Ancho Chile + Lime Chicken Tacos with Cherry Tomato Pico

Happy Cinco de Mayo! And it's Taco Tuesday - so grab that cocktail + all the tacos your plate can hold. Don't forget all the fresh cilantro, limes + chile sauce, allowed!

Hard taco shells + I usually don't get along. Most of the ingredients fall out as I bring it to my mouth + I end up using a fork + knife to shovel it into my mouth...alas, NOT these. They stay crispy + crunchy while holding all the chicken inside.

The richness of the ancho chiles, garlic + shallots makes a delicious sauce for the chicken...and I just love Siete's gluten free corn hard tacos. Add in your favorite cheese blend, hot sauce + sour cream...these really are good. I love how the quick cherry tomato pico adds the perfect fresh bite to each taco. I always add extra...since lime, salt + tomatoes, are basically heaven.

Let's make them!

Ancho Chile + Lime Chicken Tacos with Cherry Tomato Pico

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup Ancho Chile Sauce (recipe below or store bought)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese

1 lime, cut in half

8 hard taco shells

Heat the oil in a heavy duty pan over medium heat. When hot, add the chicken, salt + pepper. Cook until all the chicken is cooked through - using a wooden spoon occasionally to help chop up the meat into small pieces. Turn the heat off. Add the ancho chile sauce, cilantro, 1/2 of the cheese + the juice of 1 lime. Mix to combine everything.

Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange the taco shells on a baking sheet + bake for 5 minutes, while the oven preheats.

Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, add about 2 spoonfuls of the chicken mixture to each taco shell. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for another 5-7 minutes. Remove + top with the cherry tomato pico, hot sauce, sour cream + more fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!

Homemade Ancho Chile Sauce

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 dried ancho chiles, soaked in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 shallot, chopped

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 heaping teaspoon cumin

1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 pinch chili flakes

1-2 tablespoons broth or coconut milk

Using a small sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat.

Remove the chiles from the water - saving the water. Cut the ends of the chiles + remove all seeds. Add the chiles, onion, shallot + garlic to the heated pan. Saute for a few minutes or until very fragrant. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, chili powder + chili flakes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the chile soaking liquid + let simmer for 2-4 minutes or until it is reduced by half.

Add the chile mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth - stopping to scrap down the sides. Add in the broth or coconut milk to make it a bit more sauce like.

Cherry Tomato Pico

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1-2 tablespoons pickled or fresh red onion

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 pinch of salt + pepper

juice of 1/2 a lime

Mix everything in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.