Shredded Chicken Tacos with Guac + Pico

You all know we love a good taco recipe like this one here and here. But, we couldn’t help ourselves and had to write you another one! These shredded chicken tacos are super easy to make and can be adjusted to your family’s preferred level of heat and spice. We used the Penzey’s forward seasoning because it’s a pretty straightforward blend. But, you could totally use your favorite taco or fajita blend too! 

I contemplated making this chicken in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) but honestly we just don’t ever use those and I firmly believe a dutch oven is easier. Please don’t yell at me. I just can’t get on the Instant Pot trend. Don’t even get me started on crock pots. 

After your season and quickly sear your chicken, you can toss it back in your dutch oven with chicken stock and my favorite ingredient, chiles in adobo sauce. You just have to let it hang out in there for about two hours and it will be perfectly shreddable. 

While your chicken is cooking, you will have plenty of time to make your guacamole, pico de gallo and prep any other toppings. I feel like people can get a little nervous about how to dice an avocado. I typically make a half a slice around the seed and then twist apart. After I remove the seed, I use a butter or paring knife and gently make a few slices in each side of the avocado careful not to cut through the skin. Then, you can easily spoon out the pieces. 

Making guacamole is super simple and once you have your go-to recipe, you’ll start making it constantly. Everyone likes theirs a little different and I prefer mine to be salty with a nice amount of lime juice in it. If you guys want the Chipotle guac recipe, here you go! I think that’s something everyone can agree on, their guac is so good and is worth the extra few bucks. 

You can just use a fork to mash up your guacamole but I had a little bit too much so I used a potato masher. It’s up to you how chunky or creamy you like your guac for your tacos. For the love of God, do not put this in a food processor unless you are making an avocado mayo or something you want very thin. 

Technically, I would have showed you some pictures on how to make pico but we forgot to take pictures of that step. Whoopsie. Instead, here are some pictures of how to roast jalapeños easily for your shredded chicken tacos. You just need a cast iron skillet for this step, we recommend the Lodge brand. 

All you have to do is sear them on each side for a few minutes until nice and toasty. You want them to be slightly softened too. Lower the heat and then cook for another few minutes to get them to the perfect texture. You can slice them to serve on your shredded chicken tacos or serve them whole. 

The shredded chicken is almost ready! Don’t be alarmed by the red color, it’s from the chiles in adobo and seasonings. Plus, it makes it extra yummy and delicious after cooking for two hours. 

Remove the chicken to another bowl. Then, using two forks, carefully shred your chicken into your desired size for your shredded chicken tacos. Then, you can also drizzle some of the sauce on top for extra flavor. 

Then, grab your taco shells and all your toppings to whip up your final taco masterpiece! We couldn’t decide between soft shells and crunchy shells, so we opted for both. The soft shells are the street taco flour shells from Mission and are seriously the best. For the crunchy ones, we just used the Kroger brand corn tostada shells. Bonus points here because you can just crunch them up and use as tortilla chips for your guacamole!