- 2 tablespoons olive or safflower oil, divided
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds (12 pieces) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 palmful) ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon (1 palmful) pimenton/smoked sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 palmful) granulated garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
Serve these healthy-ish crowd-pleasing recipes for spicy pulled chicken and herbaceous guacamole as tacos or sandwiches by offering it with warm, blistered corn tortillas; warm, hard tacos and/or slider or burger-size soft sandwich rolls.
In a heavy skillet with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon olive or safflower oil, a turn of the pan, over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Brown 6 thighs for 3-4 minutes on each side; remove to a plate. Heat another tablespoon of oil and repeat with remaining chicken. Add all of the chicken back to the pan along with the cumin, paprika, granulated garlic and onion, and celery seed. Turn chicken to coat with spice, add stock and bring to boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook 1 hour or until very tender. Shred meat with 2 forks.
In a small pot, melt butter and add hot sauce. Pour over chicken meat and toss to coat.
For Ranch-Guacamole, combine finely chopped Serranos or jalapeños, garlic, onions, salt and lime or lemon juice. Let stand a few minutes then combine with avocados and mash. Mix in the sour cream and herbs, adjust salt to taste.
Serve pulled meat and Ranch-Guacamole with taco shells, tortillas and/or rolls with topping selections alongside.