Maria's Taco Xpress Pollo Guisado

Sharon123's Note:

I got this from Guy Fieri's cookbook, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Maria's Taco Xpress is a South Austin institution and it's fast food, Texas style. The locals rave about the food. Guy says the pollo guisado is a little bit sweet, spicy, tender, and crazy good!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 4

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (or your choice of cut)
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt , plus more
• kosher salt , to taste
• 3 medium tomatoes , diced
• ¼ cup canned chipotle chile in adobo
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder (or 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced)
• ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 large onion , diced
• taco shell (optional)
• shredded lettuce (optional)
• diced tomato (optional)
• shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Put the chicken in a saucepan with salted water to just cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Let cool, then shred the chicken.
2. Place the tomatoes, chipotle sauce, cumin, garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoons pepper, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1 cup water in a blender. Puree until smooth.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until the onion is golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.
4. Add the chipotle mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and simmer unil the sauce thickens and the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve the pollo guisado in crisp taco shells with shredded lettuce, diced tomato and shredded Cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Reviews

[m0m]

I love Taco Xpress and this recipe is as good good as a trip to Austin! My only change was to use i cup of the broth from cooking the thighs in place of the water. Thanks for posting.

[Denise!]

Outstanding recipe. I decided to season the chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder and paprika and saute in just a bit of olive oil for a bit more flavor. I did more of a chop than shred and sauteed the onion in the pan drippings. Served with lots of Vidalia onion, finely shredded lettuce, cilantro and lime. Absolutely delicious, thanks for sharing the recipe.

[MarraMamba]

WOW, couldn't be easier and stunningly flavorful for a simple recipe. to make it even less work i used a rotisserie chicken from the store. added some guac and sour cream too and loved the flavor of the chicken sauce. turned it into a soft taco with a little guac and sour cream added to the other toppings