One Hour Chipotle Pulled Chicken Tacos & Quesadillas with Brown Rice and Bean Stir-fry

Pulled chicken easier than you’ve ever made it before with smokey and delicious Mexican spices, paired with a fancied up version of rice & beans. Put them in a quesadilla for the kids and serve family style tacos for the rest of the table. A 1-2 punch meal for easy meal planning and prep.

Prep Time
Cook Time
Total
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lb. boneless and skinless chicken thighs, with extra fat removed
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 Tbsp. Adobe Chipotle Peppers (canned), finely diced
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp. Chile powder
  • 1 - 14 oz. can of tomatoes, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Flour Tortillas
  • Shredded Mexican Cheese
  • Avocados
  • Salsa or hot sauce of your choice
  • Cilantro, for garnish
  • Rice and Beans:
  • Brown Rice, prepared according to the package instructions
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 can of black or pinto beans, low sodium, drained
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Chile powder
  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add in the break thighs and brown on both sides, about 7 minutes.
  2. Take out and reserve. Add in the chopped onions. Sauté and softened, about 4 minutes. Scrape off the bottom of the pan of all of the brown bits from the chicken. These give the sauce tons of flavor.
  3. Add in the spices and chiles. Stir to coat and allow to caramelize, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add in the apple cider vinegar, stir and scrape off the bottom of pan again. Allow to cook down about 3 minutes.
  5. Add in the tomatoes and the chicken. Make sure the chicken is almost completely covered.
  6. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook on medium/low for an hr. Check every 15 minutes or so to make sure it is not burning on the bottom of the pan. Turn to low heat if it starts to burn.
  7. After an hr, the chicken should easily shred and the sauce should be thickened. Take off the heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. This can be made ahead of time, up to a day or two before hand if you’d like, and refrigerated until ready to serve.
  8. When ready to serve, make the brown rice and beans.
  9. In a medium sized skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add in the chopped onions and sauté until softened.
  10. Add in the spices and rice, stir to coat evenly.
  11. Add in 2 Tbsp. water and allow to cook down. Add in the beans. Season with salt and pepper to your taste and serve hot.
  12. For the kids, serve the chicken in a quesadilla loaded with cheese, rice & beans. Or as simple as your little ones will eat it.
  13. For the other eaters, serve chicken, rice & beans, and other taco toppings at the table family style.

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