Tender chicken braised in a slightly spicy pumpkin beer sauce and topped with tangy apple salsa! This recipe screams beautiful fall days!

Are you on pumpkin overload yet? I sure hope not, because I’ve got a recipe you are going to want to try right away. I made these tacos for a family gathering a few weeks ago and even though I thought I had made about double what we needed the pan was mostly scraped clean!

We start by seasoning and searing our chicken with some taco seasoning to seal in the juices and flavor.

Once we get it nice and browned and crispy it’s time to braise it! I added a mixture of pumpkin beer, apple cider and enchilada sauce.

At this point you can let it simmer away on the stove top or even transfer it to your slow cooker for a few hours until the chicken is fully cooked. Shred it all up and it’s time to make the salsa.

A nice mix of sweet (honey crisp) and tart (granny smith) along with some peppers and onions make a salsa unlike any you’ve had before. It may sound odd, but trust me, it’s a must have.

Some crispy tortillas and you are all set for the perfect fall dinner!

Pumpkin Beer Braised Chicken Tacos

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Ingredients

Chicken:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons taco seasoning *see notes
1-2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup apple cider
6 oz pumpkin beer
1 cup enchilada sauce

Apple Salsa:

2 sweet apples
2 granny smith apples
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1-2 baby sweet peppers
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1-2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
lime juice from 1 lime

Other:

Flour tortillas
Goat Cheese

Instructions

Coat chicken breasts with taco seasoning
Heat oil in large dutch oven
Add chicken and sear on each side for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown
Carefully add the cider, beer and enchilada sauce and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes
Reduce to a simmer and cover and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is very tender and cooked through (165 degrees)
Shred and leave on low heat in pot to let liquid absorb for about 5 -10 more minutes before serving**
Peel and dice apple
Remove ribs and seeds and dice peppers
Toss appels and peppers with onion, cilantro and lime juice
Heat or fry flour tortillas and serve with chicken, salsa and a little goat cheese

Notes

*use a high quality taco seasoning. This is my favorite recipe for homemade or I also recommend Penzey's brand.

**you can also transfer chicken to slow cooker after boiling (along with juices) and let cook for about 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 on low)

Author: Jennifer Draper