Basic Chipotle Chicken Tacos Recipes

CHICKEN TACOS WITH CHIPOTLE

Steps:

• Put chicken thighs in a saucepan and cover with 3 cups water. Add scallions, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, allspice, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove chicken and cool. Shred chicken with your fingers, discarding chicken skin and bone. Strain broth and reserve. You should have about 2 cups shredded chicken.
• Put olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced yellow onion, season with salt and cook until softened and a bit browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute more. Add chopped chipotle chile and adobo sauce and stir to combine. Add shredded chicken, salt lightly and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, until sauce has thickened somewhat. Keep warm.
• Heat the tortillas over steam or by your favorite method, keeping them soft and pliable.
• Build the tacos quickly: Put a spoonful of the saucy chicken in the center of each tortilla. Top with a teaspoon of chopped white onion, a few slivers of serrano chile, some radish and avocado slices, a teaspoon of queso fresco and a teaspoon of crème fraîche. Add a few cilantro springs and a small pinch of oregano. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

(THE BEST!) EASY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACOS RECIPE

Steps:

• Put the garlic cloves in a mini food processor, and process until finely chopped. Add the chipotle peppers with their sauce and season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and transfer to a bowl. Add the chipotle marinade, and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 15-45 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
• Mix together the sour cream, grated garlic, lime zest, lime juice, scallions, and mint or cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. If the chicken was refrigerated, let it come to room temperature.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade, leaving some of the marinade sticking to the meat. Oil the grill grates, then grill the chicken on both sides until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5-10 minutes. Using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken.
• Pile the chicken into warmed corn or flour tortillas and top with napa cabbage, avocado slices and the lime crema. If you'd like, sprinkle with a bit of crumbled Cotija or feta cheese. Serve with hot sauce and the remaining crema at the table.

CHIPOTLE-LIME CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Generously season the chicken, on the outside and inside of the cavity, with salt and pepper, to taste. With your fingers, put some of the lime zest under the skin of the chicken. Sprinkle the lime juice over the chicken and put the halves into the cavity. Put the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up, and add 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Roast the chicken until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
• Remove the chicken from the oven to a carving board, let sit until cool enough to handle.
• In a small bowl, combine the crema, minced chipotles, remaining lime zest, and salt and pepper, to taste.
• Once the chicken has cooled, pull the meat from bones and shred.
• Put some of the shredded chicken on each tortilla, top with chipotle crema and garnish with some zest from the remaining lime. Serve with lime wedges.

BASIC CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag; add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 1/2 of the beer. Squeeze out excess air and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; pour chicken and marinade into the hot oil. Cook and stir, adding the remaining beer, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 20 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Shred chicken in the skillet using 2 forks and serve in corn tortillas.

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN MEATBALL TACOS

Steps:

• Combine the bread and egg in a large bowl; add 1 tablespoon water and mash with a potato masher or fork to make a paste. Add half each of the onion and garlic, then add the cilantro, chicken, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix with your hands until just combined. Brush a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Shape the meat mixture into 12 meatballs and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F. Combine the remaining onion and garlic, the jalapeno, chipotle, tomatoes, thyme and cinnamon in a blender; pulse until smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour in the tomato puree, then add the bay leaves and cook until the sauce thickens, about 6 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 more minutes; season with salt. Bake the meatballs until they just start to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the sauce and gently simmer, spooning the sauce over the meatballs, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. (Add a few tablespoons of water if the sauce gets too thick.) Remove the bay leaves. Cut the meatballs in half and serve in taco shells with assorted toppings. Photograph by Andrew Purcell

EASY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Heat taco shells and beans as directed on packages.
• Spread 2 Tbsp. beans onto bottom of each taco shell; top with lettuce, chicken, olives and cheese.
• Serve with salsa and sour cream.