DO YOU LIKE TACOS OR NOT?!

Just kidding, I know you like tacos, who doesn't? One of our readers suggested that we add some Mexican recipes, and while this probably isn't authentic (since it came out of my brain), it's still pretty good! Chicken breast is objectively the worst part of the chicken, but this recipe makes it just as tender and juicy as any thigh meat. It makes a lot, too, so it's perfect for make-ahead meals. It's a little spicy, but gets spicier the more sauce you add to the chicken. This one's for you, Katie!



Here's what you need

For the chicken:

3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 cloves garlic, minced
24 oz lager beer, we used Corona
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp minced fresh jalapeno (if you want it spicier, leave the seeds in)
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch ground coriander seed
1 Tbsp soy sauce
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
a few grinds of black pepper

For the sauce:

2 whole poblano peppers
2 whole jalepeno peppers
4 tomatillos, can be fresh or canned, but fresh is better
1/4 cup fresh poblano pepper (seeded), minced
1 small onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 chiles, seeded from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 can black beans
2 Tbsp sour cream

You also need tortillas of your choice (or make your own), and whatever toppings you like (we had sliced avacado and lime)

An important note about this recipe:
Because the tomatillos are cooked last in the broth of the chicken, this recipe requires a bit of juggling. It skips around a bit, as I found this order to be the best way to utilize your time while things are slow-cooking. It is possible to make the sauce ahead of time, and to do that, you'd just need to cook the tomatillos in normal salted water. Cooking them in the broth adds another layer of flavor to the sauce, and really ties all the flavors together wonderfully, so I would recommend following it as is. If you aren't good at multitasking, or if doing things this way just stresses you out, feel free to make the sauce ahead of time. Cooking should be fun, after all, and the recipe will still be good.

First off, get your oven to 375, and put the two whole poblano and jalepeno peppers on a baking sheet. You're gonna roast them for about 25-30 minutes, until the skins are blistered.

While you're waiting, start the chicken. Put all the stuff together in a heavy bottomed pot, like a dutch oven if you can. The chicken should be mostly or completely submerged in the liquid. Add water or more beer if it's not. Bring it to a low boil, and immediately lower it to a simmer. Simmer covered for about 40 minutes, flipping the chicken at about the twenty minute mark. Here's what it's gonna look like at the outset:

While the chicken cooks, get thee to the sauce-making. 

Back to the peppers! They should be wrinkly and blistered now:

Put all four peppers in a paper bag and seal it up tight. This will make peeling the skins easier, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm lazy as hell, so I skip it, but you know what's best for your taco life. Either way, set them aside until they are cool enough to handle. Get the rest of the ingredients for the sauce together in the meantime. Maybe it's time to flip the chicken, I dunno. Ask your kitchen timer. Add everything but the roasted peppers and the tomatillos to the food processor, but don't blend it yet. Speaking of the tomatillos, let's get at 'em. 

Take the husk and the stem off of your tomatillos. Make sure your nail polish looks excellent.

Wash the stickiness off in some cold water and set aside. At this point, if you're lazy and drinky and a little unorganized like me, your chicken will probably be ready. The liquid will probably have reduced, that's okay. 

Take the chicken out with tongs, and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup of the delicious broth, add 4 cups of water to the remaining broth and bring back to a boil. Once it's boiling, toss the tomatillos in and just let it go, covered, for 8-10 minutes, until just soft:

In the meantime, your peppers should be cool enough to handle. Peel them if you like, then remove the stems and seeds (or leave the seeds if you're some kind of spice-badass who orders Thai hot at restaurants)

Put the peppers in the food processor (again, not blending). Now we're just waiting on those tomatillos. In the meantime, shred that chicken. Taking two forks, one to hold and the other to shred, scrape the meat with the grain, like so:

The finished product should look like this, more or less:

Now your tomatillos should be ready. Strain them out (go ahead and toss the rest of the broth mixture). They should be watery bags of delicious:

Toss them into the food processor with 1/4 cup of the reserved broth, and go ahead and mix it all up!

In the dutch oven, mix the chicken, rest of the broth, can of beans, and desired amount of sauce, and heat through. Add the sour cream at the end, and you have taco meat!