Spicy Chicken Tacos With Corn, Feta, and Avocado Recipe

By
Yasmin Fahr
Yasmin Fahr: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Yasmin Fahr
Yasmin Fahr is a food writer, recipe developer and author of the cookbook Keeping it Simple. She has a penchant for cheesy phrases, lemons, fresh herbs, feta and cumin.
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Updated Jan. 15, 2020
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Chicken tacos is corn, feta, and avocado. . Yasmin Fahr

These 20-minute tacos make for a great family-style dinner or a quick weeknight meal. Finishing the chicken thighs in a flavorful braising liquid filled with spicy chipotles in adobo yields tender, moist meat that's topped with a raw corn-and-feta salad and creamy slices of avocado.

Why this recipe works:

  • Searing the meat first renders fat that creates a flavorful base for the sauce.
  • The addition of the broth makes it easy to scrape up the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pan and creates a flavorful liquid for finishing the chicken.
  • A simple raw corn and feta garnish with avocado helps balance the heat from the chipotles in adobo.

Recipe Details

Spicy Chicken Tacos With Corn, Feta, and Avocado Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin

  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

  • 2 chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon of sauce

  • 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

  • 2 ears corn, kernels sliced off

  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta, preferably Bulgarian

  • 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 2 limes

  • 8 corn tortillas, warmed

  • 1/2 cup picked cilantro leaves

  • 2 ripe avocados, pitted and sliced

  • Lime wedges and thinly sliced scallions, for serving

Directions

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until lightly smoking. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate.

  2. In the same pot over medium heat, add onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in cumin and oregano until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chipotles and their sauce, stirring to combine, and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and nestle the chicken back in the pot. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a clean plate. Allow cooking liquid to reduce slightly.

  3. Meanwhile, shred chicken with 2 forks. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot and cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes.

  4. In a small bowl, combine corn with feta, seasoning with 1 tablespoon of lime juice and pepper.

  5. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice into chicken, then spoon onto the tortillas. Serve with the corn salsa, cilantro, avocado, lime wedges, and scallions.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
704 Calories
33g Fat
59g Carbs
53g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 704
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 42%
Saturated Fat 9g 46%
Cholesterol 224mg 75%
Sodium 850mg 37%
Total Carbohydrate 59g 21%
Dietary Fiber 10g 36%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 53g
Vitamin C 44mg 221%
Calcium 229mg 18%
Iron 5mg 28%
Potassium 1214mg 26%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)