Chicken Tacos

Located in the neighborhood of Pilsen in Chicago, there is a deliciously wonderful Mexican restaurant called Nuevo Leon. And now that I am writing this, I am realizing that out of all the times that we have been there, I have yet to take a single picture! Anyway, one of the things that makes Nuevo Leon so fabulous is that before you even order or get your food, you get unlimited chips and salsa and a "platito" of whatever they are featuring that night...think of it as a little, free "appetizer" that is made with the same loving care and delectable flavors as their entrees.

Anyway, the reason why I am telling you this is because the first time that we went to Nuevo Leon, we had no idea about the chips, salsa, and platitos..and what was on the platito that night was some of the best Mexican chicken we (Brad, my Tia Rosie, my Abuelita, and myself) have ever had. Weeks later I was still craving it so I decided to see if I could find a recipe that I could recreate it at home. And though it isn't a perfect match, it does come pretty close. I introduce to you "Michael Chiarello Chicken Taco Filling" a la food network.

Now  this recipe calls for diced chicken so I didn't take the time to slow cook the chicken to shred it like Nuevo Leon had it but I thought it still turned out well. Also, the recipe calls for both sweet and smoked paprika..so I'm sure you can guess what I did...I just used that jar that is simply labeled "paprika" in my spice cabinet for both. Now if you go to the linked website, Michael will go on to give a recipe for "toppings" and what not but we just ate these plain. I also made our own corn tortillas but store bought tortillas would obviously be okay.



Michael Chiarello Chicken Taco Filling
Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 yellow onions minced
• 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1/2-inch chunks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 serrano chiles, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 4 to 5 cups chicken stock or water

Directions

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and onions and cook until soft and nicely caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes.
   
   
2. In the meantime, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and toss to coat. Heat another large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the chicken until it is lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.
   
   
3. Once the onion mixture is caramelized and softened, add the serranos, paprikas, cumin, and oregano.
   
   When the chicken is done, transfer it to the pan with the onions. Pour in the broth or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thick and delicious, approximately 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
   

Cilantro Lime Chicken (Tacos)

It wasn't until this past year when I realized that Brad loved the flavor of cilantro as much as I did. The problem was, that we would buy a stalk of cilantro to cook with but because of various reasons, we would hardly use the entire bundle before it would go bad. Fortunately for us, when we moved into our new apartment, there was a place for a little garden in the back. Enter the cilantro plant. At first we didn't think it would make it but boy were we wrong. About a month ago, I had tried making cilantro lime chicken but I wasn't that impressed. However, this past Sunday, I tried again and I would most definitely consider it a success, as does Brad. I looked online for different recipes but ended up just splicing and putting a couple together after looking at different marinating times and random hard to find ingredients. Brad and I have both eaten this chicken by itself with white rice or cut up to make tacos. Our favorite version just happens to be the tacos.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• zest of 1 lime, plus juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon fresh cilantro
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Mix olive oil and seasonings together
2. Place chicken in either a shallow dish or ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Let chicken marinate for 30-45 minutes.
3. On pre-heated grill or skillet, cook chicken until internal temperatures reach 160. (Don't be afraid to take it off the heat around 150-155 degrees. The chicken will continue to cook internally for a couple minutes and the inner temperature will rise).
   
4. If desired, let chicken set for a couple minutes before cutting into strips for tacos.