Pan-Seared Chicken Tacos

Chicken tacos made with fresh pico de gallo and a hot sauce infused lime crema

Tacos are a simple everyday food that is an easy crowd-pleaser for friends and family. However, elevating the typical idea of tacos using fresh ingredients and new techniques is a surefire way to ensure taco night is always a memorable night.

Ingredients:

Pico De Gallo:

1.5lbs ripe tomatoes diced into ¼in pieces

½ White Onion finely diced

2 Jalapeno peppers diced (with or without seeds/membrane)

¼ Cup Cilantro finely diced

1 Tbsp Lime Juice (freshly squeezed)

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

Hot Sauce Infused Lime Crema:

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Heavy Cream

3 Tbsp Hot Sauce

1 Tbsp Lime Juice (freshly squeezed)

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

Taco Seasoning:

2 Tbsp Chili Powder

3 Tsp Ground Cumin

2 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Black Pepper

1 Tsp Paprika

0.5 Tsp Garlic Powder

0.5 Tsp Onion Powder

0.5 Cayenne

0.5 Dried Oregano

Chicken & Tortillas

1-1.5lbs Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)

Tortillas (Corn or Flour)

Directions:

1. The Pico De Gallo can be prepped as early as 30 minutes before serving or prepped the day before if covered and refrigerated.

2. Dice the tomatoes into ¼ inch pieces. Place tomatoes in a fine mesh strainer and suspend over a bowl. Season the tomatoes with the kosher salt. Leave tomatoes to strain for 20-30 minutes. This step improves the texture of the tomatoes and concentrates the flavor.

3. Dice the onion finely into ¼-inch pieces.

4. De-stem the jalapenos and cut long ways. Remove seeds and white membrane if a milder pico is desired. Line up the long pieces, rotate, and cut again.

5. Finely dice up the cilantro.

6. Take drained tomatoes and combine in a bowl with onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. Squeeze a fresh lime and season with salt to taste.

7. The Hot Sauce Infused Lime Crema only needs 20 minutes of preparation before serving.

8. Combine Sour Cream, Heavy Cream, Lime Juice, and Hot Sauce together in a bowl and whisk together until uniform. For our Crema we used our Dusk taco seasoned hot sauce, any hot sauce on hand will work, but if using a mild hot sauce add an extra Tbsp or two, the sour and heavy cream will tone down the heat level.

9. Cover the Crema and leave it out at room temperature for 20 minutes to thicken.

Chicken Prep:

1. Combine all taco seasoning ingredients in a bowl, and mix until uniform.

2. Cover chicken breasts with a Ziploc bag and pound with a heavy pan until both breasts are of similar thickness.

3. Preheat a cast iron pan (or pan of choice) with a small amount of olive oil. After a few minutes turn the temperature to medium-high.

4. Dry chicken breasts with a paper towel. Cover all sides of the chicken with the taco seasoning mix.

5. Place chicken breasts in a pan and cook each side for 3 minutes.

6. Drop stove to medium and cook chicken breasts for another 6-9 minutes flipping frequently.

7. Once the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the pan and place it on a cutting board. Rest for at least 5 minutes.

8. Warm tortillas in a separate pan on the stove on medium-low heat.

9. Cut up or dice chicken breasts to the desired size. Add chicken to tortillas then top with a scoop of pico de gallo and a splash of crema.

Grab friends/family and dig in!