Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos + Cilantro Lime Rice

These tacos were so tasty, with a great crisp texture, as well. I want to use this method with other filling and make crispy baked tacos galore. This recipe made 10 crispy tacos, which was enough for my fam to have 2 each, and everyone wanted more. This recipe used homemade red enchilada sauce, homemade Cilantro Lime Rice (optional; recipe at bottom of this post) and a homemade cilantro sour cream dressing. I'll include all recipes below. (Note: you'll only need about 1/2 recipe of the enchilada sauce... I used the rest in a new Sweet Pork recipe.... I'll post that one later.  OR, you could just make 1/2 recipe.)  I made the enchilada sauce the day before, and de-boned a rotisserie chicken the day before, so that when it came time to make dinner, I just had to assemble everything. One could use a can of red enchilada sauce, but I've never enjoyed the flavor of the canned stuff. If you do though, by all means, try it in this recipe!

One could make these for Cinco de Mayo!! 

Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos 

adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

1/2 recipe Homemade Enchilada Sauce, recipe follows
4 cups shredded chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)
12 soft white corn tortillas
2 cups favorite shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

Cilantro Lime Sauce: 

1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup packed cilantro, finely chopped (measure before chopping)
2-4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos (optional)
1/2 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, dried chives, dried dill

salt, pepper to taste

Red Enchilada Sauce (make 1/2 recipe if not needing it for another recipe):

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons chili powder NOT cayenne pepper
1 tsp EACH ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ground coriander
1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, salt, dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional for spicier
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sugar
a pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Optional Toppings: 

Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
Pickled Red Onions
Hot Sauce

1.  Cilantro Lime Ranch: Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I made this a day ahead.

2.  Enchilada Sauce. Whisk the flour and all seasoning together in a small bowl (through oregano or optional cayenne pepper); set aside. Melt the butter in the vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour mixture and cook while whisking for 2 minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste until completely combined and continue to cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low, then gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Continue to whisk until smooth and the lumps are dissolved. Whisk in cocoa powder, sugar and cinnamon. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to simmer, whisking often, until it thickens to your desired consistency, about 5-7 minutes. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken a little as it cools. Remove from heat and stir in apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired with additional salt, cayenne, sugar or vinegar. If the sauce thickens too much, simply whisk in additional chicken broth, a little at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

3.  Preheat the oven to 425 F. Chicken: Add desired amount of sauce to the shredded chicken in a large bowl (more or less depending on how "saucy" you like your tacos) and stir to combine.

4.  Prep tortillas: Working in 2 batches, place 6 tortillas between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until pliable. Lightly brush the top of the tortillas with olive oil then flip over (the oiled side should now be face down, touching the baking sheet so it gets crispy).

5.  Assemble: Add a layer of cheese to the bottom half of the tortilla and top it with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup chicken. Fold the tortillas over in half and lightly press so they stay folded, you may need to flip the whole taco over so it stays. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

6.  Bake: Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 minutes, flip the tacos over and bake an additional 8 minutes. If the tortillas aren’t crispy, then flip and bake an additional 5 minutes OR until crispy. Stuff with desired toppings and eat. If desired, serve with Cilantro Lime Rice, recipe below.

Cilantro Lime Rice (Rice Cooker)

adapted from Carlsbad Cravings 

1 cup white rice (I used jasmine)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

dash cayenne pepper

1 4-oz can diced green chiles (I used Hatch)

1.  Add rice, chicken broth (check amount according to your rice cooker), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon onion powder, dash of cayenne pepper, and 3 tablespoons mild diced green chiles.

2.  Set rice cooker to cook setting. Once rice is cooked, stir in butter to melt and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 2 tablespoons lime juice and ½ cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped. Serve with tacos.

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