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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Easy Leftover Chicken Tacos Recipe

    Published: Mar 6, 2022 · Modified: Jan 25, 2023 by Beth Sachs · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Chicken tacos pin image.

    Quick and easy leftover chicken tacos made with leftover roast chicken! Perfect for a quick Monday night dinner using your Sunday roast leftovers.

    This is a delicious and flavourful taco recipe, and best of all it's on the table in under 20 minutes! You might also like my leftover roast beef stroganoff if you have any leftover roast beef to use up!

    Leftover roast chicken tacos in a baking dish.
    Leftover Chicken Tacos

    I nearly always have leftover chicken in my fridge (we really like roast chicken in this house!), and this is the recipe that gets made most often with the roast chicken leftovers!

    Easily customizable to suit different tastes, corn tortillas are stuffed with tasty taco chicken, with add-ons such as sour cream, chili sauce, sliced red onion, black beans, avocado, coriander, pico de gallo, fresh lime juice, and grated cheese!

    The kids mix and match their favorite toppings based on what they like (they aren't fans of black beans or avocados!), but the adults generally pile everything available into their taco shells (well I do anyway)!

    👩‍🍳 Love your leftovers and make leftover chicken curry or leftover creamy turkey curry next!

    Jump to:
    • ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
    • 🛒 Ingredient notes
    • 🔪 How to make leftover roast chicken tacos
    • 💭 Expert tips
    • 🍴 What to serve with chicken tacos
    • 📖 Variations
    • 🥡 Storage
    • ❓ Frequently asked questions
    • 😋 More delicious chicken recipes
    • Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!

    Here's why this is my favourite chicken taco recipe!

    • A delicious recipe that uses up leftover roast chicken.
    • Quick and easy for busy nights.
    • Customizable to suit individual tastes.
    • Loads of different toppings and add-on ideas.
    • Easily doubled to feed a crowd.
    • Fun dinner idea the entire family will love.

    🛒 Ingredient notes

    Ingredients for leftover chicken tacos
    • Cooked Chicken - leftover roast chicken or supermarket rotisserie chicken, chopped into pieces or shredded.
    • Olive Oil - for cooking the garlic.
    • Garlic - 1 garlic clove, chopped finely to add flavour to the cooked chicken. You could use garlic powder instead.
    • Tomato Paste (Tomato Puree) - provides the base of the taco seasoning.
    • Taco Seasoning - I make my own homemade taco seasoning using cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper, but feel free to use a store-bought taco seasoning packet.
    • Corn Taco Shells - or use soft flour torillas instead.
    • Favourite Taco Toppings - shredded lettuce, sliced, red onion, avocado, coriander (cilantro), lime juice, tomatoes, and grated cheese (I like to use cheddar for extra flavour).

    🔪 How to make leftover roast chicken tacos

    The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post

    One: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the garlic for two minutes.

    Two: Add the tomato paste and taco spices. Stir to combine then pour in 60 ml of boiling water (you could also use chicken broth/ chicken stock) and mix in with a wooden spoon.

    Three: Add the cooked chicken and cook on a medium high heat for two or three minutes.

    Making taco chicken in frying pan.

    Four: Place the taco shells in a baking dish then spoon the chicken into the taco shells, top with the grated cheese, and oven bake (or grill) for five minutes until the cheese has melted.

    Five: Add toppings of choice and serve.

    Leftover roast chicken tacos in a baking dish.

    💭 Expert tips

    • Hard corn tortilla shells can be quite brittle so be careful when taking them out of the packet. Use soft flour tortillas instead if you like.
    • Prep all of the topping ingredients the night before (apart from the avocado), to save time on the day and makes this a truly speedy meal.

    🍴 What to serve with chicken tacos

    Serve on taco Tuesday with these delicious topping ideas;

    1. Shredded lettuce
    2. Grated cheese
    3. Avocado
    4. Red onion
    5. Coriander
    6. Tomatoes
    7. Chili sauce
    8. Lime
    9. Sour cream
    10. Salsa
    11. Red peppers
    12. Guacamole
    13. Refried beans
    14. Mexican cheese

    To turn the meal into a proper taco night feast, I like to serve the tacos with spicy rice or turmeric rice, salad, slow cooker corn on the cob, and garlic bread.

    📖 Variations

    • Instead of using leftover chicken, you could also use leftover roast beef, pulled pork, or roast turkey.
    • Make fresh meat tacos with ground beef or turkey mince.
    • Fish tacos are also really tasty!
    • Like your food spicy? Add a chopped red chilli with the garlic.
    • Make fresh chicken tacos with either 2 large chicken breasts or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs. Cut into small pieces and cook with the garlic.
    Chicken tacos in corn tortilla shells.
    Easy Chicken Tacos

    🥡 Storage

    To Store: Leftover chicken tacos are best eaten fresh. Cooked chicken cannot be reheated more than once.

    To Freeze: The assembled tacos are not suitable for home freezing but cooked chicken can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before starting the recipe.

    ❓ Frequently asked questions

    Is Taco Seasoning good on chicken?

    Yes, it adds a lovely spicy smoky flavour to chicken.

    What's the difference between chicken fajitas and chicken tacos?

    The chicken in fajitas is usually mixed with grilled peppers and onions, which are cut into strips. In tacos, the vegetables are chopped or sliced and kept raw as a topping.

    Leftover chicken tacos.

    😋 More delicious chicken recipes

    • Creamy Paprika Chicken Pasta
    • Chicken Bolognese
    • Creme Fraiche Chicken
    • Garlic Butter Chicken

    Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!

    Recipe

    Chicken tacos.
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    5 from 8 votes

    Easy Leftover Chicken Tacos

    Quick and easy leftover chicken tacos made with leftover roast chicken! Perfect for a quick Monday night dinner using your Sunday roast leftovers
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Keyword leftover chicken tacos, leftover roast chicken tacos
    Prep Time 8 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 18 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 578kcal
    Author Beth Sachs
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Chopping Board
    • Knife
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Frying Pan
    • Wooden Spoon
    • Oven Proof Baking Dish

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 1 Garlic Clove peeled and chopped
    • 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin
    • 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Oregano
    • ½ teaspoon Chili Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Pepper
    • 60 ml Boiling Water you can also use chicken stock)
    • 400 g Cooked Chicken diced or shredded
    • 8 Hard Corn Taco Shells or soft flour tortillas
    • 150 g Cheddar Cheese grated

    Topping Ideas

    • 1 Red Onion thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoon Coriander chopped
    • 1 Avocado halved, stone removed and chopped
    • 12 Cherry Tomatoes halved
    • 1 Lime quartered

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180°c (160 fan/ Gas Mark 4/ 350F).
    • Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the garlic for two minutes.
    • Add the tomato paste and taco spices. Stir to combine then pour in 60 ml of boiling water (you could also use chicken broth / chicken stock) and mix in with a wooden spoon.
    • Add the cooked chicken and cook on a medium high heat for two or three minutes.
    • Place the taco shells in a baking dish then spoon the chicken into the taco shells, top with the grated cheese, and oven bake (or grill) for five minutes or until the cheese has melted.
    • Add toppings of choice and serve.

    Notes

    Expert Tips:
    • Hard corn tortilla shells can be quite brittle so be careful when taking them out of the packet. Use soft flour tortillas instead if you like.
    • Prep all of the topping ingredients the night before (apart from the avocado), to save time on the day and makes this a truly speedy meal
     
    Variations:
    • Instead of using leftover chicken, you could also use leftover roast beef, pulled pork, or roast turkey.
    • Make fresh meat tacos with ground beef or turkey mince.
    • Fish tacos are also really tasty!
    • Like your food spicy? Add a chopped red chili with the garlic.
    • Make fresh chicken tacos with either 2 large chicken breasts or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs. Cut into small pieces and cook with the garlic
     
    Storage:
    To Store: Leftover chicken tacos are best eaten fresh. Cooked chicken cannot be reheated more than once.
    To Freeze: The assembled tacos are not suitable for home freezing but cooked chicken can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before starting the recipe.
     
    Nutrition:
    The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
     
    Nutrition Facts
    Easy Leftover Chicken Tacos
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    578
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    35
    g
    54
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    13
    g
    81
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    1
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    5
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    15
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    114
    mg
    38
    %
    Sodium
     
    675
    mg
    29
    %
    Potassium
     
    806
    mg
    23
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    29
    g
    10
    %
    Fiber
     
    7
    g
    29
    %
    Sugar
     
    4
    g
    4
    %
    Protein
     
    38
    g
    76
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1143
    IU
    23
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    25
    mg
    30
    %
    Calcium
     
    347
    mg
    35
    %
    Iron
     
    4
    mg
    22
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @effortlessf00d on Instagram or Twitter

    More Easy Dinner Recipes

    • Easy Leftover Chicken Curry Recipe
    • Easy Spicy Chicken Pizza Recipe
    • Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Recipe
    • Slow Cooker Beef Keema Curry Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Natalie

      March 07, 2022 at 3:29 pm

      5 stars
      I love this idea. Looks amazing. My boys would love this I'm sure. I'm adding your recipe on my list to try. Thanks.

      Reply
    2. Toni

      March 07, 2022 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      This is so good! My family really loved it! Our new favorite for taco nights!

      Reply
    3. saif

      March 07, 2022 at 4:03 pm

      5 stars
      I didn't expect we can make a delicious taco using a leftover roasted chicken. Thanks for sharing this recipe

      Reply
    4. Kechi

      March 07, 2022 at 4:25 pm

      5 stars
      What a beautiful way to use leftover roast chicken. These tacos look so fresh and delicious!

      Reply
    5. Rachel

      March 07, 2022 at 4:49 pm

      5 stars
      This is brilliant, I never know what to do with the leftovers and I love tacos! Yum!

      Reply
    6. Stacey Crawford

      March 07, 2022 at 5:41 pm

      5 stars
      My family gets super excited when tacos are on the menu and this recipe is perfect for turning leftover chicken into a tasty taco fiesta.

      Reply

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    Beth Sachs Food Blogger

    Hi, I’m Beth, a Mum of three (and one crazy dog), living in Cornwall, UK. I love creating easy, delicious and fuss-free recipes, perfect for busy families, just like my own.

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