How to make Jägermeister Chicken Tacos

Colin Joliat

 

Cooking with booze is nothing new, but rarely does collegiately popular Jäger come to mind when thinking of ingredients. This Jägermeister Chicken Tacos recipe isn’t just a novelty act though. They are genuinely delicious.

I come across a lot of things that make me say, “I should definitely try that.” Whether it’s a recipe for something ridiculous like Jägermeister Chicken Tacos or a new way to sneak alcohol into a game, there are brilliant ideas floating around on which none of us capitalize. That all changes with my bastard lovechild of Lifehacker and Pinterest.

Colin Joliat

 

I typically dismiss recipes with a long list of ingredients. It’s a lot of stuff to buy for one meal, especially when no one likes me so I’m eating alone. In this case I quickly realized I had just about everything except for the chicken thighs, herbs, and oranges. Even if you’re missing a few, everything is readily available. No special trips to Whole Foods necessary.

Colin Joliat

 

There’s nothing easier than a brine to ensure against dry poultry. It would take a a brilliant effort to overcook brined chicken so badly that it wasn’t at least a little juicy.

Cubing chicken thighs, on the other hand, is a nightmare. You’ll notice that none of those even remotely resemble a cube. My knife skills are mediocre at best, but it still shouldn’t have been that difficult. Then again, the chicken is getting stabbed with a stick so it doesn’t really matter.

Colin Joliat

 

Colin Joliat

 

The marinade consists of multiple ingredients that belong in cocktails, so of course I had them on hand. I was’t too sure about finding blood oranges, but even my little corner grocery store had them. Regular oranges would work just as well if push comes to dropkick.

This is the 2nd and final time you’ll use the Jägermeister, so don’t be shy. The flavor balances out well so no worries if you get a little shot happy.

Colin Joliat

 

Colin Joliat

 

Because of the Jäger color, the uncooked chicken looks good enough to eat right now. Don’t do that though. Trust me. I used to watch a lot of Scrubs.

Remember how I said it didn’t matter that I was the world’s worst chicken cuber? This is why. A simple fold essentially accomplishes the same thing. I would still invest in a professional meat cuber, or a knife-wielding monkey butler, if this were to become a staple of my diet.

Colin Joliat

 

Colin Joliat

 

With the chicken skewers on the grill, it’s time make the Blood Orange Aioli, which is just an arrogant name super-mayo. That’s right, my Google calculator tells me that this sauce is 91% mayonnaise. Oh, you thought aioli was some cool fancy-pants french condiment for $$$$ restaurants? Think again.

Speaking of again, there’s the blood orange back for round two. Just be sure to zest first, juice second. It’s much tougher to run the peel across a cheese grater when you no longer have something to grab. I’m not saying how I know that; I just do. Don’t mind these band-aids on my knuckles either.

Colin Joliat

 

You don’t need a big powerful grill to cook Jägermeister Chicken Tacos, which is helpful because I don’t have one. My little tabletop Weber can get the job done just fine.

I’ve never thought to warm tortillas on a grill before, but not surprisingly, it worked just fine. Don’t leave them there for too long while you admire Lake Michigan though because half-crunchy-half-soft shell tacos sound terrible.

Colin Joliat

 

And there you have it. It was somewhat time consuming do to the brining and overnight marinading, but these Jägermeister Chicken Tacos are well worth the effort. The cooking itself couldn’t have been easier, making these difficult to screw up.

Original recipe is by Food Network’s Chris Santos and was found on MTV Guy Code Blog. I cut everything in half because no one believed me that these were going to be good. They regretted that while watching me eat all six.

Ingredients

4 lbs. chicken thighs
Flour tortillas

Chicken Brine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Jägermeister
2 cups hot water
2 cups cold water
1 cup ice

Chicken Marinade
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup Jägermeister
2 tbsp. parsley leaves
2 tbsp. thyme, chopped
2 lemons, zest only
2 oranges, zest only
6 garlic cloves
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes

Blood Orange Aioli
1 oz. roasted garlic
1/2 bottle mayo (34 oz. bottle)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. Sriracha
1 blood orange (if in season, otherwise use regular orange), zest only
1 tbsp. blood orange juice (if in season, otherwise use regular orange)

Procedure
1. Trim your chicken thighs of excess fat and skin. Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
2. For the brine: In a tall-rimmed dish, dissolve the salt and sugar in the hot water. Combine with the cold water, sugar, OJ, Jäger, and ice then brine the chicken thighs for 2 hours, covered in refrigerator. Rinse after brining and pat dry.
3. For the marinade: Whisk all of the ingredients together and combine with rinsed chicken cubes. Allow to marinate for up to 24 hours in zip top bag or covered container.
4. For the aioli: Place roasted garlic in a bowl and mash well with a plastic spatula. Fold in the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, orange zest, orange juice and Sriracha.  Season with salt and pepper.
5. Soak wooden skewers in water until well-absorbed. Skewer your chicken — about 4 chunks of chicken per skewer. Grill the skewers over medium/high heat turning often until cooked through (about 5 minutes).
6. Use the grill to warm your tortillas. Slather each tortilla with the blood orange aioli and wrap each skewer in a finished tortilla.

Previously on Boy the Baker: How to make Oreo Lasagna