When it comes to eating out, great tacos are plentiful. Just check out District Taco, Taqueria National, or -- my all time favorite -- Taco Inn. (Sorry D.C. dwellers. That last one's in Lincoln, only).
When it comes to home-made Tacos, the options are limited. No one in my family or Cliff's family is versed in authentic Mexican cooking or cuisine, and those stale, Old El Paso taco-in-a-box kits aren't going to cut it. Seriously, I lose my appetite just thinking about them.
So, after reading a few articles and trying a few things, I came up with my own recipe for chicken tacos. It took me a few months to perfect this, but the final product is pretty much magic in your mouth. The trick is simplicity. This entire recipe involves just seven ingredients, including those soft corn tortilla shells.
Like any good home-cooked meal, it takes a little time to make these, but they're so worth it. This is also a perfect recipe to make with kids, too. Those little fingers are great at pulling apart tender chicken meat. Just remember to refrigerate the meat after it cooks.
Enjoy!
Serves 4 - 6
Gluten Free | Dairy Free
- 1 white onion, cut into julienne strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cans fire roasted, diced tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 Tablespoons cumin
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 package corn tortillas (look for La Banderita brand)
- sour cream, optional
Cooking Instructions:
- In a large sauce pan over, heat olive oil over medium heat, then saute onion and garlic, about 4 minutes or until translucent.
- Stir in tomatoes and add cumin, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken breasts, cover, and cook over high heat until water from tomatoes begins to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most water boils out.
- When most of the water has boiled out, turn off heat, remove the chicken breasts from the pan and put them on a separate plate to cool. (TIP: cut chicken breasts into small pieces and place in fridge to help speed cooling process). When chicken breasts are cool to the tough, carefully pull them apart to shred.
- Add shredded chicken back into the pan with tomatoes and onions, return to medium heat. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until all water has boiled out.
- Meanwhile, place corn tortillas on serving plates and heat in microwave, approximately 5 seconds per tortilla.
- Fill each tortilla with shredded chicken mixture, top with sour cream and serve.