Ingredients #

• 2-3 lbs chicken thighs
• 1 small onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 2-3 roma tomatoes
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• kosher salt
• lime

Roast Chicken #

Set oven to 425°F. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and massage in pinches of salt on both sides. Put chicken on greased sheet pan, skin side down. Roast until chicken thighs read 200°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Move chicken to plate and tent with foil; you can start doing this early with the smaller chicken pieces that reach temp first.

Put Mason jar in sink and tilt sheet pan towards a corner, draining the chicken juices into the jar. Cover jar and move to fridge.

When chicken cools, use forks or your hands to get chicken off bone, keeping the pieces as long as possible and cutting lengthwise. It doesn’t need to be shredded at this stage, but you don’t want large pieces either.

Make Sauce #

Dice onion, tomatoes, garlic, and Chipotle peppers. Measure or eyeball the Mexican oregano, cumin, and salt.

In a saucepan or Dutch Oven over medium heat, heat a couple tbsp of the chicken fat or vegetable oil until shimmering (couple min). Add the onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for a few minutes until onions are soft, stirring occasionally. Add Chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water. Lower heat, add cover, and cook for 10 minutes, checking and stirring it a couple times. Use an immersion blender (or transfer to blender) to turn into a sauce.

Bring It Together #

Add chicken to sauce and mix well. Cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes, using forks to shred the big pieces. If not serving right away, put dutch oven in warm oven with lid off. Salt to taste and squeeze some fresh lime juice over, right before serving