Description
These braised chicken street tacos are the perfect antidote to a long day! A serendipitous balance of taste and texture, they’ll cure all that ails you.
free from: gluten + eggs + soy + peanuts + tree nuts + fish + shellfish
Ingredients
chili sofrito braised chicken street tacos + honey chipotle sauce + citrus red cabbage slaw:
3 chicken breasts (about 2lbs.), boneless + skinless
2 red bell peppers, seeded + rough chop
1 green bell pepper, seeded + rough chop
1 small yellow onion, peeled + rough chop
¾ cup tomato puree, canned + unseasoned
¼ cup chipotle peppers in adobo, pureed
3 heaping tbsp. minced fresh garlic cloves
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, rough chop
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. dark chili powder
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chipotle powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
juice of 2 limes
honey chipotle sauce:
1 cup hot sauce (like Frank’s or Valentina hot sauce)
½ cup clover honey
¼ cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed
citrus red cabbage slaw:
2 ½ cups purple cabbage, finely shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp. kosher salt
tacos:
32 corn tortillas
½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
for the chili sofrito braised chicken street tacos + honey chipotle sauce + citrus red cabbage slaw:
Place all ingredients except the chicken, into a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse puree.
You can make this sofrito and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Place chicken breasts and 2 cups of the sofrito into a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and fork tender, about 25-30 minutes.
Remove from heat and leave everything in the saucepan. Allow to cool slightly, covered, about 10 minutes.
Using tongs, shred the chicken breast in the sofrito. Add the 2 teaspoons of salt and the juice of 2 limes, stir well to combine.
for the honey chipotle sauce:
1 cup hot sauce (like Frank’s or Valentina hot sauce)
½ cup clover honey
¼ cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Put some elbow grease into it to ensure the honey dissolves completely into the hot sauce.
for the citrus red cabbage slaw:
2 ½ cups purple cabbage, finely shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp. kosher salt
for the tacos:
32 corn tortillas
½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Set a large cast iron grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the corn tortillas until they are soft, pliable and begin to show some light char lines, 1–1 ½ minutes each side. Wrap in foil as they’re done and hold hot.
For every taco, stack 2 warm corn tortillas on top of each other. Strain and place 2-3 tablespoons of shredded chicken into the tortillas. Drizzle with the honey-chipotle sauce and crumble some cotija cheese over that. Top with some of the slaw, serve and enjoy!
Notes
pairings:
alcohol: Recuerdos de Oaxaca Mezcal
Mezcal! All day, all day…all night, it’s gotta be mezcal!! We enjoyed this one with our tacos. The smoky, slightly sweet notes of this mild mezcal were absolutely superb with the chipotle braised chicken and the luscious honey + chipotle sauce.
soft drink: Jarritos All-Natural Mandarin Soda
This characteristically Mexican soda pairs beautifully with the chipotle flavors in the tacos, and the mandarin variety brings out the subtle flavor of the orange zest in the cabbage slaw. A perfect accompaniment!
musical: Street Life – The Crusaders
brujo notes:
I find it easiest to shred the chicken in the braising sofrito with a pair of tongs. The tender chicken will give way to the tongs effortlessly.
Make sure you squeeze out some of the juiciness of the chicken before you stuff the meat into the grilled tortillas to avoid them getting soggy too quickly, and potentially falling apart when you eat them.
Don’t let the red cabbage slaw sit in the citrus juice for longer than stipulated. The color will bleed out of the cabbage aggressively and not pop in vibrancy as it should.
This recipe can be easily cut in half to make 8 tacos. Store any leftover chicken in the braising sofrito, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Makes a great sandwich, or topping for a Mexican pizza!
- Category: main dish magic
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: chili, sofrito, braised, chicken, street tacos, honey, chipotle sauce, citrus, red cabbage, slaw