Description
Sizzle up your Taco Tuesday with these Caramelized Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Tacos with Elote Topping, featuring a smoky homemade barbecue sauce and creamy elote topping. Packed with charred corn, tangy Cotija cheese, and succulent chicken wrapped in tortillas, this recipe transforms your weeknight dinner into a festive Mexican feast!
Ingredients
CARAMELIZED CHIPOTLE BARBECUE CHICKEN:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup chipotles in adobo (I like to use La Costeña diced chipotles in adobo or chipotle purée, but you can use whole and dice yourself)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1–1/4 pounds chicken breast, sliced in half horizontally to form two thinner chicken cutlets*
ELOTE:
- 2 large ears of corn, mostly husked (leave just a couple layers of the husk) OR 1-1/2 cups charred corn kernels**
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, Tajín, or elote seasoning (you can use any chili powder you like or a mix of chili-specific powders, like guajillo, ancho, chipotle, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 small garlic clove, grated on a microplane
- ¼ cup Cotija cheese, crumbled, plus more for serving
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
TO ASSEMBLE:
- 8–10 six-inch flour tortillas or 16–20 (to double up each taco) corn tortillas, warmed***
- 1 large avocado, thinly sliced
- 2 Fresno or jalapeño chilies, very thinly sliced
- Chopped cilantro
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Thinly sliced green cabbage
- 2 limes, sliced into wedges
Instructions
- To prepare the barbecued chicken, begin by making the sauce: Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, stirring to combine. Cook for 30–35 minutes, until golden brown and beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic in the last 10 minutes of the onion cooking time and allow to caramelize as well.
- Add the ketchup, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, chipotles, Worcestershire sauce, and cinnamon to the skillet, stirring to combine. Cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Purée the sauce using an immersion blender until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve half the sauce for serving.
- Meanwhile, prepare the elote topping: Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat—once hot, lightly oil the grill grates. Cook the corn for 10–15 minutes, rotating every couple of minutes to get an even char. Set aside to cool slightly; when cool enough to handle, remove the husks and cut the kernels from the cobs. Transfer the corn to a medium bowl and combine with the mayonnaise, crema, chili powder, lime juice, and garlic. Add the cotija and season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings as desired.
- There are several ways you can cook the chicken; you can cook outdoors on a grill or indoors on a grill pan (or cast-iron skillet if you don’t have one). Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, lightly oil the grill grates. Brush both sides of the chicken with about half of the remaining sauce, then transfer to the grill or pan. Grill for 3–5 minutes per side or until the chicken registers 155°. Brush both sides with the remaining sauce throughout the cooking time until you’ve used all the sauce. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Before serving, brush with the additional reserved sauce; you can also serve some on the side as a topping.
- Thinly slice the chicken, cutting if necessary to create bite-sized pieces that will fit in your tortillas. Assemble tacos with chicken, elote, and toppings, or put all the fixings out and let people make their own. If serving with corn tortillas, use two tortillas per taco.
Notes
*You can also substitute with boneless skinless chicken thighs. You do not need to cut them in half. Make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly, as they will take slightly longer to reach the correct temperature, 170–175°.
**I love Trader Joe’s fire-roasted/charred corn in the freezer section.
***To warm tortillas, pass them over a low flame until puffed, warm, and lightly charred. You can do this on your grill, grill pan, or directly over a gas burner on your cooktop. Transfer to a clean towel and wrap to steam; continue doing this until all your tortillas are warmed.
Inspiration: Caramelized Chipotle Chicken on epicurious.com and Barbecue Chicken Street Corn Tacos on bromabakery.com
- Category: Tacos, Chicken, Mexican-Inspired