Spicy Pulled Chicken Tacos

You know what?  It's been a crazy, whirlwind couple of weeks and tonight, I wanted something fun.  As I kid, I secretly loved taco night.  There was a certain element of excitement that went along with it.  I can remember my Mom setting aside three bowls to fill with lots of little chopped up tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce and cheddar cheese.  Then then she would fry up the meat with some tomato sauce and a packet of Old El Paso seasoning (always Old El Paso, no imitations please.)  With the somewhat spicy smell of the taco meat lingering in the air, we'd (my Mom, Dad, and sis that is) all took turns spooning the meat into the tacos shells and arranging the toppings.  Thinking back, I guess it was the uniqueness and the "make your own" sort of excitement that came with taco night that made it so satisfying.  I could come up with my own creation and assemble it exactly the way that I wanted it.  I'd get all scientific about it, layering my toppings and figuring out the best way to maximize the melting of cheese without being left with a soggy shell.  Taco night always seemed so fun.

Fast forward to tonight, after a long day of work rendered me mentally fried, I reached for something simple and fun.  A satisfying heat from chipotle sauce smothered chicken that was surrounded by melted cheese and topped with tangy tomatoes and then folded into a neat little pocket of crunchy tortilla deliciousness.  It was the perfect way to unwind and truth be told, it kinda brought out the kid in me all over again.











Pulled Chicken Tacos
Makes approximately 6 tacos
- 6 chicken tenders
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper (for the chicken)
- 6 taco shells (I just used store bought)
- About 3 tbs of chipotle (less or more depending on your heat preference!)
- About 1 tbs cumin
- A couple of generous pinches of coriander and cinnamon
- A couple of splashes chicken stock (or water is fine but I happened to have chicken stock on hand)
- About 2 tbs of tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Additional taco toppings such as tomatoes, cheddar cheese (or lettuce, onions, corn, sour cream, really whatever blows your hair back)

Very lightly coat the chicken with the olive oil and a thin dusting of salt and pepper.  Bake the chicken at 400 until it cooked all the way through.  In a medium bowl, combine the chipotle, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, tomato paste and chicken stock.  Salt and pepper to taste.

With a fork, pull the chicken meat into shreds.  Toss the chicken in the sauce (if you're not starving, let it sit in the sauce for a bit to soak up all the juices and concentrate the flavors).  Assemble the toppings and then start building your taco.