Shredded Chicken Tacos
Spice up your regular taco night with these delightful shredded chicken tacos that won't require much extra effort. This recipe draws inspiration from chicken tinga, a Mexican stew where tender shredded chicken is mixed with a tomato sauce infused with chiles, onion, garlic, and spices. To make it more weeknight-friendly, we rely on the ever-versatile and delicious canned chipotle chiles in adobo.These pantry staples bring a complex and smoky spiciness to the dish, and you can control the spice level by adjusting the amount of chiles you add. The recipe starts with gently poached chicken cooked with aromatics, and then we use the cooking liquid, along with the aromatics and tomatoes, as the foundation for our sauce. This approach ensures that no flavor goes to waste from the ingredients used. Finish off the tacos with fresh cilantro, creamy avocado, and a generous squeeze of lime for a delicious and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 large white onions, one peeled and halved, the other thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. black peppercorns
- Kosher salt
- 4 small plum or Roma tomatoes
- 2 to 3 chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Corn tortillas, warmed for serving
- White onion, minced for serving
- Cilantro, for serving
- Avocado, sliced for serving
- Radishes , thinly sliced for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Into a medium-size pot, add chicken breasts, the halved onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover with water by about ½” and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165º at the thickest part of the breast, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer breasts to a cutting board.
- Add the tomatoes to the simmering cooking liquid. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes have slightly softened and the skin begins to peel away. Transfer the tomatoes to a plate or bowl to cool, then peel them.Drain the cooking liquid, reserving ½ cup of liquid. Discard peppercorns and bay leaves, but reserve onion halves and garlic cloves.
- Into a blender, add the peeled tomatoes. cooked onion halves, garlic cloves, chipotles, adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until it shimmers. Add sliced onion and cook until slightly softened and beginning to take on some color, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, shred the chicken breasts.
- Into the skillet, carefully pour in the tomato mixture. (There may be some splattering, but the more you stir the less there will be.) Bring the sauce to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the sauce reduces a bit and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken and stir, breaking up the bigger shreds. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until the chicken has heated through. Occasionally stir to coat chicken in the sauce.
- Spoon chicken onto corn tortillas and top with minced onion, cilantro and avocado. Serve with lime wedges.
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