12/28/14 recipe -Taste USA

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Chicken Salad Taco

How to make Chicken Salad Taco Recipe

Makes 4 tacos

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans chicken broth (14.5 ounces each)
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ cup diced onion
4 Tablespoons mayonnaise
4 teaspoons mustard
2 teaspoons Classic Taco Seasoning (page 170)
4 teaspoons relish
1 teaspoon celery salt
Cracked black pepper to taste
1-2 pieces lettuce per taco
Tortillas

Method:
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side.

While chicken is cooking, add broth to Dutch oven, or other large pot that can be covered, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to simmer. When chicken is ready, add to broth and cover. Simmer 10 minutes.

Shred chicken into large pieces using two forks to pull meat apart. Cover and cook 5 more minutes. Pull meat apart into smaller shreds, cover, and cook 5 more minutes.

Combine all remaining ingredients except lettuce and tortillas to medium mixing bowl with chicken and mix thoroughly.

Cover a tortilla with lettuce and top with chicken salad.

Chicken Salad Taco

Chicken Cacciatore Taco

How to make Chicken Cacciatore Taco Recipe

Makes 6 tacos

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons + 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, separated
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 green peppers, sliced thin
4-6 cloves garlic (depending on preference), sliced thin
1 cup white wine
2 cups canned diced tomato with juices
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1-2 whole lettuce leaves per taco
Tortillas

Method:
Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cut chicken into four quadrants per breast and lightly brown about 4 ½ minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add remaining 2 Tablespoons oil to the Dutch oven, raise the heat slightly to medium-high, and add onions and peppers. Cook until onions are soft, about 8 minutes, stirring several times. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add wine and scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, pepper, paprika, and oregano, and cook 2 more minutes. Return chicken, cover, and simmer 25 minutes over low heat. Shred chicken with two forks.

Cover a tortilla with lettuce and top with cacciatore mixture. Use a slotted spoon to drain liquid and avoid a soggy taco.

Chicken Cacciatore Taco

Chicken and Waffle Taco

How to make Chicken and Waffle Taco Recipe - Chicken & Waffles are the new salt and pepper; they are showing up together everywhere! Naturally, they make the perfect taco pairing.

Makes 6 tacos

Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
¼ cup flour
¼ Tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon chili powder
Dash of salt
¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons seltzer
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
2 waffles, cooked
½ cup maple syrup
Tortillas

Method:
Cut chicken into strips, lengthwise, and set aside on plate; one chicken breast should yield about 6 strips.

Combine flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and seltzer in a mixing bowl. Mix until there are no clumps remaining in the batter. Pour panko bread crumbs in another bowl.

Dredge a chicken strip in batter and drain excess. Strip should be only lightly battered, or bread crumbs will become clumpy. Dip battered strip in bread crumbs to coat, then return to plate. Repeat with all chicken strips.

Heat about an inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan and add chicken when hot, being careful not to crowd strips. (To test oil, wet a finger with water and flick a couple drops into the oil. If it sizzles, it is ready.) Cook 4-5 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and white on the inside.

Cut waffles into three strips each.

Top a tortilla with one strip of chicken and one strip of waffle. Drizzle maple syrup over taco.

Chicken and Waffle Taco

Barbecue Chicken Taco

How to make Barbecue Chicken Taco Recipe

Makes 6 tacos

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)
¼ cup Marsala cooking wine
¼ cup steak sauce
1 large tomato, diced
Kernels of 1 ear of corn, cut from cob
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
Tortillas

Method:
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side.

While chicken is cooking, add broth, Marsala wine, and steak sauce to a Dutch oven, or other large pot that can be covered, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to simmer. When chicken is finished, add to liquid mixture and cover. Simmer 10 minutes.

Shred chicken into large pieces using two forks to pull meat apart. Pieces should become nearly submerged by liquid. Cover and cook 5 more minutes. Pull meat apart into smaller shreds, cover, and cook 5 more minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove chicken to medium mixing bowl and add tomato, corn, barbecue sauce, pepper, and salt. Mix.

Serve on tortillas.

Barbecue Chicken Taco

Traditional Taco Salad

How to make Traditional Taco Salad Recipe - Spice up the classic American taco ingredients by adding them to a baked Taco Salad Bowl and topping with Taco Salad Dressing for easy presentation that wows.

Makes 4 regular, or 2 large, taco salads

Ingredients:
½ pound ground beef
¼ cup water
1½ Tablespoons Classic Taco Seasoning
½ head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican or taco blend)
Taco Salad Dressing
1 Taco Salad Bowl per salad

Method:
Brown ground beef over medium-high heat, about 8-10 minutes. Add water and taco seasoning, and stir thoroughly. Cook 3 more minutes.

Add shredded lettuce to Taco Salad Bowl. Top with finished beef, using a slotted spoon to avoid grease from pan.

Add tomatoes and cheese and serve with Taco Salad Dressing on the side. Salsa works well as a dressing, too.

Traditional Taco Salad

Santa Fe Taco Salad

How to make Santa Fe Taco Salad Recipe - Use leftover cooked beef from the Classic American Taco to make a salad for lunch the next day, or prepare a whole pound of beef to mix salads for a group!

Makes 1 salad

Ingredients:
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
½ cup ground beef prepared as for Classic American Taco
¼ cup shredded cheese (Mexican or taco blend)
½ cup Black Bean & Corn Salsa
3-4 thin slices pepperjack cheese
½ lime per taco, for garnish
Taco Salad Bowl

Method:
Fill Taco Salad Bowl with lettuce. Top with beef, cheese, and Black Bean & Corn Salsa. Finish with cheese slices.

Serve with half a lime.

Santa Fe Taco Salad

Reuben Taco

How to make Reuben Taco Recipe - A classic Reuben is typically served with Thousand Island dressing, but try Taco Russian Dressing here for fuller flavor.

Makes 4 tacos

Ingredients:
¼ cup Taco Russian Dressing (page 200)
1 cup sauerkraut, prepared
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded corned beef, prepared
Cracked black pepper for garnish
Tortillas

Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spread about 1 Tablespoon Taco Russian Dressing evenly over a tortilla.

Top with sauerkraut, 1 piece of swiss cheese, and corned beef.

Put taco on an oven-safe plate and heat 2-3 minutes until cheese melts. Garnish with cracked black pepper.

Reuben Taco

Philly Cheesesteak Taco

How to make Philly Cheesesteak Taco Recipe - Sometimes you just have to have a cheesesteak, and now you can have one without the roll. Feel free to customize with mushrooms, hot peppers, or anything else you need on your cheesesteak!

Makes 4 tacos

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
Butter for greasing
4 strips thinly sliced round roast, or frozen cheesesteak meat, thawed
8 slices provolone cheese
Coarse ground sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Salsa for topping, optional
Tortillas

Method:
Heat oil in a medium pan. Add onion and pepper slices to hot oil and sauté until tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Grease a griddle with butter and warm over medium heat. Place meat in flat strips on a hot griddle (a flat-bottom frying pan will do almost as well) and cook about 1
minute on each side until brown, but not done. Use two forks to shred strips into smaller pieces, keeping the piles from the 4 original strips separate. Cover each pile with 2 pieces of provolone cheese and let melt over meat. Toss gently as cheese melts to spread throughout meat.

Serve on a tortilla with peppers and onions. Add salt and pepper to taste, and top with a Tablespoon of salsa if desired.

Philly Cheesesteak Taco

Greek Taco

How to make Greek Taco Recipe - For a more adult flavor profile in a beef taco, try this Greek-inspired recipe.

Makes 4-6 tacos

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
½ cup water
1 cup frozen spinach, prepared according to package instructions
1-2 pieces lettuce per taco
½ cup Tzatziki
Tortillas

Method:
Heat vegetable oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook garlic until just turning brown, about 2 minutes.

Add ground beef to garlic and brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and water, reduce heat to low, and simmer until water evaporates, about 8 more minutes.

Add cooked spinach, mix well, and cook 2 more minutes.

Cover a tortilla with lettuce, and top with beef and spinach mixture. Add at least a Tablespoon of Tzatziki.

Greek Taco

Classic American Taco

How to make Classic American Taco Recipe - This is probably what you envision when you hear the word “taco,” and it is the only taco in this book specifically recommended for the baked shell. Of course, you can use any shell you like, any time, but something about this taco begs for the crunch that only comes with a baked shell.

Makes 8-10 tacos

Ingredients:
½ pound ground beef
1½ Tablespoons Classic Taco Seasoning
½ cup water
1 cup sour cream
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 plum tomatoes, diced
Baked Tortillas
Mild Salsa, to be served on the side

Method:
Brown ground beef in a large pan over medium-high heat, about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess grease, add Classic Taco Seasoning and ½ cup water, and simmer until water is mostly evaporated, about 6-8 minutes.

Layer 1 teaspoon of sour cream on the bottom of a tortilla (sour cream on the bottom helps hold ingredients together when the shell begins to crack!). Top with lettuce, tomato, and beef.

Serve with Mild Salsa (or Hot Salsa, if preferred!) on the side.

Note:
Many people enjoy taco sauce, especially if using soft tortillas. See Mild Taco Sauce and Hot Taco Sauce for options!

Classic American Taco

Cheesy Lettuce Wrap Taco

How to make Cheesy Lettuce Wrap Taco Recipe - Traditional tacos are naturally gluten-free, but if you only have flour tortillas on hand and still need a gluten-free alternative, lettuce wraps are the perfect solution. They work particularly well with this recipe but can be applied to any taco that is not overly wet or crunchy.

Makes 4-6 tacos

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4-6 large leaves iceberg lettuce, whole
1 plum tomato, diced
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping
½ cup sour cream, for topping

Method:
Brown ground beef in a large pan over medium-high heat, about 8-10 minutes. Add cheddar cheese and cook 1 more minute, mixing constantly, until fully melted.

Top a lettuce leaf with cheesy beef, tomato, and red onion. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and top with sour cream. Serve open, and wrap/roll loosely to eat.

Cheesy Lettuce Wrap Taco

Cheeseburger Taco

How to make Cheeseburger Taco Recipe - Have a craving for a burger outside of grilling season? Looking for something fun for kids or a party? The cheeseburger taco is even easier than a traditional burger, with fewer ingredients and more flavor!

Makes 6 tacos.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1½ cups torn lettuce (large pieces)
1 plum tomato, diced
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup relish
Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping
Tortillas

Method:
Brown ground beef in a large pan over medium-high heat, about 8-10 minutes. Add cheddar cheese and cook 1 more minute, mixing constantly, until fully melted.

Top a tortilla with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Add cheesy ground beef and top with relish and a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese.