Shredded Chicken Tacos

Last week before Diesel and I were leaving to go on our vacation to Portland (by the way, did you know that it snows in Portland ?!?) I wanted to make something simple that would not dirty up too many dishes, but would still use up some of the extra ingredients that I had on hand. I came across this recipe for shredded chicken tacos and I was really excited since I had never made chicken tacos before.

This recipe is so simple; the most time consuming part is shredding the chicken. I shouldn’t have been surprised though since Mark Bittman’s No-Knead Bread, was just as easy and scrumptious as these tacos were.

Shredded Chicken Tacos
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
5 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 dried ancho chili pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and add water to cover. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil. Partially cover and adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until meat is very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from liquid and cool. Shred meat with fingers.

If desired, discard solids from pan, reserving the juices. Set heat to medium, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let cook for several minutes until the sauce has reduced in volume. Mix corn starch with the water until well mixed and smooth. Add to juice to help thicken. Serve sauce drizzled over meat on the tacos.

**These tacos make a perfect pair with this Mexican rice.

(source Mark Bittman for the New York Times)