Tacos with Chicken Taco Filling
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Build-your-own chicken tacos with a slow-caramelized garlic and onion base, serrano chiles, dual paprikas, and toasted cumin. Simmered chicken filling served with radishes, pinto beans, sour cream, and cilantro for a generous taco-night spread.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
28 minREADY
50 minTaco night at its most generous. The filling starts with ten cloves of minced garlic and five yellow onions taken slowly to a deep caramel, because that sweetness is what carries the spice blend. Sweet paprika for color, smoked paprika for that low-burning fire-pit note, and toasted cumin seed for the warmth you cannot fake with pre-ground cumin out of a jar.
Diced chicken breast gets a quick dusting of flour before browning. The flour is doing double duty, giving the chicken a light crust and thickening the broth into a clingy sauce once everything simmers together for twenty minutes. Two sliced serrano chiles add a clean, green heat that does not bury the spices.
The real fun is the table. Thin sliced red onion, radishes, iceberg, diced tomatoes, cilantro, pinto beans, sour cream, and warm corn tortillas. Let everyone build their own. It lasts longer and tastes better than assembling them yourself.
Chef Tips
- Toast whole cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant before grinding or adding. The flavor doubles.
- Do not rush the onions. Ten to twelve minutes at a real caramel stage is what separates this filling from every other taco meat.
- Warm corn tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet for ten seconds per side. Cold tortillas crack when folded.
- The sauce thickens more as it cools, so pull it from the heat when it still looks a touch loose.
Variations
- Swap chicken breast for boneless thighs for a juicier filling that forgives longer simmering.
- Add a squeeze of lime and a handful of pickled red onions at the table for a Yucatán-style bite.
- Stretch the filling with a cup of charred corn kernels stirred in at the end.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add the garlic and onions and cook until soft and nicely caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes.
In the meantime, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and toss to coat.
Heat another large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cook the chicken until it is lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Once the onion mixture is caramelized and softened, add the serranos, paprikas, cumin, and oregano.
When the chicken is done, transfer it to the pan with the onions. Pour in the broth or water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thick and delicious, approximately 20 minutes.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve the tacos:
Put the toppings and chicken filling in bowls and allow guests to build their own tacos.
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