Let me start by saying I have never made these before but I will DEFINITELY be making them again! The crisped shredded chicken tossed in a bourbon glaze is the star of this meal. Honestly I could have just eaten that out of a bowl and skipped the whole “taco” part (the glaze is honestly to die for and would be amazing over porkchops as well)! However, the addition of the spicy salsa and cilantro, all wrapped in a white flour tortilla, made this meal transcendental.
Now, if you know me or have read any of my other “recipes”, you should know that my recipes are more a guide than a set of hard rules and measurements. I’ll approximate the measurements here but please note I did not measure any of the below ingredients while I was actually making this meal. When in doubt, use less, taste, and add more as needed!
I also don’t take process photos. So without further reading and scrolling past a million photos, here is the recipe!
BOURBON CHICKEN TACOS
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Large chicken breasts (about 1.5lbs of chicken)
- 1/4c. applesauce
- 1c regular cola (i.e Coca-Cola or Pepsi) for chicken, plus 1/4 cup cola for glaze
- 1/4c chicken stock
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed (or 3/4 cup unpacked)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2TBSP rice vinegar (I used garlic flavored rice vinegar)
- 1TBSP minced ginger
- 1/2TBSP minced garlic
- Bourbon of choice, 1-3oz.
- 2 to 4TBSPS Oil of choice (i.e. coconut, avocado, butter, etc.)
- White Corn Tortillas (I prefer Mission brand)
- Mango Habanero Salsa OR Mild Pico de Gallo and fresh Mango
- Chopped cilantro
- Cotija Cheese OR Powdered Parmesan
DIRECTIONS:
For the Chicken:
- Place chicken breasts in Instant Pot with chicken stock, applesauce, and 1 cup of cola.
- Set to pressure cook high for 20-30 minutes (30 minutes if frozen, 20 minutes if thawed or mostly thawed)
- Start glaze while chicken is cooking!
When the chicken is done:
- quick release pressure
- Shred chicken (tip: use a hand mixer!) and drain, pressing as much liquid out of the shredded chicken as possible.
- In batches, place chicken into skillet with 1TBSP oil of choice (I used coconut oil, but you could use any oil), and allow to fry until pieces have a slight crisp/crispy edges.
For the Glaze:
- Add brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and 1/4cup cola to a sauce pan
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced to a thick sauce, whisking continuously.
- When the sauce has thickened add bourbon 1oz at a time to taste. You will likely need to reduce the glaze for a few minutes more if you did not make it thick enough prior to adding the bourbon.
- Set aside – glaze will continue to thicken as it cools.
ASSEMBLY:
- Pour glaze over crisped shredded chicken and toss to coat.
- Steam corn tortillas by wrapping in a damp towel and microwaving for 40 seconds, flipping halfway through (you may need to microwave longer if steaming lots of tortillas at once)
- Layer chicken onto tortilla, drizzle with Mango Habanero salsa, and top with chopped cilantro and cotija cheese.
- ENJOY!
Watch the replay of my live cooking video here and follow me on Twitch to catch future cooking livestreams!
xo,
Rissa
Home Life and Family 