Crispy Cheddar Chicken Tacos
Updated May 28, 2024
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½medium red onion, thinly sliced (lengthwise, from root to stem end)
- 1cup hot water (tap water is fine)
- Salt
- ½teaspoon dried oregano
- 3tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 2cups shredded, cooked chicken, warmed
- 2chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 6ounces medium Cheddar, Monterey Jack or queso Chihuahua, grated
- 8(6-inch) corn tortillas
- Sliced avocado, salsa and lime wedges, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
216 calories; 11 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 391 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Set an oven rack in the middle position; heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, stir the onion, hot water and 1 teaspoon salt until the salt has dissolved. Let sit for 5 minutes. This will soften the onion and lessen any bitter or harsh flavors. Rinse the onion under cold water and drain. In the same bowl, toss the onion with the oregano, lime juice, orange juice and ½ teaspoon salt; reserve.
- Step 3
In a separate bowl, quickly toss together the chicken, peppers and adobo sauce, making sure the chicken is completely coated. Season with salt. Cover and keep warm.
- Step 4
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat (do not use foil or the cheese might stick). Arrange cheese in 8 equal mounds on the prepared baking sheet. Spread each mound evenly to about 3 inches wide, and space at least 1 inch apart. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and deep golden brown in spots and around the edges, about 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and place 1 tortilla over each cheese crust and return to the oven to heat the tortillas, about 2 minutes.
- Step 5
Use tongs to carefully remove each tortilla with its costra, flipping each one onto a plate so that the cheese is facing up. Top with chicken, onions, avocado, salsa and a squeeze of lime.
Private Notes
Comments
While an added step, for those who dislike the stale flavor of grocery store corn tortillas, perhaps consider the Serious Eats approach about the right way to warm corn tortillas. Following their method of a quick dip in water then directly onto a dry hot pan and finally stacked in a tea towel to finish steaming, the stale taste is gone. It takes a few extra minutes, but the results are well worth it. For this recipe, the corn tortillas were warmed before melting the cheese. Very delicious.
Instead of baking the cheese in the oven first followed by the tortillas and flipping them, simply put the tortillas in a sheet pan, cover thinly with cheddar cheese all over, and then and then broil. Then follow the recipe as specified. Done in 10 minutes.
You can make it whatever you want it to be! Simply omit chicken and add your favorite veggies. Recipes are a guide so we can make them all our own. <3
This def took me longer than the estimated 35 min prep time. That said, I did have to cook the chicken first. The recipe calls for shredded chicken so I assume that its cooking time is excluded. But still… I also cooked the cheese at 375, per recipe. My cheese never did get golden brown along the edges, despite close to 40 min in the oven. I eventually turned up the temp to 400 and removed because I was just done with waiting. It was crispy though and added a delightful, cheesy crunch to the tacos!
I’ve been eyeing the photo for this recipe every time I scroll through the news and see the ad for it, and finally went looking for it. Very glad I did! I had a pack of chicken thighs so I cooked them in the instant pot (chicken broth, orange juice, chipotles in adobo, a few seasonings). Shredded them and mixed them back in with a bit of the cooking liquid and some of the adobo sauce and lime juice. Did the cheese and tortillas as written in the recipe, which was what had caught my eye to start. Excellent, and simple! Next time I have leftover roast chicken this will be my go to for a quick and easy meal.
There are two separate good concepts here - toss pre-cooked chicken with canned chipotles for a very easy filling; and melt cheese on a silpat to get a frico disk on your tortilla. The quick-pickled onions are fine but there are plenty of other recipes for that. To the popular comment to just melt the cheese ON the tortillas - no, you've entirely missed the point! The point is that the cheese crisps against the silpat or parchment, for a browned craggy edge, but releases easily.