Have you noticed yet how into spicy, Mexican, southwestern inspired dishes I am right now? I’ve got even more coming! I’m trying to space them out for you, but really, I need to tell you about this pulled adobo chicken I’ve been making! So far, we’ve had this chicken on its own, on sliders, in a burrito bowl and these tacos!
And today is #tacotuesday, so what better day to share this recipe with you?
So, you are going to start off by making your own adobo sauce. I promise its easy! It is an extra step but it’s so worth it. We have been using the sauce on a whole bunch of dishes, so you can make it once and use it a few times in your day to day cooking.
Then, you’ll cook up some chicken breasts in about 1-2 cups of the sauce, just enough to cover the chicken, for a few hours. Meanwhile, you’ll chop up pineapple, tomatoes, jalapeno or serano peppers, red onion, and cilantro with some lime juice, cumin and salt for a delicious pineapple salsa.
It’s pretty simple, and I love a recipe that gives you leftovers you can reimagine into something else. We’ve used this in burrito bowls for lunch, most recently, and I’ve been starting to work on a tortilla soup using this leftover chicken!
I’m actually not a big fan of leftovers, mostly because I just don’t enjoy eating the same thing every day. So, I love a recipe that gives me some extra food to transform into something a little different – even if it’s just a taco one day and a burrito bowl the next! I’ll show you how we do our burrito bowls sometime in the next few weeks!
Pulled Adobo Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
Adobo Sauce
- 1/2 c adobo chile powder
- 2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
- pepper, to taste
- 1/2 c boiling water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Pulled Chicken
- 2-4 chicken breasts
- 1-2 c adobo sauce, enough to cover chicken breasts
Pineapple Salsa
- 1-2 c diced pineapple
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 jalapeno or serano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1/2 tsp cumin, or more to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Taco Assembly
- Tacos, cojita, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, etc, all your favorite taco toppings!
Instructions
Adobo Sauce
- In a food processor, blend all ingredients except the olive oil together until smooth and the consistency of BBQ sauce. If it is too thick, thin with more boiling water.
- In a saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat.
- Carefully add sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes uncovered.
- Remove from heat and use immediately, or allow to cool and then place in airtight container or mason jar and refrigerate.
Pulled Chicken
- Pat chicken breasts dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Place liner in crock pot or prepare with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts.
- Pour 1-2 c of adobo sauce over the chicken breasts, enough to cover.
- Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours, depending on the thickness of the breasts, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165.
- Once the chicken is cooked, pull with a pair of forks. Add more adobo sauce if desired.
Pineapple Salsa
- Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl. Taste for cumin, salt and pepper, adjust accordingly to your tastes.
Assembly
- Prepare tacos however you love to enjoy them!
