I created this recipe when I was a personal chef before the Cooking Club days (clients loved it!) and it remains a favorite way to cook super flavorful and versatile chicken with minimal ingredients. Garlic gets cooked in oil with taco spices, then water and chicken get added in and simmered gently until that chicken is perfectly cooked. The leftover infused liquid in the pot gets reduced down to concentrate all of that flavor. Shred up the chicken and stir it back into the pot to soak up those delicious juices!
It pairs really well with this week’s Grilled Veggie Couscous Salad with Yogurt Ranch Dressing. Or make the creamy cilantro lime sauce to use for tacos, quesadillas, taco bowls, or salads!
Ingredient highlight
Chicken! Chicken is a great way to get in high quality protein that’s also packed with selenium, choline, niacin (Vitamin B3), and vitamin B6, and B12.
Servings 4
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (optional, see note)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup water
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise if very thick
Cilantro lime sauce (optional):
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro (leaves and stems)
- ½-1 jalapeno, seeds removed (optional)
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- *Add tomato paste if you want the chicken to be a bit saucier and richer. The original recipe for this called for tomato paste but I ran out so I tested without it and it’s still so good. Can’t go wrong!
- Serving suggestions: ~ make it a taco or a bowl using the sauce, a simple slaw, avocado, or any other taco fillings you like.
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium heat, add the oil and garlic and cook until just beginning to turn light golden, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomato paste now (if using) and let it cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the spices for about 30 seconds, followed by the water and salt.
- Nestle the chicken into the liquid and gently stir to get some of that liquid onto the chicken. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. This may take shorter or longer depending on the thickness of your breast. The best way to know if it’s done is to check the internal temp (you want between 155-160F).
- Once cooked through, transfer chicken breasts to a cutting board to rest. Turn the heat back on the pot and simmer rapidly for about 5-8 minutes or until the liquid has reduced significantly (see video).
- Use two forks to shred up the chicken (or add them whole back to the pot and use an electric hand mixer to shred it up). Stir the shredded chicken to coat in the sauce, making sure to scrape up all the bits of sauce stuck to the pot.
- If making the cilantro sauce, add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth.
- You can turn this into a taco, taco bowl, taco salad, or quesadilla. Or just add the chicken to any salad or bowl.
Instant Pot instructions:
- In a 6-qt Instant Pot, turn on the “saute” function. Follow the instructions for cooking the garlic all the way through adding the water, then press cancel. Nestle the chicken into the liquid.
- Close the lid, set the vent to “sealing”, and pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Once the 7 minutes is up, let it naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. Remove the lid and transfer the chicken to your cutting board. Press cancel, then press “sautee” again and let the liquid simmer until it reduces significantly, then press cancel and stir in the shredded chicken to coat (or shred in the pot).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make the chicken
- Make the sauce
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, you could use two cans of beans in place of chicken. Just add ¼ cup of water and simmer (uncovered) until the sauce reduces and coats the beans.
- For more of a sweet onion flavor, use ½ yellow onion in place of or in addition to the garlic.
- Use pumpkin seeds in place of hemp seeds for the sauce.
- Use chicken thighs in place of breasts.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover chicken in the microwave until just warm. Add it to salads, bowls, or tacos!
- Make it a quesadilla with cilantro lime dipping sauce!
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