Filipino Chicken Adobo

Things that I have: a job with long hours and a passion for travel. Things that I don't have: the money to make all my wildest travel dreams come true. Pardon my tiny violin, but I just wanted to illustrate how I often use this blog as a means of "traveling" - without all that pesky cost that's associated with real traveling.

I like to make international foods I've never tried before, so when I came across a recipe for Filipino Chicken Adobo I was intrigued. Way back in the day my father worked on a cruise ship and many of his coworkers were Filipino - but I never got the chance to sample their wares. And boy, what a missed opportunity that was. This chicken is flipping delicious - tangy, peppery, loaded with flavour and easy above all! The Philippines is now on my travel radar. 

Doro Wat

I'm going to keep my little intro here short and sweet - because this recipe is neither of those things. I had a craving for Ethiopian food, so I set about making the delicious Doro Wat - a kind of curry + stew, + delicious dish. Then I thought - this has all the makings of a taco. So rather than creating giant injera (crepe-like bread that you pull apart to use as a "utensil"), I made smaller taco-size bread and complimented it with some vegetable toppings. So it looks like a taco, tastes like Ethiopian and is literally the tastiest thing I have EVER made. No joke. You gotta make this now, it's worth the time investment. 

Yucatan Chicken

You know when you have that one "thing" that you love - so everyone buys you gifts themed around it? That's me and tacos. I'm not complaining, because this Christmas I had the good fortune of getting a bunch of Mexican cookbooks - including Tacos by Mark Miller. I was already pretty familiar with some of his recipes and had my own way of doing them, but I came across Yucatan Chicken and thought it might be interesting to adapt. We tend to lump "Mexican Food" into one overarching category, but there are actually many different regional styles - all the better for me to crib recipes from! Yucatan is best known for Lime Soup and Pibil (which I've previously made here). They often use a bright red spice paste called Achiote - which I found at my specialty grocery store and stained my counter with.

So this recipe is close to a Pollo Pibil, with a few adjustments to ratchet up the full bodied spiciness. It's hot, but not in a "ouch it burns, why are you doing this to me?" way - more like a nice warm feeling in your belly. I topped it with a xnipec salsa that goes easy on the habaneros - so it's almost more of a pico de gallo. 

Buffalo Chicken

Greetings sports fans and ambivalent friends - it was a big weekend! Not for me, because I'm a person with no TV and no friends who are interest in football. But for many, the weekend was devoted to watching [insert team A] beat [insert team B]. So in honour of you fine folks, I decided to whip up a Superbowl themed taco, using the wing-inspired ingredient of true American football fans: Buffalo Chicken.

Now, if I'd been smart I would have posted this last week. But (spoiler alert) this was actually the failed recipe I mentioned a couple weeks ago. The first time I made this I thought I could just bake the chicken, but we all know that good Buffalo Chicken requires some deep fried, crispy goodness. It gives the sauce something to hold onto. So I went back and revamped this recipe with deep fried chicken strips. The sauce and chicken are a little tart together on their own, but with the toppings and tortilla this is a can't-miss meal (or should I say...touchdown?)

Chipotle Asian Chicken

When I started this blog, I promised you both traditional and non-traditional taco recipes. But since I was just getting started, I tried to focus on more "real" Mexican tacos. Trying to build my street cred and whatnot. Then just the other day, I ended up with a couple leftover chicken breast filets (after making a delicious chicken parmesan - see, I do eat other things). So I decided to take a look in my cupboards and whip up something based on what I found. 

I had many Asian-inspired sauces left over from a former adventure in Vietnamese cooking, so I decided to combine them into a marinade. Then I threw in some chipotle peppers, because my personal motto is "give me spicy food or give me death (possibly from spicy food)." 

So behold: Chipotle Asian Chicken. The toppings are also based on what I had in the fridge, but I would definitely recommend them. 

Chicken Tinga

Real photos courtesy of Katie Tower

Of all my taco recipes, this one is probably the biggest crowd pleaser. The tomato-y taste and chicken base are familiar to taco newbies but the spices let you know what good Mexican cooking is all about. This one has a nice zip to it and leaves a nice warm heat in your belly. It's important to use chicken thighs rather than breasts, simply (and grossly) because thighs are fattier and will be much more flavourful. Trust me, Chicken Tinga will convert you to the Church of Tacos. You've got Tee's guarantee* 

*guarantee void in Tennessee