Pumpkin Beer Chicken Tacos are bathed in a pumpkin ale. Cooked for hours in a slow cooker, they’ll melt in your mouth.
It’s officially Fall – which means it’s comfort food time. Which means it’s pumpkin beer chicken taco time.
Tacos are a once a once a week dinner at my house. We love it, the kids love it. It’s always a good dinner night.
But how do I switch it up? How do I make standard tacos new and different? The kids don’t always like “new and different” but sometimes you just have to break out from the ordinary recipes that you use time and time again.
And sometimes when you do, you end up with another standard in your recipe rotation.
This time instead of the standard ground beef taco recipe – which don’t get me wrong – everyone loves including me… I broke out the pumpkin.
This recipe is a shredded chicken taco. Cooked slowly in a pumpkin ale and pumpkin puree. I’ve got to tell you, it’s pretty fantastic.
I came up with the idea as I was drinking my new favorite seasonal ale from Saranac. It’s their pumpkin ale that I tasted when I was working the Brew at the Zoo event in Rhode Island. Good stuff. The Saranac pumpkin ale keg was kicked very early on.
So why not combine this awesome pumpkin ale with my favorite shredded chicken taco recipe? It was a hit – kids and adults alike.
All you have to do is add chicken breasts, pumpkin puree, some seasonings and pumpkin ale to your slow cooker. Set it on low and in a few hours you have delicious, savory, pumpkin tacos.
I kicked these pumpkin tacos up with a pumpkin sriracha sauce, and I promise you, you won’t want to skip that step. Even my kids were asking for their tacos to have the “fancy sauce” on top. It makes these pumpkin beer tacos stand out from the crowd.
So the next time you’re having taco night in your house, switch it up and get seasonal with my recipe. You’ll have a new fall favorite on the menu – and don’t forget the cilantro lime rice!
Tip: This pumpkin beer chicken tacos recipe is a great way to use opened beer instead of pouring it out!
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Pumpkin Beer Chicken Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 bottle Pumpkin Ale
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 12 Corn Tortilla
- Cooking Spray
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Puree
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha Chili Sauce
- pinch of Salt
- Guacamole
- large Orange Bell Pepper Diced
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the taco filling into a slow cooker. Set to low for 4-5 hours until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place in a large bowl. Shred with two forks and set aside.
- Pour out the sauce from the slow cooker into a large measuring cup or bowl. Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker and add in enough of the sauce to coat the shredded chicken, but not too much to make it loose. About 2 cups should be enough.
- Set your slow cooker to it’s “keep warm” or “buffet setting” while you make the taco shells.
- Take a corn tortilla and make a cut from the center out to one side. Place it into a muffin tin pushing down on the bottom and forming the sides around to make a cup. They don’t have to look perfect, just fit them in as best as you can.
- Repeat with the other 11 tortillas, spray with cooking spray and bake for 8-10 minutes at 400°F until crisp and slightly browned.
- Remove the taco shells to a platter and start assembling the tacos.
- Place a large scoop of shredded chicken into the center of a taco shell, then top with a scoop of guacamole and a few diced peppers.
- Place the pumpkin sriracha sauce into a sandwich bag and snip of a small pieces of one corner. Squeeze the sauce onto the tops of the tacos. Alternately, you can place a dollop of the sauce on top of the guacamole if you don’t want to use the sandwich bag.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you don’t want to make your own taco shells, you can use a store bought taco shell or a corn or flour tortilla as a wrap for a soft taco.