Smoked Chicken Tacos Recipe
Whether it's Taco Tuesday — or any other day of the week for that matter — tacos have a place on the menu. Tacos are one of the most versatile meals, whether for lunch or dinner. They can feature beef, pork, chicken, and even tofu. And truly, the options for toppings to customize your own are endless.
Need an idea for a great taco recipe that really elevates the taco game? Recipe developer and food photographer Petar Marshall is doing just that with this smoked chicken tacos recipe. "The smoked flavor of the chicken serves as the ideal base," says Marshall. "They're then taken to a whole other level with a cilantro-avocado crema, along with smoked bell pepper."
Smoke the chicken on your Traeger, or other smoker, along with a whole bell pepper. Chop everything up, and then assemble your tacos in a matter of minutes. They're fresh and full of flavor, making for the perfect warm-weather meal.
Gather the ingredients for smoked chicken tacos
Ready to get started on making these tacos? For this recipe, you'll need, two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, one small red onion, two avocados, one bell pepper, one cup of sour cream, two limes, six sprigs of cilantro, tortillas, and garlic salt and pepper. "I used an orange bell pepper for this recipe to give it great flavor and color," says Marshall. "You can opt for red or green, as well, if preferred."
Season and smoke the chicken and pepper
Once the ingredients are gathered, it's time to get cooking! First up, preheat the Traeger to 200 F. Season the chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper, to taste. "This serves as a great, simple base of flavor for the meat," says Marshall. Once the chicken is seasoned, put it on the smoker for two hours. After one hour, cut the pepper into chunks and place it on the smoker as well. Also, have a spray bottle of water on hand and spritz the chicken from time to time as it smokes.
Once the chicken has smoked for two hours, and the pepper for one hour, crank up the heat to 400 F and cook both the chicken breasts and the pepper for 30 minutes.
Make the avocado crema
While the chicken and pepper are cooking, make the avocado crema. Mash the avocados in a mixing bowl, and then add in the sour cream. Stir to combine, and then mix in the minced cilantro and the juice of one lime. "This makes for a delicious sauce to add to the tacos," says Marshall. "Feel free to add in minced jalapeños for a spicy kick, or even chopped tomatoes."
Chop the smoked chicken and pepper
Once the chicken and pepper are cooked, pull them off of the smoker. Cut the chicken into small chunks and the pepper into thin strips.
Assemble the smoked chicken tacos
To assemble the tacos, start with the tortillas as the base. Spread the avocado crema on the tortilla, and then top it with chunks of chicken. Add sliced pepper and red onion. Garnish the tacos with minced cilantro and serve them with a lime wedge. Of course, you can garnish these tacos with anything that you want — get creative and enjoy the fresh, smoky flavors!
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- garlic salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 2 avocados
- 1 cup sour cream
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 6 sprigs cilantro, minced
- 10 taco-sized tortillas
- extra lime wedges for serving
- extra cilantro for garnish
- Preheat the Traeger or other smoker to 200 F.
- Season the chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken on the smoker and smoke for 2 hours.
- With 1 hour left of smoke time, cut the pepper into thirds, and put it on the smoker. Spritz the chicken with a spray bottle of water occasionally while smoking and cooking.
- After 2 hours, turn the heat up on the smoker to 400 F. Cook the chicken and pepper for 30 minutes.
- To make the avocado crema, mash the avocados in a bowl. Stir in the sour cream, minced cilantro, and juice of 1 lime.
- Once the chicken and pepper are cooked, chop them into small pieces.
- Spread the avocado crema on each tortilla, top with chicken and sliced pepper, and garnish with red onion, additional crema, and more cilantro.
| Calories per Serving | 236 |
| Total Fat | 12.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 51.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 17.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.9 g |
| Total Sugars | 2.1 g |
| Sodium | 50.5 mg |
| Protein | 15.2 g |
