Author Notes: This is the taco recipe that made me stop hating tacos, finally. I blitzed up all my leftover cilantro stems, garlic cloves, jalapeños, salt, sugar, and a generous glug of olive oil, and marinated a couple pounds of cut-up, boneless chicken thighs in this herby liqueur. I roasted the chicken in a hot oven, warmed up a soft flour tortilla in the green chicken fat, topped it off with some leftover watermelon I had magicked into a spicy salsa—all doused in hot sauce—and, as Nigella Lawson says, “applied to face.” I stood by my stove that day and ate one taco at a time, made a ritual out of the assembly. —Eric Kim
Food52 Review: Featured in: I Made You Birthday Tacos, 873 Miles Away. —The Editors
Makes: 8 tacos
Prep time: 4 hrs 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients
For the tacos
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4
large jalapeños, 1 whole, 3 deseeded
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4
cloves garlic
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1
cup cilantro stems
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1/2
cup olive oil
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2
teaspoons kosher salt
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1
teaspoon sugar
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1
teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
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2
pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces (I usually just quarter each thigh)
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8
small, soft flour tortillas
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1
lime, cut into wedges, for serving
For the salsa
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1
cup watermelon, finely diced
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1/4
cup red onion, finely diced
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1/2
lime, juiced
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1
large jalapeño, thinly sliced into rings
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1
handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
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1
pinch kosher salt
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1
pinch freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
- In a food processor or blender, blitz the jalapeños, garlic, cilantro stems, olive oil, salt, sugar, and pepper and toss with the halved chicken thighs. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
- Drain the chicken in a colander to get rid of excess marinade, then lay on a sheet pan and roast at 400° F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, stir together the watermelon, red onion, lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, and pepper and set aside. That’s your salsa.
- When you’re ready to taco up, heat up the tortillas in a dry pan. Top each with some chicken and salsa, and serve with the lime wedges.
Photo by Ty Mecham