Easy Chicken Tomatillo Tacos

What’s “Taco Tuesday” without a post about tacos!?! I’ve had tacos on the brain quite a bit lately due to my 4 year old’s new favorite book Dragon’s Love Tacos. I think we’ve read this story about 100 times and every time we do it makes me want a taco. Anyways, this week I found myself knee deep in ripe tomatillos, due to one epic tomatillo season. One of my favorite things to make with tomatillos, aside from salsa, is slow cooker chicken tacos. They are easy to make, healthy, and absolutely delicious! This recipe is a great way to use ripe tomatillos and is perfect for a busy weeknight meal, especially since the salsa component of the recipe can be prepped several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

If you aren’t growing your own tomatillos, you can easily find them in the Mexican produce section (where they sell jalapeños, Serrano chiles, etc.) of the grocery store. They look similar to a green tomato surrounded by a papery green husk. Tomatillos have a bright, tart flavor and can be used cooked or raw. I particularly love them roasted, as the heat brings out their natural sweetness without totally diminishing their tang.

Related: How to Grow Epic Tomatillos

Bowl of fresh tomatillos. © Stephanie Gonzalez and neverthyme.com, 2017

Although this tomatillo chicken recipe makes some killer tacos, it would be delicious in a variety of other ways as well; over rice, in tostadas, as a filling for enchiladas, or even over nachos! Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Happy “Taco Tuesday!” 🙂

Easy Chicken Tomatillo Tacos. © Stephanie Gonzalez and neverthyme.com, 2017

INGREDIENTS

ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

• 1-1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut in half
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 jalapeño peppers, halved (and seeded if you prefer a milder salsa)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

CHICKEN AND TACOS

• 2-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
• corn tortillas
• toppings (suggested: lime wedges, thinly-sliced red onion, sliced avocado, and sour cream)

INSTRUCTIONS

ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño peppers with olive oil on the baking sheet. Flip tomatillos and jalapeños so they are cut-side down. Roast until tomatillos are browned and onions and jalapeños are soft about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly and squeeze the roasted garlic from the cloves, discarding the skins.
2. Transfer roasted tomatillo mixture, including any juices that have accumulated on the baking sheet, to a blender or food processor. Add cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice, and pulse until the salsa is combined and is to your preferred consistency (I prefer leaving mine a little on the chunky side).

CHICKEN AND TACOS

1. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place in the slow cooker and toss with 1 cup roasted tomatillo salsa, reserving the rest for garnishing the tacos (or eating with chips!). Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until chicken is tender.
2. Remove thighs from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks, or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Cover to keep warm. Transfer cooking liquid to a small saucepan (or place your slow cooker insert directly on the stove, if your specific model allows this), and simmer over medium heat until reduced to 3/4 to 1 cup, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.) Toss shredded chicken with enough sauce to coat, re-warming the chicken as needed if it has cooled.
3. While the sauce is reducing, warm corn tortillas in a dry skillet until lightly-browned. To serve, fill each taco with shredded chicken and top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a dollop of the reserved tomatillo salsa, sour cream, red onion, and avocado. There should be enough chicken to fill about 6-8 tacos.

Enjoy!!

Easy Chicken Tomatillo Tacos. © Stephanie Gonzalez and neverthyme.com, 2017