Taco Tuesday - BBQ Chicken Tacos

True story - CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) used to be my happy place. Here's how it happened: One day toward the end of grad school, I was in downtown Santa Barbara searching for an interview outfit (because being a month away from graduation and without an interview is only slightly worse than having an interview scheduled but nothing to wear). Anyway, while shopping, I dropped my phone (it was actually while I was changing in the dressing room, but that's part of shopping, right?). This was 2005, so a smart phone it was not, and phones these days must be much more robust because my phone wouldn't turn back on. This would have been fine, had I known where my keys were. Yep, I misplaced them while shopping. So, I'm standing there phone-less and keyless at the outdoor shopping center, and I'm pretty sure there were actual tears (the end of grad school is super busy and stressful to begin with, so it didn't take much to push me over the edge). Luckily, this was back-in-the-day when people memorized phone numbers, so I dialed my grad school BFFs via pay phone. They came to my rescue and walked me directly into the CPK where I proceeded to drink a pint of beer from a straw (I instantly felt better). We retraced my steps and I found my keys under a stack of black dress pants at The Limited. Since that day, CPK has been the answer to any bad day. CPK will make anything better! was my mantra. 

We now literally live a thousand miles from the closest CPK, so it obviously can't be the answer anymore. However, these tacos are the next best thing to being at the restaurant. CPK is know for their "Original BBQ Chicken" pizzas and salads, and these tacos are a spin on the "Original BBQ Chicken" theme. They are extremely quick and easy to make, and totally delicious. 

BBQ Chicken Tacos

Ingredients
2 cups shredded chicken (rotisserie, or, make your own in the slow cooker)
1 cup BBQ Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)

For serving:
Flour tortillas
Diced red onion
Shredded cheddar
Avocado
Lettuce
Ranch dressing (I use Marie's)


Directions
Place chicken in a sauce pan and add BBQ sauce (I like a lot, so feel free to add less). Mix in corn and black beans, and warm over medium heat until hot. While mixture is cooking, crisp flour tortillas (I did this in a skillet with olive oil). Spoon mixture onto tortillas and top with red onion, cheddar, avocado, lettuce and ranch (I put the ranch in a ziplock baggie and sniped off the tip so I could pipe it on). I served with sweet potato corn chips (and refrained from drinking my beer through a straw).

*This recipe can easily be halved to feed just a couple people, or doubled to feed more :)