Fried Chicken Tacos

 

I am not one much for frying foods.  I don't like the way it makes my house smell really, and I am not fond of the extra calories!  When I saw this recipe for pan Fried Chicken Tacos in the Pioneer Woman's book, Food from my Frontier, I had to make it!  Fried or not!

I love, Love, LOVE Mexican flavors and her photographs looked so good!  I have not made a recipe of hers yet that wasn't delicious.  I was sure it would be the same with these! 

 

I decided to light a few candles and just go for it, smell or no smell, calories or not.  I didn't however want 16 tacos to dispose of.  I love tacos, but I could never eat that many on my own and so I small batched the recipe.

Yes, this is the small batch version to feed only two or three people. If you are looking for the full batch version, you might want to check it out here.  I also tried to simplify the cooking method somewhat. 

Just look at that lovely crisp shell, and tasty filling, just waiting for me to add the toppings.  Apparently this is a recipe from her brother.  I think the whole family must be good cooks, because these are excellent! 

A bit messy to make, a lot messy to eat, but I haven't met a delicious taco yet that wasn't more than a bit messy to eat. That's all a part of the fun! 

  

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PAN FRIED CHICKEN TACOS

Typical Tex Mex ingredients, which (in North America anyways) can easily be found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores.

For the filling:

• 1 tsp mild chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into a small dice
• 1 (4 ounce) can of green chilies, undrained (see notes)
• 1/2 TBS flavorless oil

 

You will also need

• 6 small corn tortillas
• oil for frying

To serve: (all optional)

• grated cheddar or jack cheese, or a blend of both
• finely shredded iceberg lettuce
• chopped fresh tomatoes
• finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
• sour cream
• guacamole
• Green or Red salsa
• Hot sauce (I like the green tabasco)

 

Instead of the spices for the chicken you could use Taco Seasoning. In the UK, I would do this as your chili powder, even the mild, is a blow your socks off chili powder.

You can also make your own Taco seasoning very easily. 

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning: Mix together 1 TBS mild chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

 

One ingredient which is very difficult to find in the UK is canned Green Chilies.  These are chilies that have already been roasted and canned.  They come whole or chopped.  For recipes like this you want the chopped, and undrained.

In the UK, you can either roast 3 or 4 (depending on their size) green jalapenos, trim, seed and chop, or you can simply trim, seed and chop 3 or 4 fresh green jalapenos and fry them in the skillet along with the chicken.  Either will work well. 

 

True confession here, I could not find corn tortillas when I went to the shops so I used small wheat flour tortillas.  They worked very well and in looking at the Pioneer Woman's photos, it looks like she also used wheat flour tortillas.

I have used corn tortillas before and they did not look like hers.  They are also not pliable enough for you to be able to fold and fill without breaking, unless you fry them in hot oil first.

  

So I suggest you use small wheat tortillas. They work fine and crisp up very nicely.

As far as toppings go, this is entirely up to you. You choose whatever toppings you enjoy eating on tacos. This is a highly personal thing!!  I sometimes like to also add black olives!

HOW TO MAKE PAN FRIED CHICKEN TACOS

I put together my own way of doing these as I found her instructions a bit fiddly.  What I did worked fine and the tacos were not greasy in any way. Neither did I burn my fingers. She made a great use of tongs. I found tongs to be a bit awkward after the initial phase and so I used a slotted spatula for flipping them over, again very carefully. Don't be in a rush or the oil might splash.

First make the filling. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder and salt over top.

Cook, stirring for a few minutes, then add the can of chilies.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid from the chilies has evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

 

Heat some oil for frying in a deep skillet, over medium high heat. I used about 1/2 cup. (120ml) You want it to be about 1/3 of an inch deep. You will know it is hot enough when you add a small piece of tortilla and it sizzles right away.

Fold a tortilla in half without breaking it. Spoon 1/6 of the chicken filling into the center. Press the tortilla as closed as you can get it. Using tongs lay it into the hot oil, pressing down on the top to keep it closed. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (You may need to do this in bunches. I did three and then three.)Have ready a triple layer of paper towels to drain the tacos on.

Cook until golden brown on the underside (30 to 45 seconds). Carefully flip over and repeat on the other side until browned and crispy. Scoop out to paper towels, allowing any excess oil to drain off. Drain on paper towels while you fry the next bunch.

While still hot, pry open the top a bit and stick some cheese on there. Serve with your other favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

 

Oh boy but these were some good. I did eat two, even though I had only planned on eating one. I enjoyed them with some lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce, tomatoes, cheese and green onions.

I have always preferred soft tacos over those hard corn tortilla taco shells. I am always afraid of breaking a tooth on them!  (I did break one once on a tortilla chip.)  This way of having a crisp taco was right up my alley however as it wasn't hard like a corn shell!  I very much enjoyed! 

 

If you are a fan of Tex Mex flavors and Tacos you might enjoy the following:

LIME CHIPOTLE CHICKEN FLATBREAD TACOS - A baked chicken taco in a folded corn flatbread.  Simply delicious! 

SHREDDED BEEF TACOS (SLOW COOKER) - Simple.  Easy. Delicious.  You can either cook it on high for 3 to 4 hours, or low for 6 to 8 hours. If you like beef tacos, you will adore these!

NAVAHO TACOS - Delicious, nicely spiced taco meat, served on Navaho Fry Bread with your traditional Taco toppings!

Fried Chicken Tacos for Two

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 11 MinTotal time: 16 Min

One word. Wow. Easy to make. Delicious. A bit messy, but some of the more delicious things in the world are!

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 tsp mild chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into a small dice
• 1 (4 ounce) can of green chilies, undrained (see notes)
• 1/2 TBS flavorless oil

You will also need

• 6 small corn tortillas
• oil for frying

To serve: (all optional)

• grated cheddar or jack cheese, or a blend of both
• finely shredded iceberg lettuce
• chopped fresh tomatoes
• finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
• sour cream
• guacamole
• Green or Red salsa
• Hot sauce (I like the green tabasco)

Instructions

1. First make the filling. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder and salt over top.
2. Cook, stirring for a few minutes, then add the can of chilies.
3. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid from the chilies has evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
4. Heat some oil for frying in a deep skillet, over medium high heat. I used about 1/2 cup. (120ml) You want it to be about 1/3 of an inch deep. You will know it is hot enough when you add a small piece of tortilla and it sizzles right away.
5. Fold a tortilla in half without breaking it. Spoon 1/6 of the chicken filling into the center. Press the tortilla as closed as you can get it.
6. Using tongs lay it into the hot oil, pressing down on the top to keep it closed. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (You may need to do this in bunches. I did three and then three.)
7. Have ready a triple layer of paper towels to drain the tacos on.
8. Cook until golden brown on the underside (30 to 45 seconds). Carefully flip over and repeat on the other side until browned and crispy. Scoop out to paper towels, allowing any excess oil to drain off. Drain on paper towels while you fry the next bunch.
9. While still hot, pry open the top a bit and stick some cheese on top. Serve with your other favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

Notes

If you cannot get canned green chilies (I know this is impossible in the UK, or at least it was when I was there), you can chop two to three trimmed and seeded green jalapeno peppers. Add these to the pan with the chicken and cook until softened and the chicken has browned a bit and is cooked through.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it # marierayner5530

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com 

 Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again! 

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin