Mexican Chicken Tacos Food

WORLD'S BEST CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Start by rinsing and stemming 7-8 plum tomatoes. Roast them in a 400F oven for 20-25 minutes.
• For the chicken, add the seasoning ingredients to a bowl: 2 tablespoons crushed New Mexican chile (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a dollop of oil. Chop up two chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and combine well with the seasoning.
• For the rice, start by adding a dollop of oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of rice and saute until the rice is turning opaque and golden brown. Meanwhile, add 1-2 of the roasted tomatoes to a blender along with 1/2 onion and a single garlic clove. Combine well and add this puree to the rice, cooking for a few minutes. Add 2 cups of stock and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all of the liquid is absorbed. Set aside and cover, letting it sit its own steam for a few minutes. Salt to taste. (Note: it's okay to pull the roasting tomatoes from the oven a bit early when you need them for the rice.)
• When the tomatoes are done roasting add six of them to a blender for the Salsa along with 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 jalapeno, and a pinch of salt (optional). Pulse blend, leaving it a bit chunky. Taste for seasoning and for heat level. You can always add more jalapeno if you want a more fiery Salsa.
• To cook the chicken, I usually saute 3-4 tablespoons of chopped onion in some oil until tender (over medium-high heat) and then add the seasoned chicken. Form a single layer as much as possible and let the first side cook through all the way, then flipping and briefly cooking the second side. When done, add the chicken to a bowl and cover with foil until serving.
• For the guacamole, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3-4 tablespoons of finely chopped onion, and the juice of 1 lime to a bowl. Combine with the flesh of two ripe avocados. Taste for seasoning. I added another pinch of salt and another squeeze of lime to this batch. (I usually crush the chopped onion with the back of fork to mimic a molcajete and release some additional oils.)
• I recommend half-assembling the tacos for your family and friends, i.e. crisping them up on a comal or skillet before serving. First, put the chicken, guacamole, and salsa on the table in serving bowls. Then add 4-5 corn tortillas to the comal or skillet over mediumish heat (or as many as you can fit). Add a layer of refried beans, cheese, and rice to each tortilla. Cook until the cheese is melted or the bottom of the tortilla is turning golden brown, approx. 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately and let your peeps add the chicken, guacamole, and salsa themselves.

CHICKEN TACO MEAT

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until hot. Add the chicken in batches and cook, browning, a couple minutes per side; remove the chicken to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the garlic and onions to the skillet and cook briefly. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and salt to taste. Pour in the tomato sauce and 2 cups water to create a broth. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the broth is reduced by half.
• Let cool, divide among 4 freezer bags and freeze.

CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Rub the marinade all over the chicken pieces. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. Preheat the oven to 350/. Lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a roasting pan. Roast for about 40 minutes, or until the meat easily pulls away from the bone. Set the chicken aside to cool and pour the cooking juices from the pan into a bowl or cup.
• Refrigerate the juices so that the fat rises to the top. When the chicken is cool, remove and discard the skin, if desired, and bones and cut or shred the meat into bitesized pieces. Refrigerate the chicken if you do not plan to use it right away. When you are ready to make the tacos, skim off and discard the fat which has risen from the cooking juices, and use the brown cooking liquid which remains to reheat the chicken in a low oven.
• Dip a corn tortilla in some water and shake off the excess. Toast one at a time in a nonstick pan over medium heat for about 1 minute on each side. Wrap in a towel to keep warm while you dip and heat the remaining tortillas.
• For each taco, stack 2 tortillas. Divide the warm chicken and place on top. Top with Salsa Fresca, sliced avocado, and chopped cilantro.
• Combine 1/3 cup of the orange juice, the achiote paste, jalapenos, garlic, peppercorns and salt in a blender or food processor. Puree until the peppercorns are completely crushed. Add the cilantro and the remaining 1/3 cup orange juice and puree until smooth.
• In large bowl combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky and form a ball when pressed together. To test, flatten a small piece of dough between your palms. If the edges crack, add water to the dough, a tablespoon at a time, until a test piece does not crack.
• Divide the dough into 24 golf ball size pieces for tacos and 12 large balls for quesadillas. Place on a platter and cover with a damp towel. Line a tortilla press with 2 sheets of plastic cut from a plastic freezer bag or other heavy duty plastic bag.
• Heat a dry cast iron skillet, or non-stick pan until moderately hot. Flatten each ball of dough in the tortilla press, then remove the plastic from the top and, holding the tortilla with your fingertips, peel off the bottom sheet. Lay the tortillas one by one on the skillet and cook about 30 to 45 seconds per side, pressing the top of each tortilla with your fingertips to make it puff. Place the hot tortillas on a towel.
• When they are still warm but not hot, stack and wrap in a towel. Serve immediately or let cool, wrap well in plastic or a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator up to a week.
• In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients. Stir and toss well. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator no more than 1 day.

MEXICAN CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Place the chicken breasts in a dish and sprinkle with the lime juice. Cover and marinate for up to 12 hours.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 140°C, 300°F, Gas Mark 1.
• Stack the tortillas, wrap in aluminum foil and place in the oven to warm through.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until just tender.
• Meanwhile, cut the chicken into 6mm/1/4-inch pieces.
• Stir in the chicken pieces into the frying pan, season with the cumin, salt, and black pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time minutes, until the chicken is opaque and cooked through.
• Add the chopped tomato, coriander and the lemon juice, mix well then remove from the heat and transfer to a warm serving dish.
• To serve - Stack 2 tortillas (to prevent tearing) and place the chicken, salsa, lettuce on the tortilla stack. Roll it up and lick your fingers.