Recipe: Chile Verde Chicken Tacos

In honor of #TacoTuesday, I decided to treat myself after a long day and an intense evening boxing session. When Tuesday nights roll around, I desperately miss my grandma’s greasy fried carne asada tacos from back home, but I have learned to cook healthy alternatives that still satisfy my cravings.

So tonight I made shredded chicken chile verde tacos topped with avocado, tomato and cilantro. Yes they were delicious –  not as good as grandma’s of course, but they did the trick! 😉

Everything You’ll Need:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 cups of salsa verde (homemade preferred, see below!)
• 2 corn tortillas
• 1 avocado
• 1 tomato
• Cilantro, for garnish

NOTE: Keep in mind that this chicken chile verde recipe yields a large quantity of chicken to be used for other delicious meals. You will only use a portion for your tacos!

Part 1: Homemade Salsa Verde

• 10 tomatillos, husked and boiled
• 3 jalapeños (fresh OR pickled)
• 3 fresh garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• Salt/seasoning of choice to taste

Once your tomatillos are husked and boiled, place them on the comal – aka flat griddle -along with the jalapeños and garlic until the skins are charred and blistered. Once cooled down a bit, add them all to a blender with  juice from one lemon and salt/seasoning to taste. Blend. Voila!

Part 2: Chicken

Now to cook the chicken, I used my handy-dandy Instant Pot pressure cooker – I will be doing a separate post for this device as it is AH-MA-ZING!

Place your chicken breasts in the pot and pour your salsa verde on top, then add 1 cup of chicken broth (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low-Sodium Chicken Broth). Cover and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you may use a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred and serve.

Part 3: Make Your Tacos & Enjoy!

Next comes the fun part: heat up your corn tortillas on the comal and then start constructing your tacos! For this dish, I topped mine with avocado and tomato, but you can use any veggie of your choice. Now comes the REALLY fun part. Enjoy!

These tacos are a perfect combination of carbs, protein and fresh veggies after a hard cardio workout! Remember, don’t torture yourself by skipping out on all of your favorite foods. Moderation is key!