World's Best Chicken Tacos

Name: World's Best Chicken Tacos
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 serving
Ingredients: 12-16 corn tortillas; 1 can refried beans; 1 cup cheese; 2 chicken breasts; 2 tablespoons crushed New Mexican chile (optional); 1/2 teaspoon salt; freshly cracked black pepper; 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; 6 plum tomatoes; 1 onion; 2 garlic cloves; 1 Jalapeño; pinch of salt (optional); 2 avocados; 3-4 tablespoons finely chopped onion; 1 lime; 1/2 teaspooon salt; 1 cup rice; 1-2 plum tomatoes; 1/2 onion; 1 garlic clove; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 cups stock; oil

User Reviews

4.8

30 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings
4
Calories
1133 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican

World's Best Chicken Tacos

Ximena Brandt

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I know, World's Best is a big claim, but these chicken tacos are the ones I always come back to. The home cooked Salsa is the key so please don't skimp on that step. So good!

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Ingredients

Servings

12-16 corn tortillas
1 can refried beans
1 cup cheese

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons crushed New Mexican chile (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Tomato Jalapeno Salsa:

6 plum tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 Jalapeño
pinch of salt (optional)

For the Guacamole:

2 avocados
3-4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 lime
1/2 teaspooon salt

For the Mexican Rice:

1 cup rice
1-2 plum tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups stock
oil

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Instructions

Start by rinsing and stemming 7-8 plum tomatoes. Roast them in a 400F oven for 20-25 minutes.
For the chicken, add the seasoning ingredients to a bowl: 2 tablespoons crushed New Mexican chile (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a dollop of oil. Chop up two chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and combine well with the seasoning.
For the rice, start by adding a dollop of oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of rice and saute until the rice is turning opaque and golden brown. Meanwhile, add 1-2 of the roasted tomatoes to a blender along with 1/2 onion and a single garlic clove. Combine well and add this puree to the rice, cooking for a few minutes. Add 2 cups of stock and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all of the liquid is absorbed. Set aside and cover, letting it sit its own steam for a few minutes. Salt to taste. (Note: it's okay to pull the roasting tomatoes from the oven a bit early when you need them for the rice.)
When the tomatoes are done roasting add six of them to a blender for the Salsa along with 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 jalapeno, and a pinch of salt (optional). Pulse blend, leaving it a bit chunky. Taste for seasoning and for heat level. You can always add more jalapeno if you want a more fiery Salsa.
To cook the chicken, I usually saute 3-4 tablespoons of chopped onion in some oil until tender (over medium-high heat) and then add the seasoned chicken. Form a single layer as much as possible and let the first side cook through all the way, then flipping and briefly cooking the second side. When done, add the chicken to a bowl and cover with foil until serving.
For the guacamole, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3-4 tablespoons of finely chopped onion, and the juice of 1 lime to a bowl. Combine with the flesh of two ripe avocados. Taste for seasoning. I added another pinch of salt and another squeeze of lime to this batch. (I usually crush the chopped onion with the back of fork to mimic a molcajete and release some additional oils.)
I recommend half-assembling the tacos for your family and friends, i.e. crisping them up on a comal or skillet before serving. First, put the chicken, guacamole, and salsa on the table in serving bowls. Then add 4-5 corn tortillas to the comal or skillet over mediumish heat (or as many as you can fit). Add a layer of refried beans, cheese, and rice to each tortilla. Cook until the cheese is melted or the bottom of the tortilla is turning golden brown, approx. 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately and let your peeps add the chicken, guacamole, and salsa themselves.

Notes

Half-assembling the tacos before serving, i.e. crisping them up in a comal or skillet, means that you'll have to go back to the stove throughout the meal but I think this is totally worth it. A piping hot, crispy tortilla with melted cheese makes these tacos absolutely delicious.
Since people will be folding the tacos as they eat them, it's best to add the beans-cheese-rice layer to only half of the tortilla.
If time has passed and the chicken sitting on the table is getting cold, you can heat it up by adding pieces of it to the tortillas you are crisping up on the stove.
Sometimes I heat up the refried beans in a small saucepan before using them but not always. If using only a thin layer of beans on the tortillas the cheese melting stage can be enough to heat them up.