chicken breast, onion, beer, and salsa verde.
Place, uncovered, back onto the grill.
Cook for 30 minutes, and flip the chicken breasts over in the sauce. Cook for another 15-30 minutes, or until the chicken is at least 165°F. Shredded the breasts will be easier closer to 175°F.
Remove from the grill, shred with two forks, and put back into the sauce.
Load up into your favorite tortillas and top with your favorite toppings.

Grilled Chicken Tacos Recipe