Vegan Tequila Taco Chicken
This 8-ingredient tequila-infused vegan taco meat is easy to make and unbelievably delicious! We use it in tacos, burritos, and crunchwraps, atop a pile of nachos or a taco salad. It’s tender, juicy, and full of zesty Mexican-inspired flavor. No one will know it’s vegan!
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Today’s recipe is going to revolutionize your Taco Tuesday (even though it’s, you know, a Thursday).
I first made this tequila-infused vegan taco meat this past summer when we were down the shore with my parents. It was SO easy to throw together, and my family totally flipped for the flavor and texture.
When everyone got up for seconds, I knew we really had something going here.
We served this vegan taco meat as part of a big taco bar spread with all the fixins, like shredded lettuce, salsa and avocado, warm tortillas, crunchy blue corn chips, beans + rice, and freshly grated vegan jalapeno havarti cheese. It. Was. Glorious.
Since that fateful night, this recipe has become our go-to vegan taco meat, and I think once you try it, you’ll understand why we’re so crazy about it!
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How To Flavor Vegan Taco Meat
The base of this animal-free meat is soy curls, but we created the mind-blowingly complex flavor with 6 simple ingredients:
- Veggie Bouillon Powder + Taco Seasoning: These are our cornerstone flavors. The bouillon gives the meat that dead-on chicken flavor, and the taco spice blend is an easy way to taco-fy just about anything.
- Fire-Roasted Green Chilis + Lime Juice: To add a little zip + a lotta zest!
- Tequila (obvs): If you’ve never cooked with tequila, you’ve been missing out on some serious flavor heaven. The alcohol cooks out of the dish in this recipe, but for those who avoid alcohol, feel free to sub more water.
- Agave: For a subtle sweetness to balance eeeeverything out. You’re not gonna wanna skip this step!
The whole recipe takes under an hour from start to finish, but the process itself is super hands-off. You’ll rehydrate + marinate your soy curls for about 30 minutes and then simmer everything on the stove for another 15, until the marinade becomes a nice thick glaze.
One thing we love about the hands-off nature of this recipe is that it leaves you plenty of time to whip up a batch of vegan queso and pitcher of margaritas in between.
I mean, you do already have the tequila… 😉
How to Use This Vegan Taco Meat
- In tacos or burritos or as part of a whole taco bar!
- Atop a pile of nachos with queso, veggies, and all. the. salsa.
- Three words: VEGAN. CHIK’N. CRUNCHWRAP.
- Meal prep it on a Sunday and throw it on taco salads all week long.
Vegan Chicken Tacos + Wine Pairing
This tequila-infused vegan taco chicken is obviously AWESOME with margaritas. But, if you want a fun wine pairing, try a Verdejo! With notes of lime and high acidity, it’s like squeezing a fresh lime all over your dish. We love the vegan-friendly verdejo from Protos with this vegan taco chicken!
More Vegan Soy Curls Recipes:
When you try this tequila-infused vegan taco meat, we SO wanna hear how it goes and how you used it! Rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in your tantalizing photos on Instagram. In case you’re not already following along, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
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We hope you have fun with this one, friends. Until next time!
Tequila-Infused Vegan Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot water
- 3 Tbsp vegan chicken-style bouillon powder
- 1 1.25 oz. packet taco seasoning
- 8 oz. dry soy curls
- 4- oz. can fire-roasted green chilis
- 1/4 cup tequila
- 1 large lime juiced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 Tbsp agave
Instructions
- First, marinate the soy curls: Add the dry soy curls to a large bowl or tupperware container and use your hands to break them into bite-sized pieces. Keep in mind they will grow in size as they rehydrate. Pour the hot water into a separate bowl or large measuring cup. Whisk in the bouillon powder and taco seasoning until well-incorporated. Pour this over the soy curls, cover, and set it aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Time to cook: Add the marinated soy curls to a medium pot with the remainder of the ingredients and 1 cup water. Stir, cover, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium low and let the mixture simmer - uncovered - for 13-16 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn. You want the liquid to be mostly evaporated leaving a thick flavorful glaze for your taco meat.
- Remove from heat and adjust the seasonings to your taste. Serve hot on tacos, enchiladas, or a vegan crunchwrap. Leftover taco meat will last up to a week in the fridge. Enjoy!
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