When I go too long without making tacos the family begins to notice. And slowly the requests for tacos start to roll in. I know I speak about them all the time, but my dad’s tacos are the favorite of the bunch. So much so that we included them on our Home Chef menu. What we love about them is the crispy hard shells and melty cheese. More often than not, people enjoy tacos in soft flour tortillas with no melty cheese. There’s nothing wrong with those, but we just love a crispy cheesy taco more than anything. They’re SO YUMMY! To this day, they’re still one of our favorite dinners. We also love to switch up taco night, and I switch it up often. I swap out flavors and meats, but I always keep the crispiness. It really is essential. These tacos are braised in sweet, tangy cider, or sometimes I’ll use beer. There’s also plenty of spices, salsa verde, and even an avocado crema on top. I kept the recipe easy and simple and mixed everything all together at once on the stove.
Here are details
Step 1: make the chicken For this recipe, I love to use skinless chicken thighs with chicken breasts mix. I find chicken thighs to be much more tender when braised versus chicken breasts. Mixing the two together is a nice balance. Simmer the chicken with an onion and your favorite bottle of cider. I use a hard cider, but using a non-alcoholic cider works just about the same. Or use your favorite beer, pumpkin is especially nice this time of year. Add your spices, I like using chili powder, chipotle, and smoked paprika. Then season well with salt. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is deeply browned and shreds easily. Step 2: mix in the remaining ingredients Now add a can of diced-up green chiles, salsa verde, and a couple tablespoons of hot sauce. If you prefer a less spicy taco, go ahead and skip using the hot sauce. Step 3: shred the chicken and assemble Grab two forks and shred the braised chicken. Then toss the shredded chicken in with the sauce. Next, stuff the taco filling into a hard taco shell and top with cheese, I use a mix of cheddar and pepper jack. If you can spare an extra few minutes, you can make homemade crispy shells. Instead of using store-bought taco shells, take corn tortillas and stuff them with the braised chicken and cheese. Then put them into the oven to bake until the tortillas are crispy. We love the crispy oven “fried” shells and melty cheese. It’s the best when some of the cheese melts out onto the pan and gets crispy too. Step 4: the avocado crema I know that making homemade crema is just another step, but it really is worth it. And it’s easier than running to the market to pick up sauce. For this crema, you can add everything to a blender – the avocado, honey, garlic, lime, and salt. Then blend until whipped and creamy. If the crema is not thin enough, continue to add lime juice until it is right. Top each taco with cilantro, green onions, and lime, and finish with a dollop of avocado. Simple to make, but so yummy and fun for fall nights. My family loved these crunchy, crispy tacos! I think you will too!! Looking for more simple weeknight recipes? Here are a few favorites: Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos Lastly, if you make these Crispy Cider Braised White Chili Chicken Tacos, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
