Shredded Chipotle Chicken Street Tacos

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Why we love it:

A “street” taco is popular in Mexico City and marked by small 4” corn tortillas served 2 at a time. They’re quite popular recently but if you can’t find this size, any tortillas will be ok. This filling is wonderful to feed a crowd. It’s easily doubled or tripled, and will store wonderfully in the fridge or freezer for months. The main recipe is written for the stovetop, but check out the substitutions list for Instant Pot instructions!

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Ingredients

³⁄₄ pound Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil (or mild oil of your preference)
1 15-ounce can Black Beans
2 Tablespoons Chipotle Peppers In Adobo (from a can, measure the liquid and add 2 chilies)
¹⁄₂ cup Water
1 Lime (zest and juice)
12 Corn Tortillas (look for small “street” taco size, or use whatever you have)
1 Avocado

Cooking Instructions

1. CHICKEN

Slice the chicken into 2” cubes or strips. Place in a bowl.

Heat a large skillet with sides, over medium-high heat. Cast iron works well here. While the pan is heating, combine the salt, cumin, and chili powder in a small bowl. Stir to mix. Pour all but about ½ a teaspoon of the spice blend onto the chicken and toss to coat well, it should pick up all of the spices and be very well coated.

Once the pan is hot, add oil. Then add the chicken pieces to the pan. Cook for 4 minutes.
Flip the chicken and lower heat to low and cover at least ¾ of the way with a lid. Cook on low for about 8-10 minutes, returning to flip the chicken once more about halfway through.
2. BEANS

Meanwhile, open the can of beans and drain them, but no need to rinse. Place them in a small pot with the reserved spice blend and about ¼ cup of water. Turn on medium heat and bring to a simmer.
3. FINISH CHICKEN

Remove the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces (go as finely shredded as you have patience for). Then add the chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce, mashing it up with the fork. Add ½ cup of water and zest in the lime. Stir to combine and simmer the mixture over low for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend the flavors.

Slice the lime in half and squeeze ½ on the chicken. Slice the rest into wedges for serving.
4. TORTILLAS

Heat the tortillas over a gas flame, or in the oven or toaster oven until warm and pliable, just a few seconds each.
5. SERVING

Serve beans. Lay out tortillas and top with chicken and sauce. Garnish with lime. Slice the avocado and serve alongside.

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Substitutions

PALEO:

omit beans and serve with roasted vegetables over salad greens, double the avocado and possibly increase the chicken too
BEANS:

pinto beans are great. Or serve rice or roasted cauliflower instead
CHICKEN:

chicken thighs are great, ground turkey, beef or chicken would also work well minus the shredding step obviously
CHIPOTLE:

add red pepper flakes, Tapatio hot sauce, or a scoop of store-bought salsa
INSTANT POT:

add all ingredients for the chicken (spices, chicken, water, lime zest, chipotle) to the Instant Pot and power on normal pressure for 15 minutes. When it's done, shred. It may be more watery, if too much so, you can boil to reduce the liquid
KIDS CORNER:

reduce the amount or omit chipotle to make it more mild, you can add some tomato paste or chopped fresh tomatoes to keep it lighter