Double Crunch Fried Chicken Tacos Food

CRUNCHY CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F.
• Crumble 4 sheets of foil to form 4 (2-inch) balls. Fold tortillas in half; place one foil ball inside each folded tortilla to resemble a taco shell. Place on two baking sheets. Bake 7 to 8 min. or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 5 min. or until taco shells are crisp. Remove and discard foil.
• Meanwhile, toss chicken with spices. Heat oil in medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 min. or until chicken is done.
• Spoon chicken mixture into taco shells; top with remaining ingredients.

DOUBLE DIPPED FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. In a shallow platter, combine the buttermilk, water, and red pepper sauce. Soak the chicken pieces, turn to coat, then cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If time allows, marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours because the buttermilk promotes tenderness. Place flour in a shallow platter. Season it by mixing in salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, paprika, and cayenne. Roll the marinated chicken pieces in the flour, a few at a time, until well coated. Then, dip chicken in the buttermilk bath again followed by another coat of seasoned flour. Allow the chicken to sit in the flour and dry out while preparing the oil, this will help the coating stay on better. The buttermilk will keep absorbing the seasoned flour, which then fries up to form a crunchy crust. Heat oil in a large electric skillet to 350 degrees F. There should be about 1-inch of fat in the pan. Carefully add the chicken pieces in a single layer, skin side down. Do not crowd the pan or the temperature will plummet; make sure the fat continues to bubble around the chicken. Fry for 5 minutes, then turn the pieces over and fry the other side 5 minutes. Turn again, frying a total of 15 minutes. The turning will produce a golden-crisp skin with even color. Remove chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Do not put hot chicken directly in a bowl or container, the air can not circulate and the steam will cause the crust to fall off. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature.

LIME CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Combine the lime juice and zest, garlic, sugar, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, salt, pepper cayenne, paprika and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and add to the skillet. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the chicken starts to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook for until the vegetables are tender, 3 to 4 minutes more. Divide the chicken, peppers and onion equally among the eight tortillas. Garnish with the cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce, if using.

GIANT DOUBLE DECKER TACO

Steps:

• Fit a sheet pan with a wire rack.
• Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large braiser or cast-iron skillet.
• Using tongs, slip half of a tortilla in the hot oil to form a taco shell shape. Using a metal spatula with the other hand, keep half the tortilla submerged until golden. Turn the tortilla so that the fried part now sticks out of the oil, letting the bottom fry, while making sure to keep the tortilla open about 2 inches wide. (This creates the necessary space to stuff it!) Then gently turn the tortilla and repeat the process so that the remaining side fries to a golden brown while the rest stays out of the oil. Let the taco shell drain on the lined sheet pan. Fry another tortilla in this manner; reserve the other two tortillas.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Place one unfried tortilla in a pan and top it edge to edge with cheese. Lightly broil until the cheese is just melted, but the tortilla isn't toasted. While still hot, "stick" the cheesy, non-crispy tortilla to the outside of a fried tortilla shell. Repeat with the remaining tortilla, cheese and fried shell.
• Now build! Fill the cavity of the taco with some warm Taco Meat, followed by some lettuce, a drizzle of sour cream, tomatoes, jalapeños and cilantro.
• Serve with your favorite taco bib.
• Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the beef and chorizo and brown, breaking the meat up constantly into smaller little bits, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. (If there is a lot of rendered fat, remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.)
• Add the onions, chipotle powder and cumin. Cook until the onions are soft, another 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for just another 30 seconds. Add the tomato puree and simmer, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes. You want this taco meat to be pretty "tight" and dehydrated, not soupy or loose! Season to taste with salt and pepper.