What's For Dinner - No fuss Chicken Taco's and what beer it pairs with

Here is an easy to make dish that pairs well with a variety of beer styles.
Because Mexican food is usually spicy, it will go with many different beer styles. Some would prefer a Mexican or Island style lager such as Landshark, Quilmes, or Regia which will "put out the fire". Others recommend a Brown Ale such as Brooklyn Brown or Harpoon Brown Session Ale to counteract the spiciness of the food with sweet barley flavor. While I really like both suggestions, I prefer to pair this dish with an American Pale Ale such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Deschutes Mirror Pond, and Santa Fe Pale Ale or an American IPA such as Dogfish Head 90 minute, Saint Arnold Ellissa, or a Victory Hop Devil. The bitterness of the hops and the spiciness of the food blend together to bring forth a new and intriguing flavor.
So let's get started.

Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

3 10 oz. cans of chunk chicken
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of cilantro
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3-4 Roma tomatoes
1 fresh lime
20-30 corn tortillas
8 oz. corn oil
2 oz. olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt
pepper

*1/4 cup diced pickled jalapenos* OPTIONAL

Utensils:

Chefs knife, cutting board, large frying pan, small iron skillet, wooden spoon, fork, cooking tongs.

Dice the onion and sauté in the olive oil using the large frying pan. Cook until opaque on medium heat.
Remove husks from garlic and finely chop. Add in the saute.
Open the cans of chicken and drain water. Turn down heat to a simmer on the onions and garlic and add all three cans of chicken. Using a fork, shred the chicken. Canned chicken should spread out easily when mashed with a fork. Mix in with the onions and garlic.
Cut the stems off the cilantro. Cult cilantro up but keep leafy. Add 1/4 of the cilantro to chicken mix. Salt and pepper to taste. If you are going to spice it up some more add the jalapenos. Cook covered on low for 10 minutes.

While the chicken cooks:
Heat up enough corn oil on medium in the iron skillet to cover a corn tortilla.
Drop in a tortilla and fold over quickly. If your oil is too hot it will brown quickly. You want the oil hot enough to cook the tortilla but not brown. Cook tortillas until they just start to harden but are still somewhat pliable. Place the cooked shells in a basket with a kitchen towel and line the bottom with paper towels to catch the oil. Lightly salt the shells after removing them from the oil.

Remove the centers of the Roma tomatoes and dice.
Cut up lime for squeezing
You can add sour cream, guacamole, or picante sauce to your tacos if that’s the way you roll. If not, load up a shell with the chicken mix squeeze a little lime on the chicken. Top it off with the leafy cilantro, diced tomatoes, shredded cheddar and crumbled feta and pair with a cold IPA or the beer of your choice.
Serves 6-8

Enjoy,
Bill Germany