Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos with Black Beans
Serves 4-6; takes 1 hour active cooking and 4+ hours to braise, so start this in the morning/early afternoon
Ingredients
Neutral oil (canola, safflower, vegetable)
1 red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp harissa (or a favorite hot sauce, or some canned enchilada sauce or chilis)
1/4 cup agave or honey
2 quarts chicken stock
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (bone-in skin-on works fine too, I just like the ease of boneless)
1 white onion, diced
2 cans black beans (do NOT rinse and drain)
Salt
Yellow corn tortillas
Avocado, cilantro, shredded cheese, lime, sour cream for serving
Preparation
NOTE: Start preparation many hours before you want to eat. I started this at noon and we had dinner at 7p.m.
Preheat oven to 200.
Heat a large oven-proof pot (ideally one that has a lid) over medium, then add a few Tbsp of oil. Once oil is hot, add onion and a large pinch of salt and sauté until soft and translucent. Throw in the garlic, stir for another minute, then add the harissa and agave and mix. Pour in chicken stock and gently place chicken into the pot. Add more water if needed so that all of the chicken is submerged. Throw in some more salt. Cover the pot and stick in the oven for at least 3 hours or up to 5 or 6.
About an hour before you want to eat, heat a pot over medium, then add oil. Once oil is hot add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent. Pour in both cans of beans, including their liquid, along with a good pinch of salt. Stir, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Stir every 15-20 minutes until beans are super soft and much of the liquid has been absorbed.
Heat a medium frying pan over medium-high, then add enough oil to cover the bottom. Let oil come to temperature then use tongs to place a tortilla in the hot oil. Allow it to sizzle and fry for just a few seconds (a minute at most) until it’s juuuuuust picking up color. Flip and do the same on the other side, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas, laying a paper towel down between each one to soak up extra oil.
Remove pot from oven and use tongs to transfer chicken to a sheet pan. Use two forks to shred it up and spread it out on the pan.
Ladle some of the braising liquid from the pot into a small bowl, then add a good squeeze of agave, some more hot sauce, a Tbsp or so of neutral oil, some salt and mix well. Taste it to make sure you like it, then dump it all over the chicken and toss to coat. Stick the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes to get the sauce bubbling and let some of the pieces pick up a little color from the broiler.
To serve, grab a tortilla and top with a scoop of chicken, a scoop of black beans, some cheese (we used pepper jack), cilantro, avocado, sour cream, a spritz of lime, and enjoy!
