I don't think I have ever made any secret of the fact that I love Tex Mex flavors and Mexican food. When I was in the UK it was always somewhat of a challenge to cook this type of food. When I first arrived it was impossible actually.
There was no such thing there. I credit a cook on Master Chef, Tomasina Miers for bringing Tex Mex food into the UK. It was much easier to find the ingredients when I left and there was actually a dedicated Tex Mex Section in every grocery store, where new items were being added all the time.
Tex Mex was not something I had grown up with. There were no Taco Bells in our area. Pizza came in when I was a young teen, and we had a local Chinese place, but that was as foreign as it got here in the Valley.
There was no McDonalds, A&W or Dairy Queen. We had small mom and pop types of restaurants, which served regular every day food. I remember it being very exciting when our Metropolitan Dept. Store at the mall got a lunch counter!
There was a small shack on the end of the Dodge Road that sold the best fish and chips. Hand cut fried and hand battered fish. They were so good. You couldn't sit in to eat them. You had to eat them in your car.
We had a local Tasty Twirl/burger shack place where you could get ice creams and fries, burgers, etc. I remember a Sub Shop coming in when I was in my late teens. I guess people around here were not all that in to foreign food!
Mind, eating out at all was considered a great luxury back then. People just didn't do it unless it was a special occasion. It didn't happen.
We are terrifically spoiled today with all manner of choice when it comes to eating and different cuisines. We have developed more cosmopolitan tastes, as we have travelled more. It is not at all unusual for a family to travel to Mexico or Cuba now. (Well more-so pre-Covid, not so much at the moment.)
We used to have a Taco Bell right here in this area, but it shut down a number of years back. Now the closest one is in Stellarton, several hours away. My son always stops there with his family and loads up on Tacos wheen they are coming to the Valley for a visit or going back to PEI.
If we want Mexican/Tex Mex food here, we have to make it ourselves. Thankfully these days that is not a problem as the ingredients are quite readily available, or at least some of them are. I have not yet seen masa harina or corn husks to make tamales from scratch, but I could be looking in the wrong place.
I had a quantity of leftover cooked chicken left (surprise surprise) and wanted to make something Tex Mex with it. I decided to make these quick and easy baked Chicken Tacos.
They are so quick to throw together. You can have them made, baked and on the table in about 20 minutes, ready to enjoy. Not only are they quick and easy, but they are also very delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUICK AND EASY BAKED CHICKEN TACOS
Just a few simple ingredients and you are well on your way to enjoying these. I keep most of these things in my store cupboard. I even keep avocado cubed and frozen in my freezer.
I have given the quantities for feeding two people, but have added the quantities to feed six people in brackets.
For the filling:
- 1 largish boneless skinless chicken breast poached and shredded (4)
- 1/2 can chopped green chilies (1 full can)
- 1 TBS liquid honey (1/4 cup/85g)
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream (1 cup/120g)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 hard stand and stuff taco shells (10)
- 4 spoonful's (about 1/3 can) of refried beans (3/4 can)
- 4 TBS grated Tex Mex Cheese blend (10 TBS)
I like to use the hard stand and stuff taco shells as they are much easier to fill, to bake and to eat.
To serve, you will also need a variety of your favorite taco toppings. I like to top with sour cream, chopped spring onions, chopped tomatoes and avocado, and green tabasco sauce, but black olives are nice, as are salsa, guacamole, etc.
Just top with whatever taco toppings you enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE QUICK & EASY BAKED CHICKEN TACOS
Shred the chicken in a bowl and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Combine with the honey and green chilies. (You can poach chicken specifically to use in these, or you can use leftover cooked chicken, shredded. I like to shred it as it has a much nicer texture.)
Put the taco shells into the baking dish. Place one spoonful of refried beans into the bottom of each taco shell. Top with 1/4 (1/10th) of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle a TBS of grated cheese over top of each.
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the refried beans and chicken is heated through and the cheese has melted.
Serve immediately with your desired toppings. Today I used sour cream, spring onions, tomatoes and avocados, with a splash of green Tabasco hot sauce.
Some of my other favorites when it comes to Tex Mex flavors are Stacked Turkey Mexi Melts (can use chicken), Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas, Granny's Beef Enchiladas, and Slow Cooker Beef Tacos just to name a few. There is no shortage of Tex Mex on here.
My absolute favorite Tex Mex recipe has to be Crispy Tortilla Eggs. I could eat them every night of the week, they are that good!
In any case I do hope that you will give these Baked Chicken Tacos a try and that you will enjoy them. They are also a great way to sneak in some chopped vegetables if you are so inclined. Just chop up some onion, peppers, broccoli, spinach, etc. soften them and add them in with the chicken. I can guarantee your family won't mind a bit!
Quick & Easy Baked Chicken Tacos
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Deliciously quick and easy to make these chicken tacos are a real favorite. I have downsized to feed two people, but have put quantities to feed 6 people in brackets.
Ingredients
- 1 largish boneless skinless chicken breast poached and shredded (4)
- 1/2 can chopped green chilies (1 full can)
- 1 TBS liquid honey (1/4 cup/85g)
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream (1 cup/120g)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 hard stand and stuff taco shells (10)
- 4 spoonful's (about 1/3 can) of refried beans (3/4 can)
- 4 TBS grated Tex Mex Cheese blend (10 TBS)
To serve: ( any or all according to taste)
- Chopped fresh cherry tomatoes
- chopped spring onions
- sour cream
- chopped avocado
- chopped black olives
- green tabasco sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 or 8 inch square baking dish.
- Shred the chicken in a bowl and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Combine with the honey and green chilies.
- Put the taco shells into the baking dish. Place one spoonful of refried beans into the bottom of each taco shell. Top with 1/4 (1/10th) of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle a TBS of grated cheese over top of each.
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the refried beans and chicken is heated through and the cheese has melted.
- Serve immediately with your desired toppings. Today I used sour cream, spring onions, tomatoes and avocados, with a splash of green Tabasco hot sauce.
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These look good, Marie. And it prompted an idea for my leftover meatloaf (today is day three and it's getting old!) I'm going to break it up and add taco seasonings and make beefy tacos or burritos. It already has onions in it and I'm pretty sure it will break up when I put it in the skillet. This could be interesting...
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