By Henry Gould – Sept 12th, 2018

I have to say, I’m a little embarrassed to post this recipe because it’s almost too easy to make… quite literally fool proof. Follow the directions and I can almost guarantee it will turn out perfect.

The beauties of this recipe are many. Allow me to elaborate on some of them!

• It’s very cheap to make!
• It requires very few ingredients!
• It tastes really, really good (like Chipotle… but better)!
• You can make a large batch, portion and then freeze for a Tuesday in November when you don’t want to cook!
• It will impress you friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, dog, mum, dad, aunt, uncle, long long cousin from Belgium….
• It may not impress your vegetarian friends, but I have heard positive things about cooking Jackfruit in a similar fashion, which apparently gives “meat like” results. Experiment at your own discretion!

One item of contention can be store-bought corn tortillas. At La Taqueria, they’re awesome. At home, they can be cold, stiff and gross. However, I have a secret for reviving cold corn tortillas which works 100% of the time.

First, get a bowl and fill it with warm water, and then drizzle a little olive oil on the surface. Next, heat a frying pan up to medium heat. Now, take a corn tortilla, dip it in the water / oil mixture and then put in the frying pan and hold down for 10-20 seconds with a spatula. Flip over and then hold down for another 5-10 seconds.

The hot steam helps to rehydrate the tortillas, completely bringing them back to life. The little slick of olive oil will cling to the tortillas and help them not stick to the pan.

Enjoy!

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• 8-10 Chicken Thighs (boneless skinless, or bone-in, skin-on)
• 1 tablespoon Cumin seeds
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small bottle (~150mL) Mexican Hot Sauce – Tapatio, Valentina, Cholula
• Olive Oil
• Corn Tortillas
• Chicken stock, or water
• Garnishes (limes, pickeld Jalapenos, sour cream, avocado, shredded cabbage)

Season your chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add enough olive oil to coat the entire bottom of the pot and then sear your chicken thighs, working in batches. Leave for 3-4 minutes on the first side to get a nice brown crust. Flip over, cook for another minute, then take out and set aside, continuing to sear the rest of the chicken.

Once the chicken is done, add your chopped onion and garlic to the same pot and cook in the residual oil, adding more if necessary. Once the onions have sweat a little, add your cumin seeds and fry for a minute. Then, return the chicken to the pot, along with the whole bottle of hot sauce (yes, the whole bottle…) and enough water or chicken stock to just barely cover the chicken. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 mins.

After 30 mins, take the chicken out of the pot to rest, turn the heat up on the remaining liquid and reduce until it’s much thicker and richer. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Chop or shred the cooked chicken on a board, then return to the reduced sauce and stir to coat.

Serve on warmed corn tortillas with choice of garnishes.