Most American’s outside of the southwest have an idea of a taco that is a crispy shell, with ground beef, cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes sour cream and salsa. Most tacos that I have had in Mexico (outside of resortville) are seasoned meats, on a soft corn tortilla with salsa and maybe some cabbage or radishes. Simple, easy.
I thawed and dried some chicken tenders. Most chicken ‘tenders’ you buy at the market are just sliced chicken breast meat. It is actually a part of the chicken located under the breast. To see how I harvest them see 2 Chickens – Making the MostTrim the tenders into strips. Break out your selection of Mexican spices – cumin, coriander, cilantro, garlic and onion powders and chipotle powder. Season the tenders liberally with the spices. Let sit.Meanwhile I had a sweet potato to use up – so I will make a seasoned oven roasted side.Peel the sweet potato.
Halve, slice, dice.Put a tablespoon of oil into the big bowl. Add a tablespoon of citrus salt and a finely diced garlic clove. Dried cilantro leaves.
And the rest of the same spices I used on the chicken.
Mix it all together. Toss in the sweet potato.Coat thoroughly with the oil and spices.Spread evenly on a sheet pan – making sure they are not touching. Into a 350 oven for about 45 minutes. Toss the chicken strips into the bowl with the remaining oil and spices. Put them on a small sheet pan. Add the chicken strips into the oven for the last 15 minutes of the sweet potatoes cooking. Heat two corn tortillas over a burner, turning around and over with tongs. Keep it moving. Plate the spicy sweet potatoes.Lay the chicken strips into the warm tortillas. Plate with the hash. Top with some slaw and enjoy. The spice on the chicken is cooled by the crunchy slaw, and the spices on the sweet potatoes are offset by their sweetness.
I have always cooked, I was that person who could make a meal from an empty fridge. I have lived alone and with large and small families, I have cooked for camps on wood stoves, and in professional kitchens. I have lived and worked all over the west from Montana, to Seattle to Arizona to San Diego. I have traveled, maybe not 'all over the world', yet, and have collected tastes recipes and techniques everywhere, and every one I meet.
