Taco Tuesday

Here is a recipe just in time for Taco Tuesday: Instant Pot Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos. The tacos were amazing; highly encourage the pickled onion to go on top; and are great accompanied by the White Claw Margaritas I developed as a twist on Liz Adams’ Skinny Margarita Recipe. The recipe can be ready in just under 45 minutes. Great for a Tuesday evening or any other weeknight for that matter. 

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1  canned chipotle in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoons adobo sauce (Note: the original recipe called for 1-4 chipotles and 2 tablespoons sauce. I used 2 chipotles and 2 tablespoons sauce the first time I made this recipe and both Ryan and I thought it was too spicy. Cut the ratio down to 1-and-1 the second time and thought the recipe still had a pretty good kick. I would recommend reducing to just 1 tablespoon of sauce if you are going for milder tacos. I used the Embasa brand of peppers.)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional as needed
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lime, juiced
• Warmed tortillas, for serving
• Pickled onion, for serving (see Tip)
• Sliced or cubed avocado, for serving

Preparation

1. Combine the chicken, chipotles and adobo sauce, honey, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and cumin in an electric pressure cooker. Stir well. Cover and set steam valve to sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 13 minutes. (Note: I have a love/hate relationship with my Instant Pot. For a cooking method that is supposed to be “instant”, the amount of time that it takes for my Instant Pot to get up to pressure drives me insane. When making this recipe, my Instant Pot took 8 minutes to reach the pressure necessary to start cooking. So this means cooking time was really 8 minutes to achieve pressure, 13 minutes to cook, 5 minutes to naturally release and then 5 minutes to reduce the sauce or approximately 30 minutes of cooking time.) Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes; then release the remaining pressure manually. Open the lid.
2. Remove the chicken to a bowl or cutting board using tongs. Shred the chicken with two forks. If you’d like to reduce the sauce, set to sauté and simmer, 5 minutes. (Note: Both times I made the recipe, the reduction time was an absolute must!). Add the chicken back into the pot.
3. Stir in the black beans and juice of 1 lime, set to sauté and let the beans warm through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve in tortillas with pickled onions and avocado. I also added diced cherry tomatoes and sliced bell pepper.

Tip

• To make quick-pickled onions, thinly slice a red onion and put the slices in a lidded heat-proof container. Bring about 1 1/2 cups cider or white vinegar to a boil. Add about 3 heaping spoonfuls of sugar and a big pinch of salt and whisk to dissolve. Pour the hot vinegar over the onions and let them cool. They’re ready to use right away, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Taco Recipe Credit: Sarah DiGregorio, New York Times Cooking

White Claw Margaritas

Ingredients:

• 1 shot good tequila
• White Claw Ruby Grapefruit
• Juice of ½ lime
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Juice of ¼ navel orange
• Trader Joe’s chile lime seasoning

Instructions:

Pour some Trader Joe’s chile lime seasoning onto a plate. Use a cocktail glass (I use a 14 oz old-fashioned style glass) Take a lime wedge and wet the rim and then coat the rim in the seasoning. Add ice to your glass and top with 1 shot of tequila. Then fill glass ¾ of the way with White Claw. Then add lime juice, lemon juice and grapefruit juice. Enjoy!