High Desert Table

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Mouthwatering Marinated Chicken Tacos: Discover the Secret to Taco Night

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Taco night in our house happens pretty much every week. Sometimes it feels like a miracle dinner because it’s a night when an array of toppings on the table work for everyone. We have a stack of white ramekins on the shelf. Usually, I fill all of them with small things that fit into tacos with ease—shredded cheese, avocado, onion, cilantro, sour cream, cucumbers, and blueberries (the kid’s favorite). I love to heat a large skillet, add a bit of butter and make “smashed tacos”, searing our filled tacos on each side until the tortilla gets crisp and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Sometimes a rotisserie chicken, beans, or avocado work perfectly as the main taco filling. But when I have time, marinated chicken breasts and/or thighs are one of our favorites. When I was thinking about this recipe, I went to the grocery store planning on getting a dozen chicken thighs to marinate. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of chicken, and are juicy and full of flavor. But when I arrived, chicken breasts were on sale and so I thought, why not test this marinade on what tends to be the driest cut of chicken? Standing in the middle of the store, I decided to go for it and I’m so glad I did. You can use chicken breasts, thighs, beef skirts, or flank steak.

Now, I don’t want to perpetuate chicken breasts’ dry reputation, so it’s important to take note of a few details. In this recipe, I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are easy to grill, slice, and fill tacos with. But this is certainly the driest avenue to go when it comes to choosing what chicken to use. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts retain more moisture and don’t dry out nearly as fast. This marinade will work with any cut of chicken you want to try it with and various cooking methods.

Trust the marinade

One small detail that often gets overlooked is trusting the marinade has done its job. After marinating and before cooking, it’s a good idea to dry off the chicken with clean paper towels. This prevents grill flare-ups and burned areas and encourages a nice, even sear.

Something’s fishy

You’ll notice that this recipe calls for fish sauce, which might have you scratching your head, but this Southeast Asian condiment adds a subtle, umami seasoning punch to the marinade in the best of ways. The recipe also calls for an overnight marinade, but a few hours will still impart significant flavor benefits if you’re short on time. Here, I marinate six chicken breasts which is more than enough for a family of four, but it leaves some for leftovers over the next couple of days.

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Marinated Chicken Taco Night

Marinated Chicken grilled and ready for Taco Night
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Elevate your taco night with this flavorful marinated chicken tacos recipe. Learn tips for grilling juicy chicken breasts and discover the secret ingredient, fish sauce, for an umami punch.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 12 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 12.5 hours
  • Yield: 6-8 servings
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: marinate
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Units
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 T. coriander seeds, lightly toasted
  • 2 limes, zested and juiced
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 T. fish sauce
  • 2 T. honey
  • 1 c. cilantro leaves and stems, sliced though

Instructions

fresh ingredients ready for Chicken Taco Night
fresh ingredients ready for Chicken Taco Night

 

The chicken marinade

Place chicken breasts in a large bowl or container that is easy to cover. In a very dry blender place the lightly toasted coriander seeds and blend just until they are crushed but not completely pulverized. To the blender, add the lime zest and juice, garlic cloves, olive oil, fish sauce, honey, and cilantro. Blend this marinade until smooth and pour over the chicken, making sure to get the exterior of all the chicken breasts evenly coated. Cover the chicken, and place it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator.

Let the chicken marinate for 3-12 hours.

Tip for safely storing marinating chicken

It’s super important to keep your hands and surfaces clean throughout the entire process when working with raw chicken. Placing raw chicken on the bottom shelf is important because if for any reason some raw chicken liquid spills or drips out, it eliminates the danger of it spilling on any food below it.

Grilling the chicken

Carefully pat the chicken breasts dry with clean paper towels and cook on a hot grill until the chicken is cooked to 165 F. Remove the chicken from the grill, cover, and let rest for ten minutes before slicing and serving.

Marinated Chicken on the grill
Marinated Chicken
on the grill

Nutrition

  • Calories: 3450

Red Chile Mezcal BBQ Pulled Pork

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For years my go-to way of preparing pulled pork revolved around the idea of submerging caramelized meat in the oven with broth and aromatics (like onion, garlic, cilantro stems, and a jalapeno) over low heat for many hours, sometimes even overnight in the crock pot. I have always loved braising because eventually all of the toughness disappears, not only creating strands of tender meat but just as much because of the luscious broth that’s left behind that can be used for reheating meat, soup, stew or to freeze for a rainy day. 

Why roast it?

This recipe approaches pork shoulder in another effective way—through roasting. And even though we forfeit a few quarts of liquid gold that come from braising, we end up with melt-in-your-mouth shreds of tender meat and crispy pork skin speckled throughout, perfect for drizzling, dunking or tossing in Red Chile High Desert BBQ Sauce, a chile based sauce spiked with a generous pour of mezcal and softened with a hunk of butter. 

The butt is the shoulder

This recipe calls for Pork Shoulder (also called Picnic Shoulder or Picnic Roast), but Pork Butt (also called Boston Butt) is technically part of the front shoulder and some might even argue is a better choice so let’s talk about it: Pork Butt is not from the rear of the pig at all, but a primal cut right behind the pig head. Late in the 19th century the topsy-turvy name was coined and stuck. The shoulder on the other hand, sits right below the butt and travels down the front leg toward the hoof. Pork Butt has more fat marbling throughout the meat, which renders during cooking adding more moisture and flavor. Pork shoulder has less fat throughout the meat, but often a thicker piece of fat on top, which crisps up beautifully during the final minutes of cooking. So either way you can’t lose. 

Prep the day before

I like to make pulled pork and BBQ sauce the day before a backyard barbecue, so when I wake up the next morning all I have to do is sip on coffee and think about how all the big lifting for the day is done. The grill is also wide open, with plenty of room for grilling buttered buns, vegetables, and fruit. Aside from making delicious sandwiches, this combo of roasted pork and bbq sauce can be put to use in many ways. You could fill tortillas for tacos, sprinkle on salads, serve with rice or quinoa, eggs, etc. The Bbq Sauce stands on its own, pairing well with shrimp, white fish, veggies, chicken, or drizzled on burgers and brats.

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Red Chile Mezcal BBQ Pulled Pork

HDT BBQ Pulled Pork roasted sauced and ready to eat
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This bbq pulled pork turns your classic american backyard barbecue into a Southwest-themed party by kicking up the flavors with red chile and mezcal. This slow-cooked meat is perfect on toasted buns, tortillas, crispy taco shells, or on your favorite southwest salad.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 5 hours
  • Yield: 10-12 servings
  • Category: BBQ
  • Method: Roast
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units

for the pork:

  • 3 t. whole coriander seed
  • 1 t. black peppercorns
  • 1 t. dried juniper berries
  • 2 T. packed brown sugar
  • 1 T. red chile powder, whatever heat you prefer
  • 1 T. high desert herbs or herbes de provence
  • 2 t. kosher salt
  • 2 t. garlic powder
  • 1 t. dried culinary lavender
  • 4 lb. boneless pork shoulder

for the high desert bbq sauce:

  • 4 T. butter
  • 1 c. diced onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1/2 c. mezcal
  • 2 c. (1 pt.) mild Red chile puree
  • 2 t. Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 2 t. worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1 1/2 t. kosher salt

Instructions

Making the spice rub

The night before, make the spice rub: In a small pan over medium heat, toast the coriander, peppercorns, and juniper berries until they are lightly toasted and you start to smell their fragrance wafts out from the pan. Transfer this to a very dry blender, along with the brown sugar, red chile powder, herbs, salt, garlic powder, and lavender. Blend until pulverized into a fine powder. Lightly score any thick areas of fat with a sharp knife. Using all the spice rub, massage the pork all over with the spice rub and refrigerate overnight in an ovenproof baking dish.

ingredients prepped on a plate including peppercorn, red chile powder, and more

Making the BBQ sauce

To make the bbq sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and let simmer until the onions turn translucent, around 10-15 minutes. Add the mezcal and let simmer for another 15 minutes. Add the chile puree, apple cider vinegar, dijon, brown sugar, Worcestershire, black pepper, and salt. Let this mixture simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth.

Roasting the pork shoulder

The next day when you’re ready to roast the pork shoulder, pull the pork from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for a half hour. Preheat the oven to 275 F. Roast pork in the oven, uncovered for around 3-4 hours, or until the internal temperature reads 190 F. on a thermometer. Turn the heat up to 500 F. and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the skin is a deep golden brown and crispy. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes.

HDT BBQ Pulled Pork roasted sauced and ready to eat

Pull apart the meat and crispy skin into strips and serve warm with bbq sauce on the side.

High Desert Green Chile Cheeseburger

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There is so much about cooking and eating in the Southwest that is special, including green chile cheeseburgers which top the list for me, especially during the grilling season. I think about burgers made in other places and all the care and effort that goes into coming up with the most creative combination of toppings, or signature burger patties, but at the end of the day it feels like we have an unfair advantage—we have fire roasted green chile. The best burgers I have ever had are in New Mexico and while they vary to some degree, they all have green chile in common. Over time, I have discovered that my favorite burgers tend to be the simplest. I love making this burger and eating it just as is, sometimes with a bun, sometimes wrapped in big pieces of lettuce, but always with melted cheese and a spoonful of poblano jam on top. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but with this combination, I don’t even add my usual burger go-to’s of mayo, ketchup, and raw slices of onion. 

The cheese

I didn’t want to choose the cheese for you because this is such a personal choice. The day I made these, we melted blue cheese on top of the burgers because this is one of our favorite cheeses, but goat cheese, cheddar, and American would be great too. 

The patty

The most important thing for a good burger is a flavorful burger patty. Here, we accomplish this by adding two kinds of meat, half ground chuck and half-ground sirloin. The chuck brings the texture while the ground sirloin brings the flavor. Combined together with good seasoning and frozen grated butter for additional flavor and moisture, results in my favorite burger patty of all time. You’ll notice that we add a generous (1 tablespoon) of dried herbs to the burger. I have an affinity for the herb blend I make called High Desert Herbs, a combination of marjoram, sage, lavender, rosemary, chile, and thyme (available at stokli.com) but it’s also similar to Herbes de Provence and can be substituted with any or all of the dried herbs listed above.   

The jam

The jam can easily be made a few days in advance and can be adjusted with different chiles. If you want a spicier jam, instead of poblano, you might want to try a hatch, anaheim or even poblano chile. Or, you can create your own signature jam by combining more than one chile together. 

HDT Green Chile Cheeseburger - Poblano Jam
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High Desert Green Chile Cheeseburger

HDT Green Chile Cheeseburger - plated
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This New Mexico-inspired green chile cheeseburger combines the heat of green or poblano chiles with the creamy richness of your favorite cheese, creating a mouthwatering fusion that will leave your taste buds craving more.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 burgers
  • Category: burgers
  • Method: grilling
  • Cuisine: New Mexican Inspired

Ingredients

Units

for the poblano jam:

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 4 fire-roasted poblano chiles, peeled, seeded & diced
  • 1/4 c. sherry vinegar
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
  • Salt and pepper to taste

for the burgers:

  • 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 lb. ground beef chuck
  • 1 lb. ground beef sirloin
  • 1 T. High Desert Herbs or Herbes de Provence
  • 2 t. kosher or flakey sea salt
  • 1/2 t. Black pepper

for everything else:

  • 8 buns
  • your favorite cheese and toppings

Instructions

Making the jam

To make the poblano jam, heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the shallots and cook for around ten minutes, until they caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the diced chiles, vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let this mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for around 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by around half in the pan. You can leave this as is or transfer the mixture to a blender and pulse a few times to make a slightly smoother consistency. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. Transfer the jam to a heat-proof jar and serve warm with the burgers or refrigerate if making in advance.

Making the burgers

To make the burgers, first, grate the butter into a bowl with a box grater and freeze the butter for around ten minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine both types of ground beef, herbs, salt, pepper, and frozen butter until the mixture is well combined. Form into 8 patties and keep refrigerated. When you’re ready to grill, preheat the grill and cook the burgers to your desired temperature. When they’re almost done, top with cheese, close the grill, and cook the burger for another couple minutes, until the cheese is melted. This is a great time to place the buns cut side down on the grill to slightly toast them. To serve, place burgers on the buns and top with poblano jam. Enjoy with your favorite condiments and other toppings.

High Desert Everything Marinade

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This is a marinade that celebrates flavors of New Mexico and at the same time is highly versatile and can be used on all kinds of foods with equally delightful results: asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, tofu, shrimp, salmon, chicken, beef flank steak, hanger steak, skirt steak, sirloin steak, brisket, pork chops, buffalo, elk, etc.

The technique of marinating is twofold. At the end of the day, it’s about tenderizing and adding flavor. Each food falls on a spectrum of absorbability and toughness, some foods benefiting more from tenderizing like a tough skirt steak, and others from the addition of flavor like vegetables.

Marinating times depend on the acidity of the marinade itself and the burliness of the food you’re marinating. Some kind of acid is important, especially if you’re wanting your marinade to do some heavy lifting in the tenderizing department. As the acidity of your marinade increases, the time required decreases otherwise your fish could be at risk for turning into ceviche. Here’s a general guide for marinating times:

  • Vegetables: 20-30 minutes
  • Tofu: 20 minutes – 24 hours
  • Fish & Shellfish: 20 minutes – 1 hour
  • Chicken pieces: 30 minutes – 3 hours
  • Whole Chicken: 24 hours
  • Pork, Beef, Wild Game: 30 minutes – 24 hours

This recipe is so versatile because it’s medium acidity (from the yogurt) and loaded with flavor. After the marinating time is over, what you do next is up to you. You can grill, bake, roast or saute. My only suggestion? Call it a party, just because you can.

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High Desert Everything Marinade

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This is a marinade that celebrates the flavors of New Mexico and at the same time is highly versatile and can be used on all kinds of foods with equally delightful results.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cup
  • Category: spring

Ingredients

Units
  • 2 dried ancho chiles
  • 2–4 dried chipotle chiles depending on size
  • 4 garlic cloves, skin left on
  • 1 large lime, zest only
  • A handful of fresh cilantro, stems, and leaves roughly chopped
  • 2 t. honey
  • 1/2 t. Cumin, ground or seeds
  • 1/2 t. Coriander, ground or seeds
  • 1/4 c. plain yogurt
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add the whole peel-on garlic cloves and both types of chile. In a separate kettle or pot bring around 2 cups of water to a boil. The garlic will take longer to brown on all sides, but keep your eye on the chiles. We want them to smell fragrant and slightly brown on all sides but not char. Remove the chiles and place them on a clean board or plate. Remove the stems and seeds (or leave the seeds if you like it hot) and place them in a heat-proof bowl and pour over hot water to cover them. Let the chiles relax in the hot water for around 20 minutes.
  2. While the chiles are soaking in their bath, prepare the rest of the marinade. Once the garlic is finished toasting on all sides, carefully remove the cloves from the pot and when cool enough to handle, the cloves should slip right out of their skins.  Add the garlic cloves to a blender or food processor (I use my nutri-bullet).
  3. Now add the lime zest, cilantro, honey, cumin, coriander, yogurt, olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Once the chiles are finished soaking, remove them from the water and add this to the blender as well. Blend until smooth. Viola! A marinade that shouldn’t be confused with the word serenade even though it’s sure to make whatever you’re cooking sing.