Chicken Soft Tacos Recipe

Who doesn’t love Mexican night?  It’s become a regular event in our house.  Typically I’ve done fajitas – but tonight I set out to make some amazing chicken soft tacos with fresh home made corn tortillas and a fresh pico de gallo.

Continuing in my quest to make better food than a restaurant, we made some amazing fresh chicken soft tacos with fresh home made corn tortillas.  This was actually easier to do than it might sound and will be added to our list of favorite meals I've made.
Continuing in my quest to make better food than a restaurant, we made some amazing fresh chicken soft tacos with fresh home made corn tortillas. This was actually easier to do than it might sound and will be added to our list of favorite meals I’ve made.

Chicken

  • 2 frozen chicken breasts
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • Chopped zucchini
  • 1/2 can of corn
  • 1/2 of a jalapeño
  • 1/4 of a bell pepper
  • 1/2 of a red onion
  • Cilantro (I don’t think you can have too much – such good flavor)
  • Fresh squeezed lime
  • Bay leaves
  • Chili powder
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • Season salt
  • Water

Toppings

I like to cook using partially frozen chicken breasts. This helps to keep moisture in the meat. Place the chicken breasts in the pan with about 3/4 of an inch of water, toss in a few bay leaves, and place a lid on the pan. Cook on a medium to low heat. If the water cooks out, be sure to add more, but not too much. You aren’t trying to make a soup, rather keep moisture in the meat.

Once the chicken is nearly cooked through, add in the remaining ingredients and let cook down a bit more with a lid on the pan.  But be sure to save some lime juice and cilantro till the end though – it’s good to layer those flavors on at the very end to give a nice fresh zesty taste.  You may need to add a bit more water to keep the chicken moist.  In the end you don’t want liquid in the pan, but you can cook that off if there is. I’d avoid draining liquid and instead cook it off because draining will drain away some of the flavor as well.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove the bay leaves and then take two forks and start to shred the meat. Hold the two forks, one in each hand, with the rounded portions facing each other. Dig into the meat and pull apart. Do this until it’s all shredded.

Using two forks, shred the chicken.
Using two forks, shred the chicken.

I like to season through out the entire cooking process – starting when the chicken first gets into the pan.  While the chicken is thawing out, the seasonings can start to work in.  Once it’s cooked through is a good time to add more seasoning to let ensure that the flavors are really carried through.  I don’t typically season right at the last minute though so it’s not too potent or just “tossed on top” – instead the meal carries the flavor.

Once the the onions and peppers have cooked down to your liking, top the pan off with the remaining lime juice and cilantro and let that cook in just another 30 seconds or so before serving.

You’re all set to enjoy!

Our table is set for fresh chicken taco night.  We used this chicken taco recipe in freshly made corn tortillas with fresh brown rice, colby jack cheese, lettuce, fresh pico de gallo and lemon infused water.
Our table is set for fresh chicken taco night. We used this chicken taco recipe in freshly made corn tortillas with fresh brown rice, colby jack cheese, lettuce, fresh pico de gallo and lemon infused water.

Feel free to eat and stuff as you like, but we went with a tortilla, a layer of cheese, a layer of rice, our chicken mixture, a layer of lettuce, and finally a layer of pico de gallo.  We stuffed these into a freshly made corn tortilla using my home made tortilla press – but there’s nothing wrong with store bought tortillas either, or even a pile of chips to turn this into nachos.  We stuffed the tortillas good and full, so fair warning that you may make a mess.  But that’s ok – it’s part of the fun!