Chicken Street Tacos

I’m back on Mexican food. Big surprise, eh? This time around, I want to show you how easy it is to make soft tacos. Around here in California, they call this version “street tacos,” because of the bajillions of taco trucks. You can also get them in some restaurants and bars, but they aren’t always completely authentic. Sometimes they add cheese, or lettuce and tomatoes, or all three. When you do that, you might as well put it on a crunchy shell and wrap it in a Taco Bell wrapper.

Yes, I know. That’s what we’re ALL used to. But that doesn’t make it right! lol And yes, I eat those tacos, too. But if you want a real, authentic Mexican treat, soft corn tortillas and the proper fixin’s is the only way to go.

As I mentioned, around here, there are a LOT of taco trucks. I’ve made a habit of checking them out, and I now have several favorites very near my house. It’s always a nice treat to stop in and have a few tacos. But the best time is when there’s a crowd of people surrounding the truck. Then, it’s more of a party… a social hang. It feels very homey, an old-school community thing. Now that the trucks know me, it’s even better.

But sometimes, I want to enjoy these wonderful little Mexican sammiches (that’s what they are, really – a sammich) at home. And that’s what this recipe is for. Even better, it’s very easy to put together, as you’ll see in a minute (or a few inches, depending on how you want to measure things.)

For this recipe, I bought a plain store-roasted chicken. I strongly advise you do NOT get one that’s had other seasonings rubbed in. Mesquite, Lemon Pepper, Garlic… they’re all good, but not for this recipe, OK? Get a plain one. The rest of this is fairly easy. A little chopping, a little chicken pickin’, and that’s about it. So let’s get started. Check out the video, then the recipe below.

Watch on You Tube

Ingredients:

1 whole roasted chicken
Garlic Powder
Cumin
Lime juice
Onion – finely chopped
Cilantro – finely chopped
Salsa verde
Corn tortillas

Instructions:

Let chicken cool enough that you can handle it without scarring yourself for life… or even a day or two. Once cooled, remove skin and discard. Remove meat from bones and hand shred to smaller pieces. Personally, I don’t bother with the wings and the back meat. I just go for the breasts, legs and thighs. If you have a big family, or a big appetite, feel free to get it all.

Place shredded chicken in a bowl. Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and cumin. In the video, I use about 1/2 teaspoon of each. Add 1 teaspoon of lime juice. Flip the chicken around to coat with spices. Remember, start with just a little, then taste. You want just the barest hint of spices and a slight “sparkle” from the lime juice. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back once it’s in there.

Warm the tortillas. I love my tortilla warmers, because I can microwave the tortillas (about a minute for up to 6), then serve them straight to the table in the traditional warmer.

Place two to three tortillas on a plate. Lightly cover with salsa. Add about 1/4 cup of chicken. Top with chopped onions, cilantro, lime juice and salsa as desired.

Serve immediately, and watch the eyes roll as your guests take their first bite.

Notes:

You can serve these all by themselves, or with rice, beans and/or salad, to make a full meal.

Remember – PLAIN chicken. Of course, you’re welcome to roast a chicken just for this, but I don’t normally do that, because when I make these, I’m usually in a time crunch. Another way to do it is to use the leftovers from a roasted chicken. Just remember that whatever spices you use on the chicken are going to end up in your taco.

You can make these with shredded pork or beef, ground beef, even shrimp. The only difference is that you might want to use red salsa for the beef.

So… try this one out, then leave a comment to tell me how it went, OK? Of course, I welcome all comments and do my best to respond to any questions you may have.

Until next time,

Play with your food!

Lane

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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