Chipotle Braised Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Place chipotle chile pepper and ancho chile pepper in a bowl; pour in water. Cover bowl and let sit until peppers are softened, at least 10 to 12 hours. Drain water and remove seeds from peppers.
• Blend chile peppers, red onion, garlic, sea salt, cumin, oregano, and black pepper in a blender until a coarse paste forms; add olive oil and blend until marinade is smooth.
• Pound chicken thighs flat with a meat mallet and trim excess skin. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag and add marinade. Turn chicken several times to coat. Seal bag and marinate at least 8 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill with top and bottom plates for medium-high heat. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade.
• Cook chicken on the preheated grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Cut into strips.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the cilantro-lime cream: In a bowl, combine the sour cream, honey, lime juice, cilantro, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper and whisk together. Refrigerate until using.
• For the braised chicken: Heat a saute pan over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the kosher salt and pepper. Add the grapeseed oil to the pan and sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd the pan; sear the chicken in batches if needed. Remove the chicken from the pan and hold in an oven-safe casserole dish for further cooking.
• Add the onions and peppers to the saute pan and cook until tender. Add the paprika, smoked paprika and chipotle peppers and saute with the peppers and onions for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and ketchup, stir and bring to a simmer. Pour the braising liquid over the chicken and cover the casserole dish with foil. Cook in the oven until the chicken is tender and falls apart, 45 minutes.
• While the chicken is still hot, shred it and return it to the braising liquid. If you are using it right away, keep the chicken hot in the braising liquid for plating. (If you are refrigerating the chicken to use later, cool it down and store it in the braising liquid. Reheat it as needed for plating.)
• For the guacamole: Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. With a spoon, scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl. Add the red onions, tomatoes and cilantro and mash the ingredients together. Season with salt and lime juice.
• Divide the lettuce among the taco shells. Spoon about 2 ounces of the braised chicken into each shell. Top with guacamole, a tablespoon of cilantro-lime cream and 2 sprigs cilantro.

Steps:

• Add all ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor.
• Process until pureed.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl or ziploc bag, add chicken, and let sit in marinade overnight.
• Grill chicken for 6-8 minutes per side.