Shredded Chicken Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Sauce
- PREP 20min
- COOK 40min
- TOTAL 1hrs
These easy shredded chicken tacos are a mix up of two of our favorite recipes — tender shredded chicken and creamy cilantro sauce. You can make both the chicken and the sauce in advance. The chicken will keep in the fridge up to 3 days and in the freezer up to a month. The sauce keeps in the refrigerator for about a week and is delicious spooned onto salads, rice bowls, and eggs.
You Will Need
Shredded Chicken
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs (or combination of thighs and breast)
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Water
Creamy Cilantro Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
Salt to taste
Directions
Make Shredded Chicken
Combine chicken, onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, cumin and pepper in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil then remove any foam or scum that floats to the top.
Adjust the heat so that the water simmers very gently around the chicken. Cook until chicken is very tender, about 30 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and then when it is cool enough to handle, use two forks or your fingers to shred the meat.
After removing the chicken, boil the liquid remaining in the saucepan until it has reduced by one-third, or until its flavor has concentrated.
Spoon about 1 cup of the concentrated cooking liquid over the shredded chicken and toss to coat. Use within 2 to 3 days or freeze.
Make Cilantro Sauce
Add sour cream, lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, and a pinch of salt to a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste then add more lime juice or salt if needed. Refrigerate up to a week.
Assemble Tacos
Wrap tortillas, in two stacks, with aluminum foil. Place into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warm.
Fill each warmed tortilla with chicken and tomatoes. Top with cheese and a drizzle of the cilantro sauce. Serve with extra sauce and lime wedges on the side.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Double Batch of Chicken: To make a double batch, increase the chicken to 3 pounds then add more water to the pot. The onion, garlic, and spices do not need to change.
- Skin-On Chicken: We have made this recipe using boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chicken thighs with skin still attached. Both work very well. If you use chicken with skin, just remove and discard the skin before you shred the chicken. You may also find that you need to skim some of the fat from the cooking broth before spooning it over the chicken.
- Leftover Cooking Liquid: You will have cooking liquid leftover. It is quite delicious on its own as a light soup. You can also use it as broth for other recipes. Or, if you’re keeping the chicken more than a day, add a spoonful or two to add a little moisture.
- Slow cooker shredded chicken: add all the ingredients to the slow cooker then cook on LOW until the chicken is cooked and tender, 3 to 4 hours. Shred the chicken and transfer the broth to a saucepan. Simmer the broth until reduced by a third then spoon over the chicken.
- Vegan Substitute for Sauce: Instead of the sour cream based sauce, try this Dreamy Tahini Sauce recipe. It has tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. It would be delicious drizzled over the tacos.
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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