Chicken Tacos for Taco Tuesday...

If you didn't know, the second Tuesday of the month is 'Taco Tuesday'. No, it's not a real thing, but why not - it sounds good... My earliest memories of tacos comes from being at "Taco Joe's" up in East Chicago. They had the best soft tacos. Every time we would go up to see my grandmother we would go by there and chow down. I was probably 4 or 5 the first time I had one, and I'll never forget how good it was. They were simple - flour tortilla, luscious port taco meat, a spot of cheese, hot sauce and that was about it. No frills either - oblong white plate stacked with 6 or 8 of the things and there you go... From what I can recall they had a very short menu and you got enough food on your plate to make you hurt if you ate it all. My mom was somehow able to get the recipe from them and one of these days I'll put it up.

Anyhow, back to yesterday's tacos - They were simple but oh so very good. I started out wanting to grill a strip steak tacos but just didn't have the energy to get into all of that so chicken inside it was...

Chicken - I had about a pound of chicken breast that I cut into chunks - a bit smaller than your normal bite size piece. I dusted them with Penzeys Adobo seasoning and sauted them to a yummy goodness. It took about 5 minutes over medium heat. There is a good Mexican spice mixture recipe twards the bottom of the page you can use if you don't have theis spice blend.
Tomatillo salsa - was made for chicken - If you haven't tried it I suggest you give it a shot. Jut a tablespoon or so on your taco will do the trick. It's very easy to make but you can find pre-made in the market. It gives a really fresh flavor to just about anything. I made mine last night - roasted a few tomatillos, jalapeno, and garlic cloves, blitzed it with some onion and cilantro - yum! Will be doing a video on making it soon. It's really good with corn chips as well...
Cilantro - I hate to admit that there was a time in my life that I didn't like cilantro. I'm not sure what I was thinking but I'm all about it now! I think cilantro adds a nice freshness to tacos...
Tomatoes - For the first time this year I was able to use a tomato off one of my mater plants. It seemed to take them forever to produce this year... Anyhoo, they're not a must but I like them on my tacos.
Green Onion - Usually I use red onion for my tacos but I didn't have any. I did have some green onion in the fridge and it was a good stand in. It tasted great on the tacos...
Queso fresco - If you use a Mexican blend cheese for your tacos (which I'll admit I often do) that you get from Kraft or whomever, queso fresco will take your taco to another level. I've been using it a lot more lately and I have to say it's a really good addition. So good in fact that my usage of the other is dwindling rapidly.
Avocado - Really do I need to go into this? Mexicanish food and Avocados go together without saying a word... I love avocados and it's not unusual for me to eat one as a snack with just a pinch of salt. Besides all that they look really great on top of a taco...

1 Lb chicken cut into small bite sized pieces
1 Tb Penzeys Adobo seasoning (or use the recipe below)
Tomatoes cut to your liking
Cilantro, cut to your liking
Tomatillo salsa - 2 Tb per taco or so
Queso Fresco - A little goes a long way
Avocado - 2 - 3 slices per taco
Green onion - 2 -4 stalks finely sliced into rounds

Heat a saute pan to medium. Mix the cut up chicken with the adobo seasoning and add to the pan. Cook chicken until fully cooked. Prepare the tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, and avocado and put into bowls. Heat the tortillas and let everyone have at it. I personally think it's best to let everyone make their own so they get what they want. Plus it's fun to make your own taco...

If you don't have any Penzeys Adobo seasoning I suggest you go get you some (www.penzeys.com)! If that's not an option give this mixture a try...

1 Tb Chili powder
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 Tb Oregano leaves
1 1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tb Garlic powder
1 Tb Black pepper

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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I use the term Mexican food loosely - I've been to Mexico quite a few times and well lets just say there's a big difference between Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine. They aint got no nachos and everything they make is NOT smothered in a simple Kraft Mexican blend cheese... I'm working on a nice entry called Mexican vs. Tex-Mex - make sure you read it - that is if there really is anyone actually reading these things...