Chicken Taco Bar for 12

Lining up all the fixings for the Chicken Taco Bar

5 from 3 votes

Here's an easy way to feed a big crew of your friends and family: Chicken Taco Bar for 12! Lots of happy faces after serving this meal :)

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Servings:

Calories: 912kcal

Author: Mexican Please

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts (approx. 3 lbs.)
6 plum tomatoes
8-10 tomatillos (approx. 1 lb.)
3 onions
2 jalapenos
1 bunch cilantro
6 limes
1 head garlic
1 can chipotles in adobo
3 cans black beans
1 teaspoon cumin
1.5 cups stock (or water)
8 avocados
2-3 bags tortilla chips
1-2 lbs. cheese (I used 1.5 lbs. Jack cheese)
40 tortillas (I used both corn and flour tortillas)
Kosher or sea salt
black pepper
olive oil

Instructions

I usually start by brining the chicken, but you can consider this step optional. Add 1/2 cup Kosher or sea salt to a mixing bowl along with 2 quarts cold water. Stir to dissolve the salt, then add the 6 chicken breasts, ensuring they are submerged in the water. Cover and let brine in the fridge for an hour or so.
Next I like to get the tomatillos roasting. De-husk the tomatillos and give them a good rinse. I usually de-stem them as well, knowing that any juices leftover in the roasting pan will be used. Roast the tomatillos in the oven for a half hour or so (400F). Other ways to roast tomatillos.
At this point, I usually build a few cutting board stations and hand out the side dishes to some willing helpers.
For the Pico de Gallo, you'll need 6 tomatoes, 1 small onion, 1-2 jalapenos, 15-20 sprigs cilantro, the juice of 2 limes, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Give the tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro a good rinse, then de-stemming the tomatoes and jalapeno. Remove the bottom portion of the cilantro stems, but you can use the upper portion that holds the leaves together. Finely chop the tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and cilantro, adding them to a mixing bowl along with the juice of 2 limes and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Taste for salt and lime, adding more if necessary. Note: use a single jalapeno for a milder version, or 2 jalapenos for a more fiery version.
For the Guacamole, finely chop 1/2 small onion. Use the back of a fork to smoosh the onion until it turns translucent. Add the onion to a bowl along with the flesh of 8 avocados, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the juice of 2-3 limes. Mush and mix well. Taste for seasoning, adding dashes of salt and lime until you like it.
For the Refried Beans, start by peeling 4 garlic cloves and roughly chopping 1 small onion. Cook the onion and garlic in a glug of oil over medium heat in a big skillet (you can leave the garlic cloves whole). Once the onion is starting to brown add 3 cans of beans (drained and rinsed), 2-3 chipotles in adobo, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1.5 teaspoons salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 1.5 cups stock (or water). You can use less chipotles for a milder version. Let simmer for a few minutes until heated through and then add everything to a blender, combining well. Take a final taste for seasoning and heat. Add more salt if necessary and if you want more heat simply add more chipotle. Feel free to add another splash of liquid to get the beans to combine in the blender.
Once the tomatillos are roasted, add them to a blender along with any juices leftover in the roasting pan. Add 2-3 chipotles in adobo and 4 peeled garlic cloves. I usually scrape out the seeds of the chipotles but this is optional. More info on working with chipotle in adobo. Combine well and take a taste for seasoning. I used 2 1/2 chipotles for this batch. I also added a sliver of raw onion and a pinch of salt because these tomatillos were particularly tart, but I frequently skip the onion with this Salsa.
Once the chicken has brined you can remove it from the brine and pat it dry with some paper towels. The seasoning on the chicken is optional, so feel free to get creative. I tossed the chicken breasts with a big glug of oil, some freshly cracked black pepper, and a couple tablespoons of adobo sauce from the can of chipotles. This chicken was cooked on the grill until the inside temp registered 160F. You could also bake the chicken breasts in the oven for 20 minutes or so (400F).
Finish prepping the final fixings. I shredded 1.5 lbs. Jack cheese, and I also sliced up a few lime wedges.
You can optionally crisp up some tortillas before serving. It adds some additional steps, but I try to do it when manpower is available. You can use a griddle or a couple large skillets. Give a bunch of tortillas a thin layer of refried beans and some shredded cheese, then cook them over medium heat until light brown spots are forming on the underside of the tortillas. Alternatively, you can warm up your tortillas in the oven or microwave before serving. How To Warm Up Tortillas.
Now it's time to line everything up! Your final serving table will have: tortillas, chicken, refried beans, shredded cheese, Pico de Gallo, guacamole, Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa, tortilla chips, and maybe a few lime wedges. Once everything is in place you can ring the bell and let your peeps have at it! Enjoy!!

Nutrition