So they have these wonderful little prepared meals here in the UK called tray bakes. They are all ready to pop in the oven in their own little trays. They usually have a meat like chicken or lamb or pork, some kind of sauce and veggies all tucked in together and they bake up in about 40 minutes. You can serve them out of the pan, making cleanup a snap. I like them when I am desperate and cannot cook (or when I am out of the country and my family is fending for themselves). They are good, but not very healthy. They tend to be heavy on the oil and salt and the veggies usually turn out pretty soggy. I decided to take the concept and healthy it up a bit, using organic chicken, less salt and a lot less fat. I experimented with these Pulled Chicken Taco Tray Bakes in their own little trays and the kids can pop them in the oven when they get home from school. They are ready to eat when I get home. There is very little cleanup and I have to say, pretty good. Cook it up and serve with some warmed tortillas, corn, shredded cabbage, salsa, avocado and a can of refried beans on the side. My Mexican version of the classic UK Tray Bake. You can prepare these ahead of the and leave them in the fridge, ready to go in the oven or you can use the Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot method.
Pulled Chicken Taco Tray Bake
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 6 servieng
Make ahead, keep in the fridge until ready to bake or use the Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker Insturctions
Ingredients
- 1 pound Skinless Chicken Thighs (8-10 thighs)
- 1 large Red Onion, chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 box or Can Whole Tomatoes (chopped work fine too)
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon crushed Fennel Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Sea Salt
- 1 cup Veggie or Chicken Broth
Toppings:
- Sour Cream
- Salsa
- Shredded Cheese
- Shredded Cabbage
- Hot Peppers
Instructions
- Heat a splash of Olive Oil in a Pan on high heat
- Sprinkle all the spices on a large plate
- Roll the chicken in the spices
- Brown in the Oil 2 minutes each side and remove to two aluminum baking trays
- Add the remaining ingredients, diving evenly among the trays
- Cover, label and refrigerate
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400f or 200c
- Bake 40 minutes until hot and cooked through and meat pulls apart easily. Shred with two forks
- Serve in warm tortillas with toppings: cooked corn, avocado, shredded cabbage, cheese, sour cream, salsa, cilantro
Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker Version:
- Heat Olive Oil under the sauté feature until hot
- Sprinkle all the spices on a plate and roll the chicken around until well coated
- Brown the chicken a few minutes on each side in the hot oil
- Add the remaining ingredients except for toppings
- Switch to Manual mode, lock the pressure valve and dial cook time to 12 minutes
- Let pressure come down at least 5 minutes and then release the remaining pressure by turning the steam valve open
- Carefully open the lid and pull chicken apart with forks
- Serve in Tortillas or over rice or Quinoa with toppings
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