Taco Tuesday!! To be very upfront, I never practice Taco Tuesday. This is mainly because we’ll excitedly eat tacos on any given night. Sometimes multiple times a week. It’s no secret that everyone in the family adores taco night on any night. With Cinco de Mayo coming up in less than a month, I’ve been hit with the taco bug. In the last few weeks I’ve created two of my favorite taco recipes to date. I plan to share one this week and then the other in another week or so. I’m very excited about both! First up, we’ve got the tried-and-true Gerard Family classic taco, made with crispy chicken (though I normally use beef).
The story is that my dad used to make tacos on a weekly basis. His were filled with ground beef, then baked with cheddar cheese. They were thoroughly enjoyed straight out of the oven with no toppings other than maybe some shredded lettuce. We all still love this taco. I make variations on it ALL THE TIME. But everyone agreed that this taco was very special and needed to be shared. The chicken was perfect, and the sauce really completed it.
Here are the details
Step 1: season and roast the chicken Working on a sheet pan, toss the chicken with chipotle chiles, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Then pour over some tamari and drizzle on some honey. I like to use honey when cooking with chipotle, I think it’s a nice balance to the spice. Toss the chicken, then arrange it on one side of the sheet pan. On the other side, add a couple of garlic cloves, a jalapeño, and a few green onions. Roast everything until the chicken is cooked through and the jalapeño is charred.
Step 2: shred the chicken Remove the chicken from the oven and pull the garlic, jalapeño, and green onions off the sheet pan. Now add those guys to a food processor. Or you can use a blender. Let them hang for a minute until you’re ready to make the sauce. Now back to the chicken. Shred the chicken and toss it with the sauce on the pan. Step 3: the crispy shells Instead of using store-bought taco shells, I like to stuff corn tortillas with chicken and cheese and bake them until crispy. This method is my favorite, and I use it every time I make tacos for my family. 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. Delicious! Of course, you can use store-bought hard-shell tacos as well. When I’m in a time crunch, I often will too.
Step 4: make the garlic sesame verde sauce Back at your food processor, blend the roasted garlic cloves, jalapeño, and green onions with salsa verde and tamari. If you want a less spicy sauce, de-seed the jalapeño before blending. Blend the sauce and mix in the toasted sesame seeds. Step 5: it’s time to eat By now, the tacos should be done. Serve them while warm and crispy with lots of verde sauce, avocado, cilantro, and limes. I’ll sometimes add pickled onion as well and maybe a dollop of yogurt.
Mostly I just love these with the verde sauce and avocado. So yummy! Looking for more simple weeknight recipes? Here are a few favorites: Crockpot Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos Crispy Cider Braised White Chili Chicken Tacos 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 Sheet Pan Crispy Jalapeño Verde 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!
