Pulled Chicken Tacos
I am really proud of this recipe. We all love tacos in my house- all sorts of tacos. Eating and cooking tacos remind of our trip to Mexico last Thanksgiving- yes, I did the unmentionable and went away for Thanksgiving- my favorite holiday, ever! I was overruled by majority of my family as it is a great time for everyone to take some time off to go away. Anyway, I digress- while in beautiful Mexico, we ventured out to dinner one day and ended up at a very down to earth, a real Mexican cantina. We had the most delicious tacos, guacamole and quesadillas. Everything there was amazing- I still think about the food.
These tacos are very different from what we ate there but they have a lot of the similar flavors going on as in the Mexican ones. I wanted to eat pulled pork but thought using chicken would be healthier. So, I went to work. I seasoned and browned the chicken thighs- which are a key in this recipe. I wouldn’t use chicken breast as it will turn to rubber in a stew type of recipe. I used a variety of spices including ancho chili powder, New Mexico dried peppers and roasted cumin. They all provided an amazing mixture of flavors. I took the meat off the bone and shredded it to get it ready for the corn tortillas. I made fresh salsa and guacamole…
The tacos were amazing- if I do say so myself.. Try this recipe- you will love it…
- 2 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed
- Salt
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and ancho powder on both sides. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides in two batches on high heat. Keep aside.
- 3 New Mexico dried peppers
- 2 cups chicken broth
Add the peppers and chicken broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes or till soft. Blend till smooth and keep aside.
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons roasted cumin seeds, crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 chicken broth
- Salt
- Juice of half a lemon
Add the chopped onion, garlic and cumin in the same saucepan as the one you browned the chicken. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, pepper sauce, salt and the chicken pieces. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat with lid on for 2 hours. Take lid off and take the chicken pieces out to debone. Return the meat into the sauce and bring to a boil and cook half of the liquid off. Check for seasonings and add lemon juice. Serve on corn tortillas with fresh guacamole and salsa.
