Grilled Chicken Tacos with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
On March 13, 2023 (Updated September 27, 2024)
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It’s time to leave bland, boring chicken tacos by the wayside. These grilled chicken tacos are seasoned with a punchy taco seasoning and topped with homemade roasted tomatillo salsa for a chicken taco that puts all others to shame.
Grilled Chicken Tacos
It’s always a good day for tacos in my mind. And when you have tacos THIS delicious, every day probably needs to be Taco Tuesday. I’ve found that all it takes is a good seasoning and some extra fun toppings to take a bland taco and make it memorable.
These grilled chicken tacos are anything but spectacular. These are bold chicken tacos with all the robust flavors of the grill and a fresh grill-roasted tomatillo salsa that will liven up your regular old weekday.
Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Tacos
Here’s what you’ll need to make these tacos.
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub
- 12 corn or flour tortillas
My Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub is the perfect taco seasoning for all your Mexican and Mexican-inspired meals. You can purchase a bottle from the Hey Grill Hey Store or make some from scratch using my recipe for Homemade Fiesta Rub.
These tacos also have an amazing roasted tomatillo salsa that makes them extra flavorful. Here’s what you’ll need to make this salsa:
- 4 tomatillos
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 medium yellow onion
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 cup cilantro
- juice of 2 limes
- Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub, to taste
How to Make Grilled Chicken Tacos
Let’s fire up the grill and make ourselves some tasty grilled chicken tacos!
- Preheat. Get that grill nice and hot at 450 degrees F. You also want to ensure that the grill heat is consistent across the grates for the best results.
- Grill the veggies. Add the veggies to a grill basket and drizzle with avocado oil. Grill them up for around 5 minutes and then set them aside to later make into the salsa.
- Season. Snag a bottle of Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub and season the chicken on all sides.
- Grill the chicken. Place the seasoned chicken directly on those perfectly preheated grill grates. Grill for 4-5 minutes, flip and continue to grill until the chicken reaches 175 degrees F (these are chicken thighs, so they are best cooked to 175 degrees F instead of 165 degrees F).
- Make the salsa. Place all the grilled veggies in a blender with cilantro and lime juice. Blend well. Add in Fiesta Rub to taste. You can also season with simple salt and pepper instead of the Fiesta Rub if desired.
- Heat the tortillas. Before you turn off the grill, toss the tortillas on there to heat them through.
- Assemble the grilled chicken tacos. Remove the warmed tortillas from the grill to a serving platter with the chicken, toppings, and salsa. Allow your guests to assemble their tacos themselves, or dish them up before serving warm.
Tips for Grilling Chicken Tacos
Here are some tips for making these amazing grilled chicken tacos.
- Make a double batch of salsa. This recipe will make enough salsa to cover all of your tacos, but if you love a good tomatillo salsa make double! This gives you extras for a snack the next day, but I also believe that salsa sometimes tastes better after the flavors have had a chance to meld together overnight.
- Prep your ingredients before you start cooking. This little bit of prep work makes the final assembly process go much smoother. The best tacos have warm tortillas, hot meat, and fresh toppings and if you’re taking too long to crumble your queso fresco after your chicken is cooked, you’ll be eating cold tacos.
- Shoot for even heat on the grill. Normally, I recommend two-zone heat for better temperature control, but we need the grill space to fit the salsa and the chicken. A nice even high temperature of around 450 degrees F will cook everything perfectly while giving you some good crispy char on both the vegetables and the chicken.
More Grilled Taco Recipes
Check out these other tasty grilled taco recipes from Hey Grill Hey below!
Grilled Chicken Taco Recipe
Follow the recipe, and let’s make some really good food! If you loved this recipe, please leave it a 5-star review and sound off in the comments section below!
For even easier access to our tutorials and recipes, be sure to download the Hey Grill Hey App! Browse the entire BBQ library of over 500 recipes with a new one added each week!
Grilled Chicken Tacos
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub recipe in notes section
- 12 flour or corn tortillas
- assorted taco toppings I like cilantro, onions, lime wedges, and queso fresco
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
- 4 tomatillos skins removed
- 1 jalapeno sliced in half
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ yellow onion
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 cup cilantro
- 2 limes juiced
- Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub to taste
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your grill to 450 degrees F with even heat across the grill grates.
- Grill the veggies. In a grill basket, add the tomatillos, jalapeno, garlic, and onion. Drizzle with the avocado oil and toss lightly to coat. Place the basket on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes, flipping the vegetables occasionally. Remove the roasted vegetables from the grill and set aside to cool.
- Season. Season the chicken thighs on all sides with Fiesta Rub.
- Grill the chicken. Place the seasoned chicken thighs on the grill grates, close the lid, and grill for 4-5 minutes before flipping. Close the lid and continue grilling until an internal thermometer reads 175 degrees F. Remove the chicken to a platter and tent lightly with foil. Rest for 10 minutes before chopping.
- Prepare the salsa. Transfer the roasted and cooled vegetables to a blender or food processor. Add in the fresh cilantro and lime juice. Puree until desired consistency and add in the Fiesta Rub (or salt and pepper) to taste and transfer to a serving dish.
- Assemble the toppings. Prepare your cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, and onions.
- Heat the tortillas. Use the hot grill to thoroughly heat your tortillas.
- Assemble. Load the hot tortillas with grilled chicken, tomatillo salsa, and all of your favorite toppings before serving.
Notes
- Purchase it from the store HERE: Fiesta Rub
- Make it from scratch using this RECIPE: Homemade Fiesta Rub
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow! I made these tacos last night, big hit with my guests! The roasted tomatillo salsa will become a staple in the refrigerator. Super easy and terrific flavor, better than any salsa verde I’ve purchased in stores.
These are so easy to make yet packed with flavor! Followed the recipe exactly and loved the fiesta rub. Thank you!!