Braised Adobo Chicken Tacos

These tender, spicy braised chicken tacos are made with simple ingredients, and come together quickly and easily in a cast iron skillet. Searing the chicken and then finishing low and slow gives new dimension. Add tangy pickled onions, peppery radishes and cool guacamole to seal the show-stopping deal.

I feel comfortable saying a passion for tacos is pretty close to universal. Still, for all the time we spend thinking about them, for some reason tacos get a bad reputation in terms of health. It’s pretty odd when you consider what a taco actually is—a shell, filling, and toppings.

Well, if you get your tacos out of a box or from a fast food restaurant, yeah, you’re probably not exactly going to get gold star for health choices. Lots of processing. Lots of sodium. Probably a lot more cheese and sour cream than you would usually need.

I have a confession.

When I was little… I thought I didn’t like tacos.

I know.

A disgusting disappointment.

In my defense, the boxed tacos were all I knew! I had never even been to a Taco Bell, let alone an actual Mexican restaurant.

To be honest, I still don’t like those boxed tacos, and not just because they’re filled with sodium. I did learn to love tacos in high school, but I kept the salty-spiced ground beef to a minimum and loaded up on refried beans, salsa and veggies.

These days I’m all in. I’d say tacos are actually one of my most-eaten foods. They’re simple to make (generally) affordable, and there are so many possibilities! Chicken, steak, veggies, beans, tofu, shrimp, smoked trout and so many more. Corn tortillas, flour tortillas, lettuce tortillas, fried, baked, soft… I haven’t even gotten into all the variations different seasonings and toppings offer, or the different ways you can cook the fillings.

One of my favorite tacos in the world is made with smoked peking duck and pickled blackberries. Yes, for real. It’s at Black Sheep Burritos and Brews in Huntington, WV (& Charleston, WV now too).

Listen, I’m not saying you need to ditch your lifelong love of box tacos or fast food. If you like them, that’s great! Enjoy in moderation. But if you haven’t already, I’m begging you to explore what’s out there.

Your tastebuds will be happy, and you’ll probably feel better after eating them. If you learn to cook some yourself… well that’s even better!

Braising

This particular recipe uses braising to keep the chicken tender and make the flavors more complex. To braise, you just sear something over high heat, add a small amount of liquid, seal it up, turn the heat way down, and cook low and slow. It sounds scary and intimidating, but it’s honestly one of the simplest and biggest steps forward you can take as a home cook.

So, let’s get braising!

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Braised Adobo Chicken Tacos

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• Author: Leannda Cavalier
• Total Time: About 1 hour
• Yield: Makes about 12 tacos with 4 oz of chicken each
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Braising
• Cuisine: Mexican

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Description

These tender, spicy braised chicken tacos are made with simple ingredients, and come together quickly and easily in a cast iron skillet. Searing the chicken and then finishing low and slow gives new dimension. Add tangy pickled onions, peppery radishes and cool guacamole to seal the show-stopping deal.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 5 cups kale, stems removed and ripped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 3-4 sprigs fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 5 oz canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 1 Tablespoon of the excess adobo sauce
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

To make the pickled onions

• 1 yellow or other onion halved and sliced thin
• Enough red wine vinegar to cover the onions in the container you use
• A pinch of salt

For serving

• Tortillas
• Chopped cilantro
• Thinly sliced radishes
• Guacamole

Special equipment

• 10-inch cast iron skillet, dutch oven, or other oven-safe pan with lid
• Butcher’s twine

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Instructions

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper as evenly as possible on both sides of your chicken breasts. Heat your skillet over medium heat and warm olive oil.
2. Sear the chicken breasts for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate. If the pan is very dry, add a little more oil.
3. Add onions to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are softened and the edges begin to brown.
4. Add in the garlic and continue to cook another minute.
5. Add in the kale and cook another 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until it is bright green and softened.
6. Turn the heat down to low and preheat the oven to 300º. Add the chicken back into the pan.
7. Sprinkle cumin over the chicken as evenly as possible.
8. Tie your oregano and thyme sprigs together tightly using a few inches of the butchers twine and drop it into the pan (yes, string and all!). If you’re using dried, just sprinkle it over the chicken.
9. Place the peppers and adobo sauce in the pan, spreading them out so the flavor cooks into every nook and cranny.
10. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, then squeeze the lime juice over it. Put the rind in as well to infuse more flavor.
11. Close the lid. Place the pan in the oven and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is easy to tear apart with a fork.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
13. Shred the chicken and peppers apart with two large forks, mixing well as you go. The sauce should coat the chicken and keep it moist.
14. Serve on warmed tortillas with radishes, pickled onions, cilantro and guacamole, or with your favorite toppings!

To make the pickled onions

1. Place the onions into a small, shallow container.
2. Sprinkle the salt over the onions, then pour in enough vinegar to cover them.
3. Cover tightly to ensure the onions stay covered. I like to cover the liquid itself with plastic wrap, then seal with a lid.
4. Place them in the refrigerator and let them sit over night, or for at least four hours.

Notes

• The canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce freeze well. Most cans are 9-11 oz, so just freeze the rest in a freezer bag for the next time you make these.

Keywords: braised adobo chicken tacos, adobo chicken tacos, braised chicken, braising, tacos, chicken tacos

I always love hearing from you, so in the comments tell me about the best tacos you’ve ever had! If you make these tacos, please let me know—I’d love to know what you think. If you take a picture and post it to social media tag #whipsmartkitchen so I can see!