Name: Slow-Cooker Citrus-Braised Chicken Tacos
Total time: 4 h 35 min
Cuisine: MexicanLatin America & Caribbean
Ingredients: ¼ cup thawed frozen orange juice concentrate; ¼ cup tomato paste; 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoons table salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs , trimmed; 1 onion , halved; 3 (3-inch) strips orange zest; 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar; 18 (6-inch) corn tortillas , charred

Why This Recipe Works

The most satisfying taco fillings need time to develop rich, nuanced flavors like those of the guisados (Spanish for “stews”) that are popular in Mexico and throughout Latin America. For this recipe, we chose dark-meat boneless chicken thighs for their rich taste and because they stay moist through long braising. To get complex orange flavor without excess liquid in the slow cooker, we opted for a combination of orange juice concentrate (convenient, inexpensive, and packed with flavor) and zest (tangy and pleasantly bitter). To the concentrate, we added umami-rich tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, plus garlic, cumin, and oregano for a solid base of flavor building in the slow cooker. The addition of allspice and cinnamon provided a welcome kick of warm spice. Once the thighs were tender, a potato masher made quick work of shredding the chicken right in the slow cooker. Adding the shredded chicken to a 12-inch skillet and cooking over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes drove off excess liquid and helped concentrate that great sauce. A little vinegar stirred in at the end woke up the flavors right before serving with warm tortillas and our favorite accompaniments.

Before You Begin

Orange juice concentrate is relatively soft even when it's frozen, so there's no need to defrost the whole container to get what you need. Remove the strips of zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler. Cider vinegar can be substituted for the distilled white vinegar, if desired. These tacos are best served with sliced radishes, avocado chunks, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, hot sauce, and lime wedges. They're also great with pickled onions.

Instructions

Whisk orange juice concentrate, tomato paste, Worcestershire, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, allspice, and cinnamon together in slow cooker.

Add chicken and toss to coat with orange juice concentrate mixture. Nestle onion and orange zest into chicken mixture. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours on low.

Discard onion and orange zest. Using potato masher or tongs, mash chicken until finely shredded.

Transfer contents of slow cooker to 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid has mostly evaporated but chicken is still moist, about 10 minutes.

Off heat, stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken on tortillas.