shredded chicken tacos

i think i've been in love with tacos all my life and never realized it.

as a kid, i was extremely passionate about the chicken soft tacos at taco bell. just the chicken and cheese and may god help anyone if i found a tomato. tomatoes took me right out of the taco bell experience of cheap and questionable (but delicious) "mexican" food. no more tacos for me, just the cinnatwists thank you. as we all know, cinnatwists are the finest of mexican delicacies.

oh cinnatwists, my love. it has been too long.


but i mean, look at that taco. there are vegetables. and fancy cheese. and guacamole. my taco horizons have surely expanded but my love for a good chicken soft taco never left me. somewhere under than mound of vegetables and cheese is a mound of hot, seasoned shredded chicken that will knock you on your ass. it's not terribly spicy - despite the addition of hot sauce - but it's got a kick to it. a delicious kick. so make these tacos, okay? i promise you'll like them.

1 pound bonless, skinless chicken breast (or you can use one pound bone-in chicken breasts your life. your tacos.)
1 pouch of el paso roasted tomato sauce
2 tbsp taco seasonings (i make my own, hence the measurements. a packet of taco seasoning should do it but come on. make your own. it's not hard.)
1/2 tbsp cumin
2 crushed cloves garlic
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
hot sauce (optional but you really should)
taco fixins

fun fact i nearly burned off all of my arm hair taking this picture. the things i do for art.

pound your chicken breasts flat using either a meat mallet, the bottom of a wine bottle, or your fists. remember, this is an excellent outlet for your rage at your inability to find a job, the patriarchy, or your leasing company who won't let you keep your garbage can outside of the garage like a sensible human being. i mean. at the patriarchy.

seasonings and friends.

heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and give the chicken breasts a quick sear. it cuts down on cooking time and i feel like it seals in chicken-y flavor.

yes that's the professional culinary term.

once the chicken breasts are seared, add tomato sauce and seasonings. add enough water to cover the chicken and simmer on medium-high for twenty minutes to half an hour or whenever the chicken is fully cooked.

remove chicken from stove and let cool. don’t dump out the liquid! that’s where the flavor is! (note: i was a moron and hungry and tried to shred the chicken when it was fresh from the boiling liquid WITH MY FINGERS DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE.) give it a minute to cool down and then shred with two forks. if you have giant chunks that won't shred, don't be afraid to go at it with a knife.

pop the shredded chicken back into the liquid and crank up the heat. both literally and figuratively because

like you can use another hot sauce but if you aren't using sriracha i'm going to judge you.

you’re going to add a squirt of hot sauce. you can skip this step if you are a pantywaist and don’t like heat but come on. everyone’s doing it.

bring to a violent boil, tossing meat frequently.  i wish i could give you better timing but look, you’ll know when it’s ready. it’s ready when the taste test is nice and scrummy. that’s when it’s ready.

remove chicken from the liquid. naw, don't worry about saving the liquid. these are juicy enough without them. add a squirt of lime juice, toss, sprinkle  and serve with tasty taco fixins.


note: these are incredibly messy so i do not suggest eating them around someone you want to impress. eat them around someone who loves you enough to love you even when you have cilantro in your teeth and chicken juice all over your hands.

now this is good eating. blows chicken soft tacos from taco bell out of the water.

now if i only had some cinnatwists.