Smoked Chicken Tacos

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Smoked chicken tacos are an easy and pretty hands-off recipe that's great for weeknights, meal prep, or even a party. Most of the time is "idle time" spent with the chicken marinating in the fridge or smoking on the smoker. Hands-on time is minimal and the pay-off is huge.

Give these a try and I think you'll be addicted to them, just like me.

Please note that I use an electric pellet smoker (Traeger) to make my smoked chicken tacos. This allows for easy manipulation of temperature. If you have a traditional smoker, you may need to use a grill or grill pan to finish the chicken.

Smoked Chicken Tacos
Makes ~ 6 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes | | Idle Time: 5.5 hours Cook time: 1.25 hours

**This recipe may include affiliate links for which I may be paid a commission for purchases made through the link.**

Click the file below to download and print the recipe

Smoked Chicken Tacos.pdf

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I recommend reading the recipe all the way through, including the recipe notes at the bottom, before you start cooking.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 TB olive oil

• 1.5 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. pepper

• 1.5 tsp. chili powder

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 1 tsp. cumin

• ½ tsp. garlic powder

• ½ tsp. onion poweder

• ½ tsp. dried oregano

• ½ tsp. chipotle powder (or cayenne)*

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs**

Taco Fixin's

Tortillas, lettuce, sour cream, avocado/guacamole, salsa, pickled onions, rice, beans

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, mix all of the marinade ingredients together to thoroughly combine. Add the chicken thighs and toss to evenly coat all of the chicken in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 8.

• When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and preheat the smoker to 225° (use super smoke setting if you have it).

• Place the chicken on the smoker grates, close lid, and smoke for 1 hour.

• After an hour, remove the chicken to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Turn the smoker up to 425° (or preheat a grill if you don’t have an electric smoker). Once to temp, add the chicken back to the smoker and grill for 4-5 minutes per side to get a nice crust.

• Remove from the smoker, loosely cover with foil again, and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Dice the chicken and serve with your favorite taco or taco bowl accoutrements.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 days or frozen for 3 months. To reheat, add diced chicken to a pan on the stove with a splash of water and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes, remove lid, and continue to heat until the water is evaporated.

*Recipe notes + Variations*

*If you’re sensitive to spice, omit the chipotle powder.

**If you don’t need 6 servings, 1.25lbs is approximately 4 servings. But leftovers are phenomenal so I suggest making the full 2lbs.

I use an electric smoker (Traeger) which allows for easy manipulation of the temperature. If you’re using a traditional smoker, you may need to use a grill or grill pan to finish the chicken.