Chicken Tacos

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Chicken TacosGuys, I don’t know how I got away without sharing this recipe with you guys yet. I know everyone is probably Mexican-ed out from Cinco de Mayo – but just trust me. This is one you want to Pin, or bookmark, or whatever it is you kids are doing these days!

Our family friend Stephanie introduced me to them a few years ago now. We went through a phase where I made them, like every week, for months. Needless to say, I kind of burnt ourselves out on them. Not to mention, they’re not exactly the healthiest option in my repitoire. But, oh are they good!

We always fry our own corn tortillas – but these are different. They’re almost deep fried. The crispiest taco you’ll ever find! And they retain their crispiness – even cold, after sitting on the cooling rack for 2 hours. Not that I speak from experience or anything..

And, they certainly could be tweaked to be healthier. The filling itself isn’t too bad – with some whole wheat tortillas, or even flour – your calorie count would come down significantly. But the fried shells are really worth trying once!

Chicken Tacos

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs – cut into thin strips
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (regular chili powder is fine too)
1 tsp kosher salt
ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
canola oil
12 corn tortillas
lettuce
cilantro
shredded cheese

Place a cooling rack inside/ over a jelly roll pan. Place a layer of paper towels over the cooling rack. Set aside.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil, as well as the chicken. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until chicken is cooked through and starting to brown on the edges – about 5 minutes. Remove from pan to a cutting board to cool before chopping into small pieces.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers and onions are soft and starting to brown on the edges – about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and cook for an additional minute. Add the chopped chicken back to the pan, as well as the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and place taco filling in a medium-sized bowl.

Wipe the skillet clean, and return to stove over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the pan. Place a tortilla in the pan and let it fry for about 15 seconds, then flip over. Place about 3 Tbsp chicken taco filling inside the tortilla, right down the center.

Using tongs, carefully fold the tortilla in half, forming a taco shell. Fry on one side for about 1 minute, then using a spatula (I like using my fish spatula) carefully flip over and brown the other side. Remove to the paper-towel lined cooling rack. Repeat process with remaining tortillas. You can usually get 2 or 3 tacos going at the same time once you have the hang of it.

Serve tacos with shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro, and shredded cheese.

Source: adapted from a family friend recipe. Thanks, Burke crew!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

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Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)

Ahh, Cinco de Mayo – pretty much my favorite holiday next to Christmas. Where I can drink as many margaritas and eat as much guacamole as I want, and not be chastised for it. It’s funny actually, because a little over 5 years ago I wouldn’t have touched Mexican food with a 10 foot-pole. Can  you believe that? Thank goodness I came around, and things like tomatillos and cilantro are on my shopping list every week. In fact, I’ve started visiting my local Latin produce guy at the flea market every week – just because his produce is superior, and a much better bargain than at Mega Mart. I get all my Mexican staples there – dried beans, limes, corn husks for tamales, poblanos and jalapenos. Heh, it never ceases to amaze me where these roads in my kitchen are leading me everyday!

So, in case you were wondering – like I was 5 years ago – what in the Hell is a tomatillo? And, what do I do with it? I’m here to help! While they look similar to green tomatoes – they’re actually closely related to gooseberries. They have a papery husk on them that must be removed before cooking. They have a bright flavor, with a natural smokiness. When roasted, that flavor is amplified. And when combined with other flavors – like roasted garlic and jalapeno, it’s just out of this world.

I like to serve this salsa whenever I make carnitas, as I think the brightness plays off wonderfully against the richness of the pork. But, it’s good with all kinds of traditional Mexican dishes! And, a change of pace from the traditional red salsa that we all know and love. So step outside of your comfort zone, and try something new for this Cinco de Mayo!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

6 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved (about 8 ounces)
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno
about 1/3 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 small white onion, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup water
salt

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  lay the garlic, tomatillos, and jalapeno in a single layer, laying the tomatillos cut-side down.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the tomatillos are well-browned.  Turn everything over and brown the other side (the tomatillos should be very soft).  Remove the tomatillos and garlic and add to a food processor or blender, and cook the jalapeno on all sides before removing to a cutting board.

When the jalapeno is cool enough to handle, peel the shriveled blackened skin, halve, and remove ribs and seeds.  Roughly chop and add to the food processor as well.

Add 1/4 cup of water, onions, and cilantro to the food processor, and blend to a coarse puree.  Pour into a dish and add more water if necessary, to give the salsa the proper consistency.  Add lime juice and salt (about 1/2 tsp) to taste.

Source: adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless via Pink Parsley

Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

While some people don’t think of the warmer months as soup season, I can’t help turning the stuff away just because the thermometer rises. I just cook different kinds of soups than I do in the winter months! Lighter fare, full of good things – like veggies, and beans. Enter, Chicken Tortilla Soup. I still have a stockpile of whole chickens from my dad that I’ve been trying to use (there will no doubt be another 10 chickens soon to follow!) and making homemade chicken stock and soup is always my favorite thing to do with the small fryers.

Now, there are differing approaches to tortilla soup. Some recipes called for adding the uncooked tortillas right in the soup – which is okay. But, I kind of wanted them slightly crunchy. And, toasting anything totally brings out the flavor more – always a good thing.

So I did the soup on it’s own, then fried up some tortilla strips and served the soup on a few strips of those. They softened up, and released their tortilla-ey goodness into the soup, but still retained a slight crunch. I kept the ingredient list fairly simple. Chicken, black beans, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and corn – all in a delicious seasoned chicken broth. We all really enjoyed it. It was a meal that filled us up, without weighing us down. And, leftovers were great all week long!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 cups shredded chicken
8 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup corn kernels, thawed
1 small can tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
ground black pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped
sliced jalapeno, for garnish
sliced avocado, for garnish
8, 6-inch tortillas, cut into strips and fried (or store-bought tortilla chips)

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot, like a Dutch oven. Add onions, peppers, and garlic. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano – cook for an additional minute until fragrant. Add in the tomato paste, and cook stirring frequently, until tomato paste is starting to darken. Slowly add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.

Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, and salt. Stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, add a small handful of tortilla strips to the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup onto tortilla strips. Garnish soup with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and a few more tortilla strips.

Beef Burritos with Poblano Queso

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Beef Burritos with Poblano Queso

I love burritos. In pretty much any incarnation. Whether it be one the size of my head via a certain chain we all know and love, or a simple baked burrito like these – they’re always such comforting and filling meals. I’d been wanting to make these since Elly first posted them, but like so many other meals – it just got put off. I ended up with an extra large package of hamburger last week with only half of it spoken for, so I finally got around to making them!

They’re a perfect quick weeknight meal that the whole family is sure to love. Seasoned beef, black beans, poblano peppers, corn, and cheese – all stuffed inside a crispy tortilla. Then while they’re baking, you whip up an insane cheese sauce to top them with. It was just going to be a sour cream sauce, but I had some cheese in the fridge, and I figured – eh? That’ll make it a queso – I don’t see how it can turn out bad. I was right. We didn’t get the opportunity to do so, but I’m sure that these would freeze beautifully. Just wrap them in plastic wrap, then stick into a freezer bag before you’d bake them. We’re always looking for new weeknight dinners, and this is definitely one to add to the repitoire!

Beef Burritos with Poblano Queso

Crispy Beef Burritos with Poblano Queso

1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 lb. ground sirloin (90/10)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernals, thawned
1 poblano pepper, diced
1/4 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1.25 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
4 10-inch tortillas
Spray cooking oil
cilantro, for garnish

Poblano Queso Sauce
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup whole milk
2 Tbsp. sour cream
2/3 cup white American cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil.

To make the burritos: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and poblano and cook for 3-5 minutes until they begin to soften. Place the ground beef in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned. Drain most of the rendered fat. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 30-60 seconds before adding in the beans, as well as the corn. Add the broth, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, brown sugar and salt to taste (about 1 tsp.). Reduce heat and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Place 3 Tbsp. of cheese in the center of the tortilla. Then spoon some of the beef and bean mixture over the top. Fold the left and right sides of the tortilla in, and then roll the tortilla up, from the end closest to you, to the top. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet, and spray with cooking oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until tortillas are golden brown and crispy. Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Place the poblano pepper directly over a gas burner. Using tongs, turn occasionally until skin is blackened on all sides. Place in a bowl and top with plastic wrap or a clean towel, until cook enough to handle.

Peel the poblano, remove the stem and seeds, and dice it.

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat, and add the butter. Saute the diced peppers for about a minute. Slowly add milk, then the cheese. Whisk constantly, until cheese melts and mixture thickens.

Add the sour cream and warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the sauce over the baked burritos. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro for garnish.

Source: adapted from Elly Says Opa!