Weekend Herb Blogging: Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos

That's Charlie, the taco dog, holding three delicious Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos.  It's Cinco de Mayo and my original intent was to make enchiladas. But, I make them once a week, so that's hardly a special dish for us.  Instead, I made this taco recipe from Rick Bayless.  The salad itself is very easy to make.  I used a store bought rotisserie chicken and assembled the salad in less than 10 minutes. That left me with enough time to make my own corn tortillas from scratch.  I wish this dish had an unusual herb for Weekend Herb Blogging, but it's cilantro....again.  In the past couple of weeks some very unusual herbs have been featured in this weekend event created by Kalyn.  Go over to her site and see what the other herb bloggers have cooked up.  But, do take the time to consider this slightly different take on tacos. They're delicious.  Everyone enjoyed them immensely. 

It's been quite a long time since I made my own tortillas, but it was easier than I remembered.  I made the tortillas for this recipe because the rather flimsy corn tortillas sold in my grocery store would fall apart wrapped around the salad.  My tortillas turned out just right--tender, but strong and pliable, perfect for holding the tangy salad.   The only hard part making them was locating the tortilla press.  Of course, it was in the most inconvenient place, pushed back into a corner of a cabinet, covered with cake pans that I rarely use.  I had to get down on my hands and knees and practically climb into the cabinet to dig the press out. 

Once I had the press, it was quite easy to make them.  You mix the masa harina with water and form balls of dough the size of walnuts and place them on the press, which is covered with a small square of plastic

You put a second sheet of the plastic on top of the dough ball and press down several times, rotating the circle.  And it's done.  You carefully peel off the plastic and cook them on a hot skillet for about a minute.

The tortillas are piled on top of each other and covered with a cloth as you cook each one in the skillet.  Their heat will continue cooking the tortillas and make them soft and tender.

If you don't want to make your own tortillas and the store bought varieties are thin and delicate, try stacking two tortillas together and use them to hold the filling for each taco.  The tortillas are served hot, wrapped around the room temperature salad. All the contrasting flavors, temperatures, and textures make this a special experience.   

I piled the salad into a large bowl and served the hot tortillas separately, so that people could make their own tacos.   And if the tortillas are too much of an issue, the salad is good enough to eat without them.

Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos  (Rick Bayless)

Makes about 4 cups, filling 12 to 16 tacos
Serving 4 as a casual meal

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
   (no need to use your very best balsamico here)
1/3 cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, finely chopped
Salt
1/2 small head Napa cabbage,
   thinly sliced (about 2-1/2 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled and
   chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken,
   preferably grilled, roasted or rotisserie chicken
1 large ripe avocado, peeled,
   pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup coarsely grated Mexican queso añejo
   or other dry grating cheese, such as Romano or Parmesan
12 to 16 warm, fresh corn tortillas

1. The Filling:
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and chipotles. Season generously with salt, usually about a generous 1/4 teaspoon. Add the cabbage, carrot, onion, cilantro and chicken. Toss everything together and let stand for 15 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.

2. Finishing The Dish:  Scoop the filling into a wide shallow serving bowl, dot with the cubed avocado and dust generously with the cheese. Set on the table with the warm tortillas, and you're ready for some great roll-them-yourself tacos.

Working Ahead:  The chicken filling is best eaten the day it is made, though it will keep for several hours in the refrigerator.

Making Tortillas

I N G R E D I E N T S
2 cups masa harina
pinch of salt
1 cup warm water
Makes: 12-  6 inch tortillas

I N S T R U C T I O N S
1 Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms into a soft dough.  Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if it needs more.

2 Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface such as a cutting board or your counter top.   Knead the dough for about 3 to 4 minutes until it becomes smooth and no longer sticky.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about an hour.  (I've made it without the hour wait--and they tasted good.)

3 Divide the tortilla dough into 12 equal size pieces.  Keep the dough covered as you work.  Take one piece at a time and roll it between your hands to form a ball.

4 Open the tortilla press and lay a piece of plastic on the bottom of the press, heavier plastic cut from a ziploc bag works best.   Sit the ball of dough on the plastic wrap, place a second piece of plastic on top of the ball, and flatten the dough by pressing down on it with the palm of your hand. 

5 Close the press and press down firmly a few times, rotating the circle until the tortilla is flattened. You can control how thin you want it to be. 

6  Pick up the tortilla in your hand and carefully peel off the top piece of plastic. Flip the tortilla to the other hand, plastic side up and remove the second piece of plastic.  Carefully slide the tortilla onto a medium-high ungreased skillet and cook for 20 seconds on one side and around 45 seconds on the other side.  As you finish each tortilla, place it in a plate lined with a loth.  Cover the tortillas with another cloth as you are cooking and stacking them. The heat of the finished tortillas under the cloth will continue the cooking process.    

My favorite way to reheat tortillas.  Wet a cloth and wring it out. Place up to a dozen corn tortillas on the cloth and fold the cloth around the tortillas. Place them on a plate and put the bundle in a microwave.  Heat this for around 2 minutes.  Uncover to see if the tortillas are hot. If not heat another minute.  When done, they will stay hot inside this cloth bundle for at least 10-15 minutes.

Comments

[Alanna]

Thanks for re-inspiring me about the tortillas. I made them last fall, sans press, and was sans-impressed. And the salad looks terrific, I love-love rotisserie chickens and now my grocery has started doing rotisserie breasts too. And it "calls for" cilantro!

[steven]

Yum! I love fresh tortillas. I'm usually impatient about waiting for the masa to rest and it makes it hard to seperate from the plastic. I love Rick's recipes, but I have to say he lost mucho respect from me when he did that Burger King commercial.

[albert]

sher,

Thank you for dropping by.. I commented on your 'comment' so check back.

Question,

Can I include your site to one of my 'links?' I want more people to experience these dishes (even though we can only eat them visually).

[sher]

Alanna,

Yes, a good rotisserie chicken can be so reliable when you're rushed. You know, I've tried to make tortillas by patting them out and I can't do a good job. But, the best tortillas I ever had were hand made in Guatemala. They ground the corn by hand and patted out small thick tortillas. Delicious. But, I need the press.

Steven,

I don't always let the tortilla dough rest either. Do you use heavy plastic, like from a Ziploc bag when you press the dough? That works much better for me than Saran Wrap. Yeah, that was strange when Rick did that BK commercial

[steven]

Sher:

I use ziplocs like you do. I got the tip from a friend's housekeeper in Texas. Have you ever made arepas? They're similar to tortillas, only a lot thicker. I had some great ones at a restaurant in Brooklyn a couple weeks ago with butter and melted queso fresco and they were awesome. Maybe I should make some and do a post?

[sher]

Steven,

I've never had arepas, but now I want to. I think a post on them would be great!

[kalyn]

Yum, this sounds just wonderful. Am I hearing this right? Rick Bayless did a Burger King Commercial? How disappointing.
Once again, I love the sound of what you're cooking.

[Glenna]

Oh God, I love these. Please come to my house and cook for me today. I have some leftover roasted chicken even. Okay fine. I'll have to make them myself. Thanks for making this dish, Sher. You inspired me.

[Nerissa]

That is an unbelieveably cute taco holder! I think all I ever used in my life were those cheap El Paso plastic holders (bright yellow). I've never made my own tortillas but I do have some masa harina I've not touched yet. Maybe I'll make some. :)

[Cate O'Malley]

The tacos look delicious - and I love the cute taco holder!

[sher]

Nerissa and Cate'

I'm so glad you both like my taco dog. In the past I would have bought him as a gift for someone else and then sulk because everyone else gets cute stuff, but not me. So, I decided to buy cute things for myself (if it was reasonably priced). The taco dog is from Sur La Table, and he only cost $15.

And Nerissa--hope you make your corn tortillas!

[sher]

Kalyn,

Apparently Rick Bayless bought Burger King's pitch to him that their Southwestern sandwiches were low in fat, so it would be a good thing for him to endorse. He got a lot of critcism, to say the least.

Glenna,

Wish we were close enough to cook fo reach other!

[Kerri]

I need this taco holder. And thanks for the idea of chicken tacos--I am not a big taco meat fan.

Kerri

[ramya]

Hi sher,
I am taking this posting for refrence to save time and typing.Hope you will agree for making tortillas.Your post on Good Times are simply inspiring.see your posting again.
best wishes.

[Bunty]

IS THAT A NEW DISH LOOKS INTERESTING WHAT ELSE CAN YOU USE IT FOR??

[Gabriella True]

oh my god. where on earth did you unearth that dog!! it is too divine. LOVE IT!

[sher]

Kerri,

I liked this recipe because the meat is balanced by the other ingredients. It was very nice. And since it was room temp--didn't have to worry about it getting cold!

Ramya,

Thank you!! Hope you enjoy it.

Bunty,

Hmm, I bet I could use it to serve other kinds of bread.

Gabriella,

Thank you. I got it from Sur La Table. They have a lot of nice things like this.