Chicken Tacos With Cotija Cheese Recipes

MEXICAN STREET CORN CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• CHICKEN: Combine the lime juice, oil, chipotle powder, garlic, ground cumin, salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss using a rubber spatula so that the chicken is coated in the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or cover it and let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. Lightly spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and cook the chicken over medium-high heat 6-10 minutes, flipping halfway through until it cooks through.
• STREET CORN: Combine the corn, scallions, cilantro, cotija cheese, jalapeno, and lime juice in a bowl. Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed; set aside.
• SAUCE: whisk together the sour cream, mayo, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce in a bowl. Taste and add additional adobo sauce and salt as desired.
• TACOS: Warm the tortillas, add chicken, a slice of avocado, street corn, and top with chipotle sauce. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

CHICKEN TINGA TACOS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chipotles, garlic, cumin, salt and cayenne and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and cook until they begin to simmer, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and carefully ladle the sauce into a heat-safe blender. Puree until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the pan over medium heat and add the chicken, stirring to incorporate the chicken into the sauce. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.
• Combine the white vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the onions and shallots to a pint jar and pour the liquid over the top. Let cool completely. Refrigerate up to 1 week.

CHICKEN COTIJA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a glass baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat; brown chicken on both sides. Place chicken in prepared baking dish. Mix together the tomato sauce and taco seasoning in a small bowl. Pour over chicken breasts. Sprinkle cheeses evenly over top.
• Bake in preheated oven until chicken has fully cooked and cheese has browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

MEXICAN STREET CORN CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pierce chicken breasts with a fork. Place in a large Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 4 - 5 hours is ideal. Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush grill with oil to prevent sticking. Place chicken on the grill. Cook for approximately 5 - 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of chicken. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees. Cut into pieces.
• Cook corn and place corn kernels in a bowl. Stir in mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, cilantro, jalapeno, green onions, and garlic salt.
• If using corn tortillas, heat a small amount of oil in a skillet. Place corn tortillas one-by-one in a skillet and soften in the oil for a few seconds. Remove and let drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Top with chicken, street corn, fresh avocado slices, and sprinkle with cotija cheese and cilantro.

CHICKEN TACOS WITH COTIJA CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic cloves with their peel still on. Saute until cloves are soft and all sides are slightly blackened, about 10 minutes. Let the cloves cool, then peel. Cut an "x" on the top of the tomatoes, just breaking the skin. Under a broiler roast the whole tomatoes, blackening the skin on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Cool, then peel of the skin, saving the juice and pulp. In a food processor, puree the garlic cloves, tomatoes, oregano, cilantro and chipotle peppers.* *Using the entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce will make the tacos very spicy. Using half the can will make the tacos spicy, and using 1/4 of the can will give the tacos a subtle amount of spiciness. If you don't like any spiciness, skip the chipotle peppers completely. In a large skillet with a lid, saute the onion in olive oil until soft. Add the tomato mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and cover, simmering on medium heat until the chicken is cooked through - about 25 minutes for thighs and 15-20 minutes for breasts. Remove chicken and shred the meat into thin slices with a knife or your hands. Mix back in as much sauce as you like with the shredded chicken. Salt to taste. Serve chicken on small corn or flour tortillas. Sprinkle each taco with cotija cheese and garnish with fresh avocado (or guacamole) and other garnishes like shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro and sour cream. Makes 8 small tacos.