These shredded chicken tacos start with cooked chicken, which is why they're on the table in 25 minutes. The chicken is pulled into shreds, warmed in a smoky tomato and lime sauce, and spooned into toasted tortillas with a crunchy salsa and slices of avocado. A shop bought roast chicken and last night's leftovers both work.
Why this works
Cooked chicken only needs warming through, which is how these come in at 25 minutes. Frying the spices and tomato purée in the oil for 30 seconds takes away their raw, dusty taste, and a splash of water turns them into a thin sauce that coats every shred.
Shreds hold more sauce than chunks, and they sit flat in a folded tortilla. The salsa brings the crunch and the sharpness, with cucumber, tomato and red onion dressed in lime.
Key ingredients
- Cooked chicken. A shop bought roast chicken, leftover roast or cooked breasts. Take the skin off, then shred.
- Smoked paprika. Gives the chicken its colour and a smoky edge. Sweet paprika works with a little extra chilli.
- Small flour tortillas. Small, soft tortillas fold without cracking. A minute in a dry pan adds brown spots and a little chew.
- Avocados. Ripe but still firm, so the slices hold their shape. A ripe one gives slightly when pressed near the stalk.
Amounts for 2 to 12 people are in the recipe card below, in grams or cups.
Method
- 01
Shred the chicken
Pull the chicken off the bone onto a board, leaving the skin behind. Hold a claw in each hand, push the tines in side by side and pull them apart along the grain until the meat is in thin shreds.
Meat Claws, Pair - 02
Make the salsa
Mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and most of the coriander in a bowl with half the lime juice and a pinch of salt.
- 03
Warm the chicken
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the paprika, cumin, chilli powder and tomato purée and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Tip in the chicken with a splash of water and toss for 3 to 4 minutes, until piping hot and coated in a thin sauce. Squeeze in the rest of the lime juice and season.
- 04
Toast the tortillas
Heat a second frying pan over a high heat with nothing in it. Toast the tortillas one at a time for about 20 seconds a side, until they puff and pick up brown spots, then stack them in a clean tea towel to stay soft.
- 05
Slice the avocados
Run the serrated edge of the slicer round each avocado and twist the halves apart. Press the ring over the stone, twist and lift it out, then push the slicing grid under the flesh to lift out the slices.
Avocado Slicer and Pit Remover, Pair - 06
Fill the tacos
Fold the tortillas and stand them in the taco holders, three to a stand. With the walls holding them open, spoon in the chicken, then the salsa and avocado, and finish with the rest of the coriander. Serve with the lime wedges.
Taco Holder Stand
What to serve it with
Put out hot sauce and soured cream for anyone who wants them. For a taco night, serve these beside the beef street tacos or the chilli lime prawn tacos.
Storing and reheating
- Fridge
- Cool the chicken quickly, cover and eat it within 2 days of when it was first cooked. Keep the salsa and tortillas separate.
- Freezer
- Freeze the plain shredded chicken, before it goes in the sauce, for up to 3 months. The salsa and avocado don't freeze.
- Reheat
- The chicken has already been warmed once, so eat leftovers cold in a wrap or salad rather than heating them again.
Questions
Yes, it's the quickest route. Shred it while it's still warm if you can, and keep the bones for stock.
Either. Small flour tortillas fold without cracking. Corn tortillas taste more of corn but split when cold, so warm them well and use two together.
Stand them in a taco holder, which keeps three upright while you fill them. Without one, lay them on their sides, leaning against each other on the plate.
Yes, as long as you eat it within 2 days of the chicken being cooked. Keep it covered in the fridge and warm it in the sauce when you're ready to eat, since it should only be reheated once.
Recipe
Shredded chicken tacos in 25 minutes
Cooked chicken shredded and warmed in a smoky tomato and lime sauce, in toasted tortillas with fresh salsa and avocado. 25 minutes. By Hannah Ellis.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Makes
- 12 tacos
Ingredients
Method
- 01Pull the chicken off the bone onto a board, leaving the skin behind. Hold a claw in each hand, push the tines in side by side and pull them apart along the grain until the meat is in thin shreds.
- 02Mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and most of the coriander in a bowl with half the lime juice and a pinch of salt.
- 03Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the paprika, cumin, chilli powder and tomato purée and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Tip in the chicken with a splash of water and toss for 3 to 4 minutes, until piping hot and coated in a thin sauce. Squeeze in the rest of the lime juice and season.
- 04Heat a second frying pan over a high heat with nothing in it. Toast the tortillas one at a time for about 20 seconds a side, until they puff and pick up brown spots, then stack them in a clean tea towel to stay soft.
- 05Run the serrated edge of the slicer round each avocado and twist the halves apart. Press the ring over the stone, twist and lift it out, then push the slicing grid under the flesh to lift out the slices.
- 06Fold the tortillas and stand them in the taco holders, three to a stand. With the walls holding them open, spoon in the chicken, then the salsa and avocado, and finish with the rest of the coriander. Serve with the lime wedges.
