Vietnamese Chicken Tacos

Look at those lil cuties up there. How can you not be excited about this recipe?

Tacos are great. This feels like a pretty uncontroversial stance. You know what else is great? Vietnamese food. (Shout out to Pho Viet, DC’s indisputably best pho, for being exactly what I need every time I didn’t even know I needed it.) So why not get the best of both worlds and combine the two? The toppings you’ll put on these bad boys are virtually indistinguishable from those you’d put on a more classic taco, but the flavors in the chicken keep things interesting. And I’d put that sriracha aioli on everything if I could. “Okay sure,” you say, “but what about dessert?” Yes, even on dessert. You heard me.

These tacos come together in no time– if you make the sauce and pickle the veggies while the chicken is cooking, you can have dinner on the table in less than half an hour, making this a perfect weeknight meal. But the DIY nature of tacos also makes them perfect low-key dinner party fare– talk about a win-win! Really, when tacos are involved in any way, it’s basically impossible to lose. These guys got the much-sought-after “happy dance” when my boyfriend took his first bite, which is often my litmus test for what’s blog-worthy. Give ’em a shot and get your own viet-taco boogie on!

Vietnamese Chicken Tacos (makes 8)

• 2 lbs. boneless skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 4 Star Anise
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1″ knob Ginger, sliced
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/2 c. Apple Cider Vinegar (or Rice Wine Vinegar)
• 1 Jalapeno, sliced
• 1/2 Cucumber, sliced
• 1/2 Red Onion, sliced
• 1 Carrot, shaved
• 2 Limes, divided
• 3 T. Sesame Oil
• 2 T. Fish Sauce
• 1 T. Sambal Oelek (or other hot sauce)
• 1/2 c. Soy Sauce
• 4 T. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 c. Brown Sugar
• 8 small Tortillas
• 1/2 c. Peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch Cilantro, roughly chopped
• Sriracha Aioli, see below
• Hot Sauce

Combine chicken thighs, cinnamon, star anise, garlic, ginger, and salt and pepper in a pot and add enough water to just cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer; cook until chicken thighs reach 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer (start checking at around 15 minutes). Set chicken aside to cool and reserve liquid for another use (read: use that stock as the base of a bomb pho). Shred chicken.

Combine vinegar, jalapeño, cucumber, red onion, and carrot in a bowl and set aside to lightly pickle. In a saucepan over med-high heat, combine juice of one lime, sesame oil, fish sauce, sambal oelek, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring to a low boil and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. When thickened, stir in shredded chicken.

Serve tacos with chopped peanuts and cilantro, lime slices, sriracha aioli, and hot sauce.

Sriracha Aioli

• 1/2 c. Mayo
• Sriracha, to taste
• Optional: Lime Juice and/or Rice Wine Vinegar, to taste

In a bowl, combine mayo and sriracha to desired taste and consistency. Add lime juice or rice wine vinegar to taste, if desired.

Book Club! I started Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff on a work trip this week, and was more interested than I thought I might be (it’s never easy for me to start a new book on an airplane). I know there’s something of a “twist” in the second half that’s not universally loved, so we shall see once we get there, but so far, so good! I really like some of the imagery Groff uses, and the way she writes.