Description
Braise chicken in onions, garlic, tomatoes, spices, beer and chipotles for a spicy, tender filling for tacos! Top with anything or everything you like.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- One 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup light beer (pale ale, pilsner, etc.)
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons chipotle puree or minced chipotles in adobo
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
FOR THE CHIPOTLE-LIME CREMA:
- 3/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chipotle puree, plus more to taste
- Juice of 1 lime
- Kosher salt, to taste
FOR THE TACOS:
- 6-inch corn or flour tortillas, warmed
- Avocado, halved, pitted and cut into small pieces
- Crumbled Cotija cheese
- Green onions, sliced on the diagonal
- Picked cilantro leaves
- Thinly sliced jalapeno
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Limes, quartered
Instructions
- Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; when hot, brown half of the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the sliced onion, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and light golden in color, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and cinnamon and allow to bloom in the oil for about 1 minute more. Add the beer and bring to a boil, using the back of a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, chipotle puree, and brown sugar, stirring to combine. Bring the liquid to a boil and return the chicken to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the chicken once to ensure both sides are covered in sauce. The meat should register 165° for breasts and 195° for thighs when done. Remove the chicken to a bowl. Transfer the cooking liquid to a blender and process until smooth, about 15 to 30 seconds. Return the liquid to the pot.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred using your hands or two forks. Return the meat to the pot and simmer over medium-low heat for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat. Stir in the lime zest and juice.
- For the Chipotle-Lime Crema: mix all of the ingredients to combine. To serve, spoon some of the chicken and sauce onto the center of a tortilla. Top with any or all of the accoutrements.
Notes
Inspiration: Shredded Chicken Tacos (Tinga de Pollo) on americastestkitchen.com
- Category: Chicken, Latin-American