This past weekend I flew to Asheville to spend some time with my sister & bro-in-law. We worked on Christmas gifts and cooked a lot of food.
One thing we made was fish Tacos. I have never even tried them, so I was excited to help her make them. We loosely based it on a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, or “Ree” as Colton likes to call her.
The recipe for Fried Chicken Tacos is from her second cookbook, Food From My Frontier.
We cubed some tilapia and prepared a seasoning mix to give it lots of flavor. Chili powder, cumin, & salt.
Diced some tomatoes.
Place the fish in a large skillet with some diced green chiles over medium-high heat with 1T olive oil. Saute for 3-4 minutes, then sprinkle with the spice mixture and saute until it is completely cooked.
Best looking Chef ever!
In a separate skillet heat 1 C canola oil over medium-high heat. Spoon fish into a tortilla and grasp it closed between tongs.
Lay it in the hot oil, holding down the top so that it remains closed. Cook until golden brown, 30-40 seconds, and flip over to fry on the other side.
Viola! Aren’t the beauteous? We let them drain a bit then filled them with tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream & cheese. They were AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! Thanks to my pretty sis for introducing me to a new recipe! Best part is, if you use corn tortillas, they are gluten-free! OH YEAH!
Pioneer Woman’s Fried Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 16 whole Corn Tortillas (small Size)
- 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Pieces (We used Tilapia instead)
- Salt, Cumin, Chili Powder To Taste (or Use Taco Seasoning)
- 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
- 1-½ cup Finely Grated Cheese (cheddar Or Cheddar/jack Mix)
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce (Chulula Or Other Brand)
- 2 cups Thinly Sliced Romaine Lettuce (or Any Lettuce)
- 4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
- Canola Oil, For Frying Tacos
Preparation Instructions
*Be careful frying with hot oil!*
Season diced chicken liberally. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes. Dump in the diced green chilies. Stir and cook until chicken is totally done inside. Turn off heat and set aside.
Have all other ingredients—grated cheese, sliced lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, and hot sauce—ready.
Also have a plate ready, as well as a stack of five or six paper towels to hold in your hand.
TO FRY
To fry the tacos, heat a couple of inches of canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high. Place some chicken in the middle of a tortilla, then fold tortilla in half. Clamp the tortilla shut with a pair of heat-proof metal tongs, then carefully lay the taco—one side down—in the oil. As you lay it in the oil, use the tongs to hold the top side down for a few seconds to form it in place. Once it stays put, repeat with two other tacos. Turn tacos after 30 to 45 seconds, or when each side gets light golden brown (not too brown.)
One at a time, remove tacos from the pan with tongs, holding sideways as you remove them to allow oil to drip out of the sides. Place the taco in the stack of paper towels. Fold the sides and corners around the taco to tightly hold it, then give it three or four shakes to remove excess oil. Remove it from the paper towels and place on a plate. Repeat with other tacos in the pan.
As you continue frying the other tacos, have someone carefully place some grated cheese inside the tops of the tacos (gently pry them open just enough to place the cheese in). Then just let them sit until ready to serve—the cheese will melt as it sits in the warm taco.
To serve, garnish in this order: a smear of sour cream, dashes of hot sauce, shredded lettuce, diced tomato. You’ll need to slightly open up the tops of the tacos to get all the garnishes in there.
Tacos will be hot for a minute or two after frying, so don’t rush into eating! They’ll stay nice and warm for a little while after frying.
Gina DiMartino 