Article by Justin Iriarte, Graphic by Kendra Heiser
Good morning, afternoon, evening and whatever other time-based pleasantries exist out there. I, Justin Iriarte, am finally back with another recipe after some culinary and academic reflection from the past few months. For this dish, I was looking to cook something I could really dig my hands into to fulfill my childhood dream of ditching needless utensils. Without further ado, sit down (or go to the kitchen) and tune into my latest recipe!
As much as I prefer pork or beef in my nachos, it’s not always practical to cook, especially for those short on time or with dietary restrictions. In my case, I’ve been fasting from red meat, so I decided to share my favorite way to cook the most flavorful and juicy pulled chicken that’s both easy and delicious.
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
Nacho Toppings:
- Tortilla chips
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Shredded Mexican cheese
Instructions
- Season Chicken. Evenly season each chicken breast and set aside.
- Par Cook Chicken. Bring a pan to medium heat and cook each side for 5 minutes. Add in oil. Chicken should be colored and slightly blackened.
- Poach. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour the chicken broth over the chicken breasts and cover. Allow the chicken broth to steam until it reduces significantly or for around 20 minutes. When the chicken is cooked and little liquid remains, remove the chicken from the pan and reserve the remaining liquid.
- Shred. Use two forks to shred the chicken until no large chunks remain. Once shredded, pour in the remaining liquid from the pan to moisten.
- Plate and Enjoy! Layer chips, chicken and other preferred toppings.
Justin’s Notes
- For the chicken, taste while shredding to decide whether or not you need more salt or seasonings. If you find that it is too salty, opt out of adding in the remaining liquid from the pan.
- Leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge for around 3–5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Half of the college student experience is being hungry and the other half is not knowing what to eat. I hope that this easy, customizable and delicious recipe can help you decide what to have for dinner or a snack (no judgments here). Please enjoy, and as always, thank you for reading. Come back anytime for more Roundabites!