Chicken Tacos
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
These delicious tacos make a fun meal for the whole family. The chicken mince recipe is inspired by Sydney caterer Simmone Logue. As she points out, you can substitute red kidney beans for the chicken (or any beans for that matter) if you’re vegetarian.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil 2 tablespoons
- fresh ginger, peeled 1 tablespoon, grated
- garlic 1 – 2 cloves, crushed
- large onion 1, finely chopped
- cinnamon stick 1
- star anise 1
- ground cumin 1 tablespoon
- mild paprika 1 tablespoon
- ground coriander 1 teaspoon
- ground chilli 1/2 teaspoon
- tomato paste 2 tablespoons, plus 2 – 3 tablespoons water
- chicken mince 500g, preferably thigh meat, but you can use breast mince
- peeled tomatoes 440g tin, chopped
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- mint leaves 1/2 cup chopped
- coriander leaves 1/2 cup chopped
- tortillas 1 packet, prefeably mini corn
- lite sour cream 300ml
- tasty cheese 150g – 200g, grated
- iceberg lettuce 1/2 shredded
- avocado 1, peeled and sliced
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the ginger, garlic and onion and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise and ground spices. Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and water. Cook for a further two minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken mince and tinned tomatoes and stir well to combine. Cook for half an hour or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has reduced. Season with salt and pepper. Stir through the fresh coriander and mint. Prepare the tortillas: heat a frying pan. Dry fry the tortillas on both sides, 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm by covering with foil and placing in preheated oven. Alternatively, you can heat the tortillas in the microwave which will allow for a soft wrap. To serve: the idea is for everyone to assemble their own tacos. Set out bowls filled with sour cream, grated cheese, shredded lettuce and sliced avocado. Place the chicken mix in a larger bowl. Lay each tortilla flat on a plate or board, and smear with some of the sour cream. Spoon 2 – 3 tablespoons of chicken mince down the centre of the tortilla, top with a little tasty cheese, a couple of avocado slices and shredded lettuce and fold over. Good served with chilli jam and lime cheeks. Note: What’s the difference between tacos, quesadillas, fajitas and burritos? tacos – traditionally a corn tortilla, filled the freshest ingredients, typically pork carnitas, with some pico de gallo, and maybe a couple slices of avocado, a dollop of sour cream, or some fresh cotija cheese. quesadillas – a flour tortilla, toasted with melted cheese in the middle, you can add beef, chicken, or veggies, kind of like a “mexican grilled cheese sandwich.” fajitas – the difference with fajitas is that the ingredients are usually grilled instead of “pan prepared”, either grilled steak, chicken or shrimp, with grilled bell peppers and onion, in a flour tortilla with a variety of toppings, such as salasa, cheese, guacamole, sour cream burritos – a large flour tortilla, traditionally filled with ground beef, carne asada, carnitas, or al pastor (spiced pork), and refried beans, rice, cheese, rolled up in a wrap and eaten by hand.