Recipe: Chicken and Pepper Tacos with Guacamole and Corn Tortillas
This recipe serves 4
For the filling:
2 chicken breasts, cut into long thin strips
1 large onion, cut in half and then into thin slices
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons fajita spice mix
For the fajita spice mix:
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons of paprika
Pinch of cayenne
½ teaspoon garlic Powder
½ teaspoon salt
A good grind of black pepper
For the guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
¼ red onion, very finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste or very finely chopped
Handful of coriander finely chopped
Juice of a lemon (½ to start with and then a little more if you like)
Salt and pepper
For the Corn Tortillas:
Makes about 15 tortillas, you can also buy corn or flour tortillas if you are short of time!
300g masa harina (this is a special flour made of corn)
½ teaspoon salt
300-400ml boiling water
To serve:
½ lettuce shredded
Grated cheese
Sour cream
Chilli sauce, if you like it spicy
How to make the Chicken & Pepper filling:
1. Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan or wok, when it is hot add the sliced chicken breast and cook until it is almost all white.
2. Add the slice onion and the spice mix to the hot pan and cook for about three minutes.
3. Next, add the sliced pepper and cook for another three minutes until just getting soft. If it starts to stick just add a splash of water into the pan. Continue to cook for another three minutes until the veg are a bit soft and the chicken is cooked through. Taste and add a bit more salt and pepper if you like.
How to make the Guacamole:
1.Cut the avocado in half. Remove the stone and scoop out the inside with a spoon into a bowl. Mash up the avocado with a fork until quite smooth.
2. Add the crushed garlic, red chilli, juice of ½ lemon and the salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Finally, gently stir in the tomatoes and coriander. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper if you like.
How to make the Corn Tortillas:
1. Add the masa harina and salt to a large bowl. Next slowly add the water mixing all the time until a dough is formed. Knead it in the bowl for a minute or so until you have a smooth dough.
2. Divide the dough into about 15 pieces and roll each into a ball.
3. Line your tortilla press with two pieces of plastic from a plastic sandwich bag. Place the dough in the middle and push down on the tortilla press to make a flat round tortilla. If you don’t have a tortilla press (most people don’t!) then roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic bag or baking parchment using a rolling pin.
4. Heat up a large frying pan or griddle until it’s very hot. Put the rolled out tortillas on the hot pan and cook for one minute on each side. Continue until you have cooked all the tortillas. Keep warm on a warm plate with a clean tea towel over the top until you are ready to eat. Or reheat in the oven wrapped in foil.
5. Put a corn tortilla on a plate and top with the chicken and pepper mixture. Add a blob of guacamole, some shredded lettuce, grated cheese and drizzle with sour cream. Roll up and eat. Yum!
Copyright Erin Bunting, June 2017