Chipolte Roast Chicken Tacos Recipe

Cinco de Mayo Cena: Chipotle Roast Chicken Tacos

May 5, 2010

When I saw this recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appétit, I knew I had to make it for multiple reasons. First, it was written by my favorite new Food Network hostess, Marcela Valladolid. Second, I've been craving roast chicken tacos since consuming them recently at San Francisco's new taco bar Tacolicious. Third, Cinco de Mayo was coming up, and I could not stop thinking about Mexican food!

The hardest part of this recipe is peeling the chicken from the carcass. Other than that, it's nothing more than roast chicken with a simple herb butter. The resulting tacos are absolutely delicious and totally hit the spot. I served them with guacamole, pico de gallo, and feta cheese. They are an absolute crowd-pleaser, and I definitely plan to make this dish again. To get the recipe, read more.

From Bon Appétit

Chipolte Roast Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves plus 3 fresh cilantro sprigs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves plus 3 fresh oregano sprigs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves plus 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed in resealable plastic bag with mallet
1 5 1/2- to 6-pound roasting chicken, rinsed, patted dry; neck, heart, and gizzard reserved
2 large onions, each cut into 8 wedges through root end, leaving root ends intact
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 warm corn tortillas
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, thinly sliced

Directions

Using fork, mix butter, all chopped herbs, chipotle chiles, and crushed coriander in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place chicken, breast side up, in large roasting pan; place reserved neck, heart, and gizzard alongside.
Starting at neck end of chicken, slide fingers under skin to loosen, being careful to avoid tearing. Spread all but 1 tablespoon seasoned butter over breast meat and thigh meat under skin. Rub any butter remaining on fingers over outside of chicken. Sprinkle main cavity of chicken with salt and pepper; place all herb sprigs in cavity. Tie legs together loosely.
Place onion wedges in large bowl. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon seasoned butter in small saucepan over low heat; pour over onion wedges and toss to coat. Arrange onions around chicken. Sprinkle onions and chicken with salt and pepper.
Roast chicken and onions 30 minutes.
Scatter garlic cloves around chicken; add 1/4 cup broth to roasting pan. Continue to roast chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 170°F, basting occasionally with pan juices and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed to maintain juices in roasting pan, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Remove roasting pan from oven. Tilt chicken, draining juices from cavity into pan. Transfer chicken, onions, and garlic to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm.
Add 1/4 cup broth and wine to pan. Place over 2 burners and bring juices to boil, scraping up browned bits. Strain juices into bowl. Discard fat from top of juices.
Cut meat from chicken. Serve, making tacos with warm tortillas, chicken, onions, and garlic. Drizzle tacos with pan juices.

Serves 6-8.