Chicken Tacos-Spicy Cider Beer Braised w/Sweet Chili Apple-Pomegranate Salsa.

By timbrehse

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more or less to taste
• salt and peper
• 1 (8 ounce) beer (I used a pumpkin beer)
• 1/2 cup apple cider, plus more if needed
• 1/2 -3/4 cup enchilada sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 8 warmed flour or corn tortillas, for serving
• sharp cheddar cheese + cotija cheese, for serving
• Sweet Chili Apple-Pomegranate Salsa.
• 2 honeycrisp apples, finely chopped
• arils from one small pomegranate (learn how to deseed a pomegranate here)
• 1 jalapeño, seeded (if desired) + chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice from 1 lime
• 2-4 tablespoons sweet thai chili sauce (I used 3, but use as little or much as you would like)

Preparation

Step 1

Add the chicken to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the garlic, minced chipotle chilies in adobo, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar and a pinch of both salt and pepper. Toss well to combine, making sure all the chicken gets coated in seasonings.
Heat a large brasier or dutch oven over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sear on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
Reduce the heat slightly and pour in the beer + apple cider. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the salsa. Add the chopped apple, pomegranate arils, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice and sweet thai chili sauce to a bowl.
Toss well to combine, taste and adjust if needed. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the pot and shred with two forks.
Meanwhile reduce the sauce that is left in the pot down to about 3/4 of a cup.
Add the shredded chicken back to the sauce in the pot and toss.
Now add the enchilada sauce and continue to cook about 2 minutes or until warmed through. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of apple cider.
To serve, add the shredded chicken to a warmed taco shell. Top with cheddar, avocado and then the apple salsa. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Happy taco eating!