Crunchy Mexican BBQ Sauced Chicken Tacos — For the Days Between the Tamales

Christmas tamales. I started them Saturday and finished them Sunday and by the time I was done the kitchen looked like a masa explosion and both my arms were tired from the spreading and folding and pressing, and they were perfect.

The recipe is Rosa's mother's recipe from Chihuahua by way of McAlester by way of Terry's kitchen by way of mine. The dried chiles — ancho and guajillo and a little chipotle for smoke — are rehydrated and blended into a sauce with garlic and cumin and a single cinnamon stick that Rosa insists is traditional and I have stopped questioning. The pork shoulder goes into that sauce and braises for four hours until it shreds into the chile broth and the whole thing becomes this thick, mahogany-red filling that smells like Christmas in the specific way that only Mexican Christmas smells. The masa gets lard mixed in until it is soft and spreadable, spread thin on the corn husks, filled, folded, tied with strips of husk. Then steamed for ninety minutes.

I made six dozen. That sounds like a lot until you account for: Danny and Terry, Caleb, Lily, Hannah's sister and her family, the neighbors I give a plate to every year, and the attrition that happens while you are making tamales because you have to taste them as you go. Quality control. This is non-negotiable.

Danny ate three at Terry's when I brought a batch over Sunday afternoon. He ate them slowly and deliberately, the way he eats everything now, and when he finished the third one he sat for a minute with his eyes closed and then he said Rosa's name, just her name, and Terry went and put her hand on his shoulder and that was that. Three tamales and thirty years of love and a name said quietly in a kitchen in Turley, Oklahoma, in December.

I thought about what it means to carry a recipe. Rosa taught me and I made them and they traveled from her hands to mine to Danny's mouth, and something of Rosa was in that kitchen without her being there. That is what recipes do. They carry people forward past where their bodies can go. I am going to remember that. I am going to keep making the tamales.

Six dozen tamales will humble you and fill you up at the same time — and then December keeps going and people still need to be fed on the nights that aren’t Sunday and aren’t a ceremony. These crunchy Mexican BBQ chicken tacos are what I reach for in those in-between days: fast enough to make on a Tuesday, but built on the same smoky, chile-forward flavors that made Rosa’s filling smell like Christmas. The charred corn relish is the part Danny would have gone back for. I know it.

Crunchy Mexican BBQ Sauced Chicken Tacos with Charred Corn Relish

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4 (2 tacos each)

Ingredients

• For the BBQ chicken:
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup smoky BBQ sauce
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• For the charred corn relish:
• 2 ears fresh corn, husked (or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed)
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• For the tacos:
• 8 small corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
• Extra BBQ sauce and lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. In a bowl, combine the ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Coat the chicken thighs evenly with the spice mixture and let sit for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the relish.
2. Char the corn. Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over high heat. Cook the corn ears, turning occasionally, until darkened in spots, about 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut the kernels from the cob. Alternatively, dry-char frozen corn in the skillet with no oil until some kernels blister and brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Make the relish. Toss the charred corn with the red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside at room temperature.
4. Cook the chicken. Heat olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken thighs 5–6 minutes per side until cooked through (165°F internal temperature). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes, then chop or shred into rough chunks.
5. Sauce the chicken. Return the chopped chicken to the skillet over medium-low heat. Pour BBQ sauce over and toss to coat, cooking 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens and clings. Remove from heat.
6. Warm the tortillas. Char tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet for 20–30 seconds per side until pliable with light char marks. Wrap in a clean towel to keep warm.
7. Assemble the tacos. Layer each tortilla with shredded cabbage, a generous scoop of BBQ chicken, and a spoonful of charred corn relish. Drizzle with crema and a little extra BBQ sauce. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 780mg