Traeger Smoked Firecracker Chicken Tacos

Why make plain ol’ smoked shredded chicken tacos when you can make firecracker chicken tacos? Not only does it sound a lot cooler, it’s a fun change of pace and delivers big time in the flavor department. Especially when served with a crunchy cucumber and carrot salsa on grilled flour tortillas.

If you’re unfamiliar with firecracker sauce, it’s made with brown sugar, butter, buffalo sauce, rice vinegar, and chili flakes. Sweet, spicy, sour, and delicious. I’ve paired the sauce with slowly smoked boneless chicken thighs to make shredded chicken perfect for tacos and rice bowls.

Part One: Smoked Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

This is the fourth smoked shredded chicken recipe I’ve published as of late, and it’s safe to say I’m hooked on making chicken this way. I like to start the chicken with a simple rub and start it on the smoker at 225ºF for about an hour. This gives the chicken enough time to pick up some smoky flavor and a bit of color around the edges.

Then to finish, I put the chicken in some type of sauce, cover, and cook at 350ºF right on the grill until the chicken melts like butter.

For the rub on this firecracker chicken, I went with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, ground ginger, and chili flakes. If you don’t have all that on hand, a simple salt and pepper rub or all-purpose rub works. You can add fresh grated garlic and ginger to the firecracker sauce if it’s not in the rub.

Before we get to the sauce, I wanted to point you to the other shredded chicken recipes I mentioned. You might like the different sauce options like hot honey or classic BBQ, or an idea for making Tex-Mex chicken and an enchilada casserole.

Part Two: Braising the Chicken in Firecracker Sauce

There are different styles of firecracker sauce out there, but this style is similar to what you’d find in an American-Chinese fast casual restaurant.

It’s made with buffalo sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot), dark brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and rice vinegar. I typically use it for healthier dishes like beef stir-fry and swap the brown sugar for honey or maple syrup and skip the butter. But I wanted this chicken to be extra unctuous for juicy chicken tacos.

In addition to sugar alternatives, there are plenty of customizations to be made. If you’re spice sensitive, you can leave out or reduce the red pepper flakes for a cooler experience. You can also use milder chili flakes like gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) to add the complex chili flavors without the heat.

And while the recipe calls for rice vinegar, any type of vinegar works. Though vinegars will go through some changes during cooking so don’t waste your expensive craft vinegar on something like this. Add that at the end for a bright and sour punch to the tastebuds.

The recipe calls for putting the sauce in a pan on the grill for the final 10-15 minutes of smoking the chicken thighs. You’re not looking to reduce the sauce or anything, just melt the butter enough to be mixed together before adding the chicken to the sauce.

Once the smoked chicken is coated in the sauce, all that’s left to do is cover the pan and increase the temperature to 350ºF. In about an hour, the chicken will easily shred. Then it’s time to get your fixin’s ready and grill tortillas before serving. Almost time to eat!

Part Three: Shredded Chicken Tacos

Once the chicken is shredded, I like to give it 15-20 minutes on the grill uncovered. The shredded chicken will soak up some sauce and pick up a bit of caramelization. This also gives you time to warm tortillas on the grill for a few minutes while it’s still hot.

While the chicken is hanging out on the grill in that final 15-20 minutes, that should give you enough time to throw together a little garnish.

Cucumber and Carrot Salsa (Slaw?)

I’m unsure what to call it, but I’m enthusiastic nonetheless. I love a cucumber crunch salad, and this is basically just that in a finely chopped form.

Just mix together chopped Persian cucumbers and carrots, thinly sliced green onion, chili crisp, vinegar or lime juice, and toasted sesame seeds. You can add radish for extra crunch, cabbage for extra volume, cilantro for its coveted soapy flavor, or tahini for a bit of nutty creaminess. There are really no wrong moves here.

You may also notice a crunchy oil-free chili crisp in photos. I buy it on Amazon and it’s basically crispy fried onions, garlic, and chilis. Lovely added crunchy without any extra oil since these tacos are already pretty rich.

I believe that covers everything you need to know about making smoked shredded chicken tacos on a Traeger or pellet smoker. Have a question about anything I missed? Drop it in a comment at the bottom of this post. Otherwise, happy grilling!