Recipe: Chicken Tacos with Apples and Goat Cheese

CHICKEN TACOS WITH APPLES AND GOAT CHEESE

1 poblano chile, oil-roasted, peeled, cored and seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons green chile powder
3/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground
1 cup unfiltered apple cider
1 1/2 cups cored, peeled, thinly sliced Gala, Jonathan, or Fuji apples (about 2 apples)
6 ounces semi-dry goat cheese, crumbled
8 (51/2-inch) flour tortillas, for serving
GARNISHES:
Lightly toasted pine nuts, basil pesto, sun-dried-tomato cheese spread, or grated cheese like asadero, Cotija, Romano or Parmesan

Cut the prepared poblano chile into 1/4-inch-thick strips (rajas); set aside. Mash the garlic and about 1 teaspoon salt together with the side of knife to make a paste; set aside.

Season the chicken breasts with a little salt. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces lightly on both sides, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Decrease the heat to medium; add the garlic paste and saute 30 seconds (do not let it burn). Stir in the green chile powder, oregano, and apple cider. Cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to a syrup and the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Slice the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch-thick strips and return the strips to the pan along with the apples and the rajas. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with cheese, and serve immediately or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.

TO SERVE:
Lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and garnish. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa and garnish, fold, and eat right away.

RECIPE NOTES:
Here in New Mexico, we have a number of really good goat-cheese producers who sell their products at farmer's markets. Spanish settlers originally introduced goats to the region along with the craft of making goat cheese. For Mexican recipes, I prefer the flavor of goat cheese to American cheeses made with cow's milk. Mexican cooking is rich and needs the counterpoint of a sharp cheese for balance and lively taste. Cow's milk cheeses are usually too creamy and flat in flavor, absorb too much of the flavor accents from a dish, and lack a certain acidity and sharpness common to Mexican cheeses. New Mexico also has great apples, as good as those I grew up with in New England. At an elevation of 7,000 feet, Santa Fe experiences very cold nights in the fall that "crisp" the apples and set the juices. The sweet juiciness of apples is a perfect match to the mild creaminess, tang, and richness of goat cheese. You can use the goat cheese as a garnish, if you prefer, rather than mixing it into the filling.

Makes 8 tacos
Source: Tacos: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes by Mark Miller