Chicken Tacos

Method

1. season15 min
   dry rub on the chicken, 15 minutes to overnight, refrigerated
   chicken + cumin + chili powder + smoked paprika + oregano + garlic + salt (+ chipotle), tossed and left. A dry rub rather than a wet marinade, because a wet surface cannot sear and would have to be wiped off — losing the seasoning you just applied. The salt also has time to work inward, which a rub at the pan door does not
2. sear10 min
   cast iron, oil, high heat, single layer, undisturbed 2-3 minutes, in two batches
   chicken seared hard until browned in patches and just cooked through. Two batches always: crowded, the pieces release moisture faster than it evaporates, the pan drops to 100°C and the chicken turns grey and steamed. Leave it still for the first two minutes — contact time is what builds colour
3. chop5 min
   onion and cilantro cut fine, kept separate until serving
   onion + cilantro chopped (+ avocado sliced, + cotija crumbled). Cut these while the chicken cooks, and keep them separate — a filling premixed with raw onion and herbs weeps and goes soft within twenty minutes
4. toast6 min
   tortillas over a dry pan or open flame, 20-30 seconds a side, stacked in a cloth
   tortillas warmed until pliable and lightly spotted, then stacked inside a folded cloth so they steam each other soft. A cold corn tortilla cracks the moment it is folded; a wrapped stack stays flexible for twenty minutes. Double them up if the filling is wet
5. season4 min
   lime squeezed over the chicken off the heat, assembled to order
   + lime juice over the chicken, then assembled with onion and cilantro (+ salsa, + avocado, + sour cream, + cotija). Fresh acid at the end does a different job from the rub — it lifts and brightens, and its aroma survives only because nothing cooks it off. Fill sparingly: an overfilled taco fails structurally and is the most common mistake at the table