Pickle Chicken Tacos
Pickles and tacos? Yes. This is a simple (and damn tasty) way to change up your traditional Taco Tuesday night.
| Preparation time: 24 hrs | Cook time: 15 minutes | Serves: 4-6 |
Ingredients:
Marinade:
1 full jar of dill pickle juice (usually 2 empty jars worth)
1 package of boneless, skinless white meat chicken
Seasoning:
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
3 Cloves Garlic- pressed or minced
3 Tbsp Butter
½ Cup Water
Directions for Marinade
In a freezer bag or sealable container lay the chicken tenderloin or chicken breast and cover with dill pickle juice. Marinade in the refridgerator for 18-24 hours.
Directions for Cooking
In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter. Sweat the garlic in the butter. Drain the chicken of the pickle juice and lay it flat in the pan. Add the rest of the seasoning, and cook on medium heat until the chicken is browned on both sides, and the water is reduced to a thick sauce.
Congratulations! You just made a reduction! Shred the chicken with two forks or pull chicken into shredded pieces. Coat in the seasoning reduction sauce.
Serve on the tortilla of your choice--we use a mix of crunchy tortillas. We serve this on a platter in a DIY fashion with an assortment of corn, onions, peppers, cheeses, salsas, beans fresh herbs, and rice. Serves 1-6 (Depending on how much you like tacos).
Why Pickle Chicken?
I love tacos. The only thing I love more than tacos is a taco party. I will eat tacos for breakfast, for lunch or dinner. My taco love has no limit.
But….Pickle Chicken Tacos? Yes. My kids love pickles. Pickle frozen pops. Pickle salad. Pickles on hot dogs. Pickles. I grew tired of ground beef tacos. We used to make steak tacos and pork tacos. But one child protested they were “too hard” or “too spicy”. So I marinated chicken in some pickle juice and VIOLA! The birth of Pickle Chicken Tacos.
I love this because I can just come home from the grocery store and throw some chicken tenderloin in the pickle juice and let it sit…. sometimes for days if I forget about it the proper amount of time to marinade something. It doesn’t take long to prepare and you don’t have to worry about presentation which make it great for larger parties, or for having random people over to eat (or for eating alone in solitude because you don't like sharing).
A great side dish for this is a Garlic Plantain Fritter. Similar to a potato pancake, but goes better with tacos.