Recipe Refresh! Tequila Chicken Tacos

Whether it's Tuesday or the weekend, I'm always ready for some tacos. I made a Tequila Chicken Taco recipe way, way back in the day and decided I needed to refresh the recipe. It's one of my favorite taco recipes. The recipe makes a ton of chicken, which I've been eating all week on salads, alone, on top of rice, with some slaw. Doesn't matter what you eat it with, it's drop dead delish. 

I'm also rekindling my love for Cilantro Chimichurri in this post. If you didn't make it before, now's the time.

 

Tequila Chicken Tacos 

makes 25 tacos (aka tons of leftovers)
for the chicken:  
2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 poblano (seeds and stem removed, diced)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small can diced green chilies
1/4 cup tequila
1 28 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 lime (juice)
olive oil
spices:
toasted ground cumin or regular cumin
dried oregano
ground coriander
chipotle powder or smoky paprika
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves

for the tacos:
corn tortillas (warmed)
cilantro chimichurri rice
low fat Greek yogurt
cilantro chimichurri slaw (recipe below)

Let's get that chicken seared off first. Cut chicken breasts in half and cover in spices listed, salt and pepper (no bay leaf). Crank up the heat to medium-high over a Dutch oven and add olive oil. Drop the chicken breast in and sear on 1 side for 3 minutes, flip and sear on the other side for 3 more minutes. You will likely have to do this in 2 batches unless you have a giant pot. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Lower heat to medium and add a little more olive oil. Add onions, poblano, garlic, green chilies with their liquid, a few shakes of each spice, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Let cook and soften for about 5 minutes. You may have some brown bits at the bottom of the pan at this point. Carefully, add the tequila to deglaze the pan. Let cook down and reduce for 3 minutes.

Now, add the tomatoes, chicken broth and lime. Go ahead and add some more of the spices at this point with salt and pepper. Bring up to a simmer. Once simmering, add the chicken with all the accumulated juices on the plate back to the pot. Lower heat to low, cover and let simmer for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, shred the chicken with 2 forks. I shredded it directly in the pot into big chunks. Taste the liquid and add more of any spice you think is missing. Let simmer once shredded for 15- 20 minutes. That's all!

Serve tacos with warmed corn tortillas, some rice (cilantro chimichurri if you have time to make the cilantro sauce!), Greek yogurt and some slaw like the one below!

Cilantro Chimichurri Slaw

makes 5-6 servings

1/4 head red cabbage (shaved on mandolin)

1/2 cup cilantro chimichurri

1/2 cup low fat Greek Yogurt

salt

Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.