The Best Chicken Tacos Ever

 

I looked up the best chicken taco recipe and this came up and it did not disappoint. They are so easy and fresh-tasting. I used chicken breasts, not thighs, but either would be great. The topping is a MUST. Also, I used the keto street taco tortillas (Mission brand) and they are the yummiest, and carb free!

The Best Chicken Tacos Ever

From Bless this Mess (Melissa Griffiths)

Ingredients 

For the chicken:

• ▢1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ▢1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢Juice of 2 limes
• ▢1 tablespoon olive oil

For the topping:

• ▢1/3 cup finely chopped red or sweet onion
• ▢1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• ▢1 finely chopped jalapeño
• ▢Juice of 1 lime
• ▢Salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢1 lime, cut into 8 pieces
• ▢16 small corn tortillas for serving

Instructions 

• In a large zipper-topped plastic baggie or in shallow dish, add the chicken, all of the spices, lime juice, and oil. Close the bag and use your hands to mix everything together. If you are using a shallow dish, use tongs to work the spices evenly into the chicken. You can let this rest for up to a half-hour or work with it right away. I like to let it rest a minute to increase the flavor.
• Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add the chicken. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes. If you have an extra-large chicken thigh, you'll need to cook them longer, so turn down the heat to medium and cook them until no longer pink (could take up to 25 minutes or 12 minutes per side).
• While the chicken cooks, stir together the chicken taco topping by placing the chopped onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and the juice of one lime in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
• While the chicken rests, wipe your skillet clean with a warm rag or paper towels, and place the skillet back on the heat over medium-high to high heat. Place two tortillas (still stacked together) on the skillet and cook until the underside starts to char. Flip over and cook the other side (so the middle of each tortilla won’t be cooked against the skillet but it will get warm all the way though). Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• Chop the rested chicken into small pieces.
• To serve, place 1/8 of the chopped chicken in each set of tortillas (still two stacked together) and top with 1/8 of your onion mixture. Serve each taco with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the taco just before serving.

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos

 With my kids being home all day every day, we have been going through food at an incredible rate.  Why is everyone so hungry all of the time?!  Add soccer practices right at dinnertime to the mix and I had to come up with a fast and hearty meal that everyone would love.  MKC is always my trusted source for meals that everyone in my house can get on board with and this one was no exception.   I just bought the Cilantro Lime Crema Dressing from Costco and it was so good drizzled on top.  I added some riced cauliflower at the end and it bulked up the burrito mix and added nutrition easily making 40 burritos.  Lastly, I bought these pre-cooked tortillas from Tortilla Familia and they worked great, saved time, and are delicious.

pic courtesy of MKC

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos 

Mels Kitchen Cafe

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey/beef (I used 1 pound of each so it made a lot more)
•  1 cup chopped onion
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
•  3 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans- I used Trader Joe's
•  3 cans (4 ounces) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce 
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) salsa, green or red
•  1 teaspoon ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon chili powder
•  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Frozen riced cauliflower, optional (adds zero flavor, but bulks it up and doesn't have texture once it heats so you can't see or taste it- I probably put 1 1/2 cups in)
•  6 to 7 cups shredded cheese (I prefer using a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
•  20 10-inch tortillas or 30 8-inch tortillas (I used these and they're delicious)
• 
  

1. In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
4. I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze.
5. To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They'll be piping hot! Eat carefully. 🙂

Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this last week and it was SO easy and SO delicious.  Its one of those awesome meals that looks and tastes very fancy, but you can seriously throw it together in 5 minutes.  

image found here

Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

• 
  
• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), pounded to 1/4-inch thick or cut in half to form two thinner cutlets (see note)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 to 8 slices deli ham (exact amount depends on brand/size of slices)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used sliced Swiss)
• 15 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 3/4 cup)

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side on one side of the prepared baking sheet (to help them fit, you can alternate thicker end to thinner end as you lay them down). Placing them close together (without overlapping) will help the cheese stay put as they bake.
2. Spread the mustard lightly over the top of each chicken piece. Top with 1 to 2 slices ham to cover and then add 1/4 cup or so of the shredded cheese evenly across the top.
3. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the cheese, and press lightly so the crumbs aren’t loose. Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.  I would recommend using very thin slices of chicken breast (or pounding thicker breasts w a mallet before using).

Asparagus Frittata

This was one of those "whatever you have in the fridge meals", in the which I happened to have asparagus and eggs....BUT, it turned out to be the yummiest surprise!  We all seriously loved it.  And, its super easy to make (like seriously 2 minutes of work) and it will make you feel all kinds of fancy- which is just what you need when your husband is working late on a Friday night and you're home with your kids ;)  

courtesy

Asparagus Frittata

Jamie Oliver

6 large free-range eggs

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 knob of unsalted butter

1 bunch of small asparagus

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the eggs with a little sea salt and black pepper. 

Heat the oil and butter in a 19 cm ovenproof frying pan or cast-iron dish over a medium heat. Trim and add the asparagus for 5 minutes. 

Add the eggs, cook for 3 minutes then bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and fluffy. 

Serve hot or cold, with a drizzle of hot sauce, such as harissa, if you like (we ate it without either and it was so good).