This is the dreamiest taco recipe: roasted chicken tacos with crispy chicken skin, pickled onions, crunchy romaine, juicy tomatoes, Monterey jack cheese, with a drizzle of sour cream and a squeeze of lime. I made this for my mom and me for Sunday dinner and we were swooning. We couldn’t even follow a conversation. We literally discussed how good the tacos were the entire time.
Make this the day after you make my Roasted Chicken. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I almost always eat a wing and thigh and/or leg when I roast a chicken even though the breast is my favorite part because the breast is so, so fun to have leftover the next day. It makes the world’s best chicken sandwiches (I really ought to blog that sometime) and in this case, the world’s best tacos. So roast a whole chicken (which, by the way, cost me $6 on Saturday), save the breasts with the skin and make these incredible tacos the next day.
Two chicken breasts from a whole chicken makes 4-6 tacos depending on how much you stuff your tacos. I removed the skin, warmed the chicken, and then fried the skin separately for crispy chicken skin sprinkles on the tacos. There are truly no words for how much I love chicken skin and it’s just perfect in these tacos.
You could really use a variety of cheese here: Monterey jack, feta, mozzarella, queso fresco, etc. Don’t skip the pickles onions. This was my first ever time picking onions – I’ve always wanted to try it – and I’m obsessed. It’s so easy and weirdly satisfying to do. The onions should keep about two weeks with their pickling juice in a jar in the fridge. The unpleasantness of raw onions just melts away when you pickle them. They need to stand in the juice for thirty minutes so do them first and they’ll be ready in time for tacos.
I’ve been on a real taco kick ever since I learned how to make tortillas. They’re super easy to make and make a huge difference in the recipe. My homemade tortillas are soft and fluffy – the perfect foil to crispy chicken skin!
Pollo Rose Table Tacos
Leftover Roasted Chicken Breast (with the skin!)
Homemade tortillas
Romaine lettuce
Tomato
Pickled onions (recipe follows)
Monterey jack cheese, mozzarella, feta, or queso fresco
Cilantro or parsley
Limes, sour cream for serving
- Pickle the onions (recipe follows) and set aside.
- Make homemade tortillas.
- Peel chicken skin off of leftover roasted chicken breast. Cut chicken skin into large pieces and fry in a pan with half butter, half olive oil over medium heat.
- While chicken skin is crisping, slice chicken breast and warm through (I threw it in the microwave at half power for one minute), dice tomato and romaine, grate cheese, and chop cilantro or parsley.
- When chicken skin has darkened slightly, remove to a paper towel to drain access oil.
- Assemble the tacos: layer sliced chicken breast, diced tomato, romaine, cheese, pickled onion, chicken skin, and cilantro or parsley. Delicious!
Pickled Onions
1 purple onion
3/4 cup aged white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Cut an onion in half through the ends, remove the outer layer, and thinly slice. Separate the pieces and set in a small bowl.
- Measure vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat until granules dissolve and mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the onions. (Don’t breathe in – this is very pungent!) Let sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and the liquid is a vibrant pink color. Remove with a slotted spoon. Store with the juice in a jar for up to two weeks in the fridge.
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Happy Taco Tuesday,
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