As you all may have noticed, I have a slight obsession with tacos…in particular two places that make the most juicy, spicy, tender shredded chicken taco meat I’ve ever had in my life. I have been trying to re-create their chicken for awhile now and I think with the help of the folks at TR2, I may have come pretty darn close!
No, I am not giving away their SECRET RECIPE! The recipe they provided is tasty, I felt like it was missing something…so in my usual fashion, I took parts from their recipe, spiced it up to add more flavor and healthified it a bit 😀
HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT TIPS I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY:
* Chicken is more tender on the bone and has more flavor.
* You NEED a combination of white and dark meat for maximum flavor/moisture. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the dark 🙂 I bought a big variety pack at Trader Joes and it was cheaper than buying individual breasts.
* The BUTTER really is the secret ingredient that brings all the flavors together.
* The flavor really does get better each day so feel free to prepare this the day before you want to actually serve it….this is, if you can resist it 🙂
* Both the sauce and the chicken freeze well. I froze half my sauce so next time all I have to do is boil the chicken and unthaw the sauce.
There you have it ~ this is definitely fast becoming my goto recipe to impress anyone with my taco making abilities 😀
The BEST Spicy, Shredded Chicken Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
For the chicken:
2 lbs Skinless Chicken on the bone (about 1 breast, 2 thighs and a leg)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Salt
8-10 c water, enough water to cover the chicken
For the sauce:
5 medium to large tomatoes, any combination, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced and divided into 2 and 2
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, sliced (seeded if you don’t want it too spicy)
1/2 lime, juiced
handful cilantro, about 1/2 cup
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp taco seasoning, homemade or packaged (I used Watkins Salsa Mix this time)
Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place chicken with garlic, water and salt in a large stock pan. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 35-40 minutes, until. cooked thoroughly. You will not over cook it in the water as the water helps the chicken retain moisture as it cooks.
2. While the chicken is cooking, combine tomatoes with onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 tsp sea salt in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until the tomatoes break down, about 20 minutes.
3. Remove tomato mixture from heat and allow to cool slight, about 10 minutes. Once cooled add tomato mixture to a blender or food processor with the bell pepper, jalapeno, 2 garlic cloves, lime juice and cilantro. Puree until smooth.
4. Shredded your chicken (it should just fall off the bone) and set aside.
5. Add your butter to your medium sauce pan and allow to melt over medium low heat. Return your tomato mixture to the pan, add taco season and sea salt/black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
6. Place your chicken in a medium sauce pan over low heat and spoon desired amount of sauce over chicken. I used about 1/2 the sauce to get it really moist and juicy.
7. Once heated through, remove from heat and enjoy as is, on tacos, burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas, salads, etc. Enjoy!
Makes approximately 12-14, 1/3 cup servings, 2 points+ each
STEP-BY-STEP:
1. Start off by boiling your chicken, garlic and sea salt. Remove from water, allow to rest for 10 minutes, then shred using 2 forks.
2. Meanwhile, bring your tomatoes, onions, 2 cloves garlic and 1 tsp sea salt to a boil.
3. After the tomatoes have cooked/ broken down, add your bell pepper, jalapeno, 2 cloves garlic to your pan or blender.
4. I felt like it still needed more flavor, so this is when I added the 1/2 lime juice.
and cilantro.
5. In the same pan you boiled your tomatoes in, add 1 Tbsp of butter (the SECRET INGREDIENT) and melt over medium low heat.
6. Add taco seasoning, season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Return to a low boil.
7. Spoon desired amount of sauce over shredded chicken and enjoy!
This Spicy Chicken Taco Meat is pretty versatile….use it on TACOS!
Taco Salads! Or get creative and make a Mexican Asian Fusion Taco Salad 😀
It really is THAT delicious – you can just enjoy it straight up!
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