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Home » Appetizers » Pulled Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

March 17, 2016 By Sara 30 Comments

Pulled Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

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This recipe for pulled chicken tacos with pineapple salsa is flavorful shredded chicken combined topped with sweet and tangy salsa and creamy cilantro sauce, all stuffed inside warm corn tortillas.

You can never go wrong with a good taco, some of my favorites include ground beef tacos, shrimp tacos and these fabulous pulled chicken tacos.

Pulled Chicken Tacos | Shredded Chicken Tacos | Chicken Tacos #tacos #chicken #pineapple #dinner #dinneratthezoo

A platter of pulled chicken tacos topped with pineapple salsa.

It’s no secret that tacos are a favorite dinner in my house, my family will eat almost anything if it’s wrapped in a tortilla. These pulled chicken tacos may be my new favorite taco of all time, they’ve got SO many amazing flavors going on. Best of all, the components can all be made in advance which means when it’s dinner time you can just assemble and serve!

Pulled chicken tacos with a pineapple salsa topping.

How do you make pulled chicken tacos?

The first component of any good taco is the tortillas. I prefer to use Sol de Oro tortillas which are made by the family owned La Tapatia Tortilleria. You can find these tortillas online as well as at Lucky’s and Save-Mart stores in Northern California, I love that they use local ingredients in their products. My kids adore the Gorditas Flour Tortillas for quesadillas and lately I’ve been using the Multigrain Whole Wheat Tortillas to make turkey wraps for lunch. La Tapatia also makes some great tortilla chips that I can’t seem to stop eating!

A variety of La Tapatia products.

For these pulled chicken tacos I went with Taco Truck Style Mini Corn Tortillas which was an excellent choice. If you can’t find the mini tortillas, you can easily use regular sized corn tortillas instead. There really is something unique about a taco that fits in the palm of your hand, especially when it’s bursting with flavor – so go for the taco truck size if you can!

A tortilla topped with cabbage, pulled chicken and pineapple salsa.

The pulled chicken for these tacos is simply chicken breasts cooked in a tomato sauce mixture that’s flavored with plenty of Mexican spices. You can also make this pulled chicken in the crockpot. The chicken can be made up to 2 days in advance and reheated right before you plan to serve it.

Mini corn tortillas topped with purple cabbage and pulled chicken.

These pulled chicken tacos are layered with shredded cabbage, pineapple salsa and finished off with a creamy cilantro sauce. The cilantro sauce can be made in less than 5 minutes with the help of a food processor and can also be prepared a day in advance. You might want to consider making some extra pineapple salsa to serve some on the side with your tortilla chips.

Pineapple salsa served with tortilla chips.

The whole family loved these pulled chicken tacos- the shredded chicken tastes like something you’d get at a Mexican restaurant but the pineapple salsa and cilantro sauce take these tacos from ordinary to fabulous. And how could you resist something so colorful? You know what they say about eating the rainbow!

This recipe for pulled chicken tacos with pineapple salsa is flavorful shredded chicken combined topped with sweet and tangy salsa and creamy cilantro sauce, all stuffed inside warm corn tortillas.

I’ve had these pulled chicken tacos twice already this week and they’ll definitely be making a repeat appearance on our dinner table soon! I served the tacos with my Mexican rice and beans for a complete meal. If you’re as taco obsessed as I am you should check out La Tapatia on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for great recipe ideas and more information about their products.

This post is sponsored by La Tapatia Tortilleria. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Dinner at the Zoo possible!

More delicious taco recipes

  • Ground Beef Tacos
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
  • Carne Asada Tacos
  • Fried Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Relish
  • Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
This recipe for pulled chicken tacos with pineapple salsa is flavorful shredded chicken combined topped with sweet and tangy salsa and creamy cilantro sauce, all stuffed inside warm corn tortillas.
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5 from 11 votes

Pulled Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

This recipe for pulled chicken tacos with pineapple salsa is flavorful shredded chicken combined topped with sweet and tangy salsa and creamy cilantro sauce, all stuffed inside warm corn tortillas.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword pineapple salsa, pulled chicken tacos
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8 tacos
Calories 255kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 small or 3 large bone- skin-on chicken breasts
  • 1 16 ounce can of tomato sauce or 2 8 ounce cans
  • 2/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the pineapple salsa

  • 1 cup pineapple finely diced
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons red onion finely minced
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves finely chopped
  • salt to taste

For the cilantro sauce

  • 1 cup sour cream can use light
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 cup prepared green salsa
  • salt and pepper to taste

For assembly

  • 1 cup finely shredded purple cabbage
  • 16 Sol de Oro Taco Truck Style Mini Corn Tortillas or 8 Sol de Oro regular sized corn tortillas
  • Optional garnishes: lime wedges and cilantro leaves

Instructions

  • For the chicken:
  • In a bowl stir together the tomato sauce, chicken broth, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper.
  • In a large pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin side down and cook for 4-6 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Flip the chicken and cook on the other side until golden brown.
  • Take the pan off the heat and pour the tomato sauce mixture over the chicken; the chicken should be at least 2/3 of the way covered. (Add more chicken broth if needed).
  • Place the pan back on the heat and bring the sauce mixture to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the skin and bones and shred the chicken with 2 forks. Pour the remaining sauce from the pan over the shredded chicken and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Crockpot instructions: Place the chicken and tomato sauce mixture in a crockpot. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
  • For the pineapple salsa: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl; place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • For the cilantro sauce: Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth.
  • To assemble the tacos:
  • Place 2 mini corn tortillas on top of each other (for a total of 8 stacks of tortillas). Divide the cabbage evenly among the tortillas. Top with 1/4 cup chicken, a drizzle of cilantro sauce and a tablespoon of pineapple salsa.
  • Serve with lime wedges and cilantro leaves if desired.

Notes

The pineapple salsa can be made one day in advance.
The cilantro sauce can be made one day in advance.
The pulled chicken can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 915IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1.4mg

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Dinner, Everyday Meals, Gluten Free, Quick & Easy Dinners Tagged With: Chicken, Mexican Food, Pineapple, Tacos

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

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Comments

  1. Kara says

    November 23, 2019 at 4:00 pm

    5 stars
    My husband said this was the best taco night recipe yet! Quite tasty. I used the pressure cooker for 15 minutes instead of slow cooking (because I overlooked that part)…and the chicken was perfect! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Sharon says

    July 18, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    How far in advance can I make the pineapple salsa?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      July 18, 2019 at 10:49 pm

      Up to 1 day in advance!

      Reply
  3. Laura says

    March 19, 2019 at 5:20 am

    hello. what is the prepared green salsa???

    Reply
    • Sara says

      March 19, 2019 at 9:04 am

      In the jarred salsa aisle, it’s green salsa verde!

      Reply
  4. Teala V says

    October 1, 2018 at 11:00 am

    5 stars
    I recently made these in they were phenomenal. I cooked the chicken in the Instant pot while I chopped the ingredients for the salsa and purple cabbage.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 1, 2018 at 11:36 am

      So glad you enjoyed them, thanks for reporting back!

      Reply
  5. Our Family World says

    February 23, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    5 stars
    Looks so yummy! I got to read this article in time because I was just staring at frozen chicken breasts about an hour ago, thinking of what to make out of it. Yay! Problem solved!

    Reply
  6. Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says

    December 21, 2017 at 1:09 pm

    5 stars
    This pulled chicken tacos recipe absolutely something new for me! Looks yummy! I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing Sara!

    Reply
  7. Maria says

    August 22, 2017 at 11:38 am

    looks good! I can’t imagine it is 800+ calories for 2 mini tacos; is the nutritional info for the whole recipe? (it says per serving)

    Reply
    • Sara says

      August 22, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      Looks like the nutritional calculator thought it was 3 whole chickens rather than chicken breasts! Fixed now, thanks for catching it.

      Reply
  8. Lynnette says

    May 20, 2016 at 8:12 pm

    5 stars
    Best dinner ever!! Thank you. So delicious.

    Reply
  9. Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says

    March 20, 2016 at 11:59 am

    Those are some gorgeous tacos! Pineapple salsa is a favorite of mine too.

    Reply
  10. Greg says

    March 18, 2016 at 2:12 pm

    5 stars
    Taco truck size tortillas are great. They are so much fun. I love the pineapple salsa.

    Reply
  11. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

    March 17, 2016 at 8:46 pm

    I am loving the idea of a pineapple salsa – never made something like it before!

    Reply
  12. Debbie says

    March 17, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    Beautiful tacos! Loving the salsa and chips too!

    Reply
  13. Jennifer A Stewart says

    March 17, 2016 at 3:23 pm

    Gorgeous tacos! That salsa is off the chain! Making these next Taco Tuesday!!

    Reply
  14. Sam says

    March 17, 2016 at 10:10 am

    Tacos are a staple in my house…I’m adding these delicious looking tacos with the pulled chicken and tangy salsa to the recipe list. The make ahead components are always a bonus for me,

    Reply
  15. Beatrice says

    March 17, 2016 at 9:04 am

    I love foods wrapped in tortillas! That pineapple salsa looks amazing!

    Reply
  16. Kristy says

    March 17, 2016 at 9:02 am

    5 stars
    These tacos look AMAZING. I had a pineapple salsa at dinner the other night over salmon at a nice restaurant but I would have much rather had these pulled chicken tacos! Love!

    Reply
  17. Judy@ImBoredLetsGo says

    March 17, 2016 at 8:35 am

    I’ve had pulled chicken sliders on my mind for a while now…but this sounds soooooo much better. Love the pairing with pineapple salsa!

    Reply
  18. Florian @ContentednessCooking says

    March 17, 2016 at 8:33 am

    So colorful and festive! Love the pineapple salsa, yum!

    Reply
  19. Lauren says

    March 17, 2016 at 5:40 am

    A. these tacos look AMAZING…I love pineapple salsa! B. I LOVE THAT BOARD! Seriously, gorgeous photos!

    Reply
  20. Levan says

    March 17, 2016 at 5:23 am

    5 stars
    The colors pop, the recipe rocks!!!! Love, love, love recipes like these!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!

    Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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