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Smoky, sweet and a little spicy…these crispy chipotle BBQ chicken tacos with a little bit of homemade avocado “crema” need to be on your weeknight menu! Crispy tortillas stuffed with saucy shredded chicken and melty cheddar with a spicy chipotle beer BBQ sauce. Finish with a cool avocado crema and a creamy charred corn salsa for the ultimate summer taco night.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Crispy + cheesy oven tacos, zero frying mess.
- Smoky-sweet chipotle BBQ chicken you can easily adjust for heat.
- Creamy corn salsa and avocado crema to balance every bite.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: tenders or thighs both shred nicely; thighs give richer flavor.
Spice blend: smoked paprika + chipotle chili powder + cayenne = heat + smoke; taste sauce and adjust before the simmer.
Beer vs. broth: beer adds malty depth; broth keeps it alcohol-free.
Cheddar: sharp cheddar cuts through the sweet heat and melts beautifully.
Corn: grill/roast for char; off-season, thawed frozen corn chars well in a hot skillet.
Avocado crema: just avocado + lime + salt—simple, cool, and dairy-free as written.
The Inspiration
So here’s the thing, vacation and time off is truly a wonderful thing, but the day after returning? It’s not usually my favorite. I know some people will say they feel all refreshed and ready to jump back into things. But when I got home from Alaska Saturday night, I was tired.
Granted it was really Sunday morning when I got home because we didn’t actually get in until about 1 am, which meant bedtime was more like 3 am. Point? Sunday was brutal and I spent the day catching up on things I’d missed and digging through my inbox.
But the one silver lining of returning home? Back to homemade meals! Look, it’s nice to not have to cook on vacation. But the truth is I really love cooking, and the first recipe I made was these tacos. And they did not disappoint.
Honestly, they just sounded good. Summery, spicy, BBQ chicken and charred corn are two summer favorites. Usually I make them separately, and usually on the grill. But I was craving a crispy cheesy taco like the ones Dad used to make when we were growing up.
I combined two favorites into one and the outcome was delicious!
Swaps and Variations
Protein: shredded rotisserie chicken for speed (simmer briefly in the sauce to soak).
Cheese: pepper jack for extra heat or a Mexican blend for melt.
Tortillas: flour for extra pliability (texture changes); corn keeps classic crunch.
Add-ins: thin red onion or jalapeño inside for bite; extra herbs in salsa for freshness.
Cook the BBQ Chicken
- These tacos start off with the chicken. Instead of using overly sugary store-bought BBQ sauce, I decided to just do my own, but don’t worry, it’s easy!
- Combine the olive oil, chicken, and spices (smoky paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic, cayenne, and salt) over medium heat for about five minutes
- To make the BBQ sauce, reduce the heat to low, then just add ketchup, honey, dijon and a splash of your very favorite beer. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes until you can shred the chicken. Toss the shredded chicken with the sauce. Spicy, sweet, smoky, and extra saucy!
Make the creamy corn salsa + crema
- You want to start with the crema since you’ll need it to complete the salsa. It’s simply avocado pureed with lime juice and sea salt. Basic, but also perfect.
- For the salsa, I wanted to use charred corn, but I wanted it to be creamier, kind of like a Mexican corn salad. Instead of using mayo, I used the crema to make the salsa creamy. I tossed in fresh jalapeño, lots of cilantro, and some chives too!
Bake the crispy oven tacos
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
- Warm tortillas in the microwave, on a pan, or in an airfryer just until pliable
- Lightly oil the sheet pan and tortillas; don’t overfill (helps them seal and crisp).
- Bake until cheese melts and tortillas are golden with crisp edges; flip once for even crunch. Serve immediately.
- Serve the tacos with a dollop of the avocado crema, the corn salsa, lime, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Pro Tips & Troubleshooting
- Too spicy? Add a squeeze of lime and a small drizzle of honey to the BBQ sauce; finish tacos with extra crema.
- Too sweet? Add a pinch of salt and a splash of beer/broth or lime to balance.
- Tortillas cracking? Warm and stack under a towel; brush with a little oil before filling.
- Soggy tacos? Overfilling or excess sauce—shred chicken well and let it sit in the sauce a minute to absorb, then drain off any puddling before stuffing.
These tacos remind me of summers as a kid in Cleveland. A mix of dad’s tacos and BBQ chicken…and I kind of love that.
Make-Ahead/ Storage/ Reheat
- Make-ahead: cook chicken + prep crema/salsa; refrigerate in separate containers. Stuff and bake tacos right before serving.
- Storage: keep leftover chicken, salsa, and crema separate; store baked tacos unassembled for best texture.
- Reheat: re-crisp stuffed tacos on a wire rack set over a sheet pan (or in an air fryer) just until hot and crisp again. Loosen chicken with a splash of broth if needed.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes—shred and simmer it briefly in the sauce so it absorbs flavor, then proceed with assembly.
What if I can’t get fresh corn?
Use frozen corn; thaw and pat dry, then char in a hot skillet before mixing with crema and herbs.
How do I keep tortillas from cracking?
Warm them until pliable and lightly oil both sides before filling; fold gently and bake right away.
How can I adjust the BBQ sauce sweetness or heat?
For less sweet, add a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt. For less heat, reduce cayenne and chipotle; for more heat, add a little extra chipotle chili powder.
Looking for other summer tacos? Here are a few of my go-to’s.
Taco Stuffed Avocados with Chipotle Sauce and Cilantro Lime Ranch
Sheet Pan Jalapeño Pineapple Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Garlic Sauce
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema
Crockpot Carne Asada Tacos with Cilantro Lime Garlic Sauce
Lastly, if you make these Crispy Chipotle BBQ Chicken Tacos, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Chipotle BBQ Chicken Tacos with Creamy Charred Corn Salsa
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 631 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders or cubed thighs
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup your favorite beer, or use chicken broth
- 8-12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
Salsa + Crema
- 2 large avocados, halved
- juice from 2 limes
- 2 cups grilled or roasted corn
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, if desired, and chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- 1. In a large pot, combine the olive oil, chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, thyme, and salt. Set over medium-high heat and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, then add the ketchup, honey, dijon, and beer. Stir to combine and bring the sauce to a simmer. 2. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add additional beer to thin. Once the chicken is cooked, shred with two forks. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 3. Meanwhile, make the crema. Combine the avocado and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt. 4. To make the salsa. In a bowl, combine the corn, jalapeño, cilantro, chives, and 1-2 spoonfuls of the avocado crema. Season with salt. 5. Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each flat and then layer evenly with cheese and bbq chicken. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp. 6. Serve the tacos with a dollop of the avocado crema, the corn salsa, lime, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on July 28, 2021
The flavors were wonderful, but next time I would cut the bbq sauce volume by half-it just seemed like overkill.
I recommend sharp cheddar for the cheese. It pares well with bbq sauce. Also watch the amount of cayenne you use. I used 1/4 tsp and it was plenty hot!
Hey there,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a wonderful weekend☀️ xTieghan
Hi Teigen, which step of the recipe do you add garlic to?
Hey Olena,
You are going to add the garlic powder in step 1 with the other spices. Sorry for any confusion, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
This was so dang good!! My only issue is that my corn tortillas split but once they sat for a few mins everything held together well! My husband loved them.
Hey Amy,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a wonderful weekend☀️ xTieghan
These were absolutely delicious. I love the freshness of the corn salsa mixed with the sweet barbecue chicken. It took my taco shells a while to get crispy, any ideas how to speed that up?
Hey Sarah,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! It’s important that you use corn shells and coat them in olive oil to get that crispiness. Have a wonderful weekend☀️ xTieghan
I made this tonight, but didn’t have any corn tortillas. I served it over rice and it was absolutely delicious! Very flavourful. The corn salsa and crema were the perfect balance for the chicken.
Hey there,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! xTieghan
Total hit! Admittedly I cheated and used rotisserie chicken to save a little time. Definitely on the remake list!
Hey Deborah,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! xTieghan
Planning on making this for tomorrow’s dinner, May use the crispy tortilla shells instead of fresh tortillas to save turning on the oven. I can even heat them up in my toaster oven. And, if I see it, will get some fresh corn on the cob. Interesting twist on tacos.
I hope you love the recipe Sharon! xTieghan
Hi
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit. The flavours were delish and my other half said it was his favourite yet that I have made him. Throwing them in the oven to make them crispy did help. Yum
Hey there,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! xTieghan
I saw this recipe today, and had most of the ingredients, so I made this in a hurry for tonight’s dinner, and it was a HIT!
I was in a rush, cooking for 3 people, so I halved the recipe: I used frozen, 3 cooked chicken breasts, quickly thawed them in the microwave, cut them into cubes, and then added all the spices, (used dried instead of fresh thyme) mustard, catsup, honey, but skipped the chicken broth, etc…and let that simmer..,while I did the salsa Crema, using only one avocado (that’s all I had). I have a picky eater, who would balk at corn salsa, so instead I used frozen corn kernels, rinsed them under hot to thaw, put in the microwave with a TBLS butter, and served that with the cilantro & a bottle of salsa on the side. Instead of cooking in the oven (I was in too big of hurry) I heated a big skillet, sprayed it with cooking spray, and just put the white corn tortillas on that-heated one side, flipped, topped with cheddar cheese (didn’t have the Mexican) until it had melted, and then we topped them with the chicken BBQ mixture, big spoonful of corn, salsa Crema, bottled salsa, and topped with cilantro.
Okay, seriously, these were easy AND delicious! I’m constantly looking for interesting ways to get my husband to accept eating chicken (he’s a beef guy) and this worked! He complemented me on the tacos, and my picky eater ate them too-corn and all.
Thanks Tieghen!
I’ll be making this again.
Hey Liz,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xxTieghan
Tieghan,
How do you keep coming up with these delicious combinations of spices and flavors? The homemade BBQ sauce is amazing! I made one batch with chicken and one using all your spices with black beans- a hit with both my meat eating and vegetarian family members!!
Hey Kirsten,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Lots of hungry mouths to feed:) xxTieghan
Are you using cooked or raw chicken?
Hey Jackie,
You will want to use raw chicken for this recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
What would be a great substitute for the beer? Can’t wait to try!!
Hey Mabel,
Sparkling cider would be a great substitute for the beer. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi, I love your posts and your photos are so wonderful! You are very talented.
My question about this recipe is what can I use instead of beer? I am gluten
free and cannot have beer because of the hops. I do not drink alcohol either.
Thank you, Renée
Hey Renee,
You could use sparkling cider in place of the beer. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This sounds delicious! Question- your recipe says corn tortillas but the picture looks more like flour. Are they corn or flour? What brand do you use? I have a hard time getting them to be super crunchy when I have made your other (also delicious) taco recipes.
Hey there,
I used corn tortillas, I like the Whole Foods 365 brand. I hope you give this recipe a try, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
you mention 8-12 corn tortillas is that the amount or size since you said feeds 6
Hey Martha,
That is the amount of tortillas that I used. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
It looks like the 7 inch size was used and serves two each.