Taco Mania 1 - Chicken Verde

I love tacos! I like them any which way, any time of day. I like to serve them for parties or eat them by myself. Today's recipe is for a lovely chicken taco with rosemary overtones. Great for a taco bar at your next party because this can be made a day ahead and re-heated in the oven very easily.

Rosemary Chicken Verde Tacos
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs.), salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup finely diced sweet white onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 cup pepitas, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces canned diced fire roasted green chilies
12 ounce bottle mild green salsa
1 fresh lime, zest and juice
1/2 cup cilantro
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes or until joints of leg move easily and internal temperature at thickest part of breast reaches 180 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool until it can be handled. (Cut up chicken pieces can be used instead of a whole chicken.) Remove and discard skin, shred meat with your hands or two forks and set aside. There will be 6 to 7 cups of meat.
Heat 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to pan and then onions to oil. Saute until onions begin to be translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary, cumin, sage and pepitas to pan and continue to stir and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. De-glaze pan with 1/2 cup water, scraping bottom to loosen the fond. Stir in salt and salsa. Zest the lime over the pan and then squeeze juice into the sauce. Add shredded chicken and cilantro. Cook until heated through. Serve warm or cool and refrigerate overnight. Serve by reheating, tightly covered, in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour.
Serve with:
Corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, lettuce, avocado, corn, pepitas, lime wedges, sour cream and salsa.

Hints: Roasting a chicken is easy but you can use all chicken breasts or thighs if you want. I roast two chickens at a time, freezing the meat from one to use in another recipe. (Adding two or three sprigs of fresh rosemary to the cavity of the chicken while roasting would be great.) The rosemary adds a Santa Fe type twist to the flavor that is delightful. This recipe will serve 8 people two or three tacos each. Leftovers freeze well. Use flour tortillas or hard taco shells if you want, both are very good. The chicken filling would be good in tamales, too.

Tomorrow I will post a yummy beef filling for the same taco bar. A day with a taco is better than a day without a taco...that is my philosophy and I'm sticking with it!