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
Followed the recipe, but adding the extra tortilla on top did not work for me. 14 minutes at 375 did the job and the tostada was crunchy and delicious. I added chopped cilantro to finish. Use lots of lime. I will use a rotisserie chicken next time. Poaching a chicken breast and shredding was dry. Love this!!!
I used a 3-inch biscuit cookie cutter to make each of my cheese rounds. Just placed it on the parchment, dropped in the cheese, patted it gently, and then carefully lifted the biscuit cutter. This resulted in cheese rounds that were perfectly round and uniform in size.
Amazing recipe! The secret is creating the crunchy cheese crust on baking sheet. Low fuss factor delivers a high flavor factor. I added some thinly shredded Napa cabbage on top for yet more crunch. Mmmmm