Chipotle-Lime Roasted Chicken Tacos

September 16, 2012 2:36 pm \ 2 Comments \ The Partial Ingredients

Once I had my Corn Esquites Salad ready I decided to try it out in tacos. I settled on using a whole oven roasted chicken because the meat is tender and shreds easily so its perfect for tacos. I was thinking about which spices I wanted to use to season the chicken and I thought chipotle and lime would work well with the corn salad. I settled on a simple dry rub of chipotle pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, allspice and oregano. While the chicken was roasting the kitchen started to smell heavenly and I couldn’t wait to try them out! The tacos were really tasty and easy to put together. The smoky flavor of the chipotle and the tangy lime juice were a great combination. The recipe makes 12 tacos, or enough for two people for two dinners (3 tacos each).

Chipotle-Lime Roasted Chicken Tacos
(makes 12 tacos)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

1 4 1/2 lb. whole chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tbsp oregano leaf
1 tbsp honey
1 lime, juice and zest
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 batch corn esquites salad
12 corn taco shells, warmed
lime juice, for garnish
handful cilantro, chopped
cotija cheese, crumbled for garnish

Directions:

In a shallow glass pan, rub the chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Make 2 one inch incisions along the middle of the skin on the breast.
In a bowl, mix the dry spices together.
Coat the chicken in the spice mixture and rub the spices underneath the skin on the breast meat.
Add the honey, garlic, lime juice, and lime zest evenly onto the chicken.
Pour the water onto the bottom of the pan and cover with foil.
Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 90 minutes, or until an internal thermometer reads 165F.
After cooking, let the meat rest for 5 minutes before shredding.
In a bowl, shred the meat and pour a little of the juice from the pan into the bowl.
Add a handful of the meat to the taco shells along with a spoon of the corn salad. Top with cilantro, lime juice and cotija cheese.