category Mexican

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and diced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 lb chicken breasts, (2 medium)
  • 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 32 oz chicken broth 
  • 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 14 oz can corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, divided (reserve 1/4 of it for garnish)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 8 corn tortillas , (6″ tortillas)
  • 1 large avocado, diced
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve

Instructions:

Step One: Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut tortillas into thin strips and fry them in batches in the hot oil until crisp. Remove from the pan and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, adding more oil as needed then set aside

Step Two: Preheat a pot with oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and chopped jalapeño and sauté until veggies soften

Step Three: Add whole chicken breasts, corn, beans, chilli powder, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, ¼ cup of cilantro and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 25 minutes

Step Four: Remove chicken from the pot and shred it using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken back to the soup and simmer another 5 minutes then add lime juice

Step Five: Serve the soup with some tortilla strips, pieces of avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges

Story:

Jan 09, 2024

Birria Tacos

Birria Tacos

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds beef (chuck roast, beef shank, short ribs, oxtail), lamb, or goat meat
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 dried ancho chilis (very mild, smoky, 1000 – 2000 SHU)
  • 3 dried guajillo chilis (sweet, smoky, not very spicy, 2500–5000 SHU)
  • 1 new Mexican dried chiles (mild, sweet 800 – 1400 SHU)
  • Optional: 1 dried chile de árbol (quite spicy, 15000 – 30000 SHU)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano or oregano
  • 1½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
  • 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups unsalted chicken stock or high-quality unsalted beef stock
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • Salt & ground black pepper

Garnish:

  • 8 – 12 corn tortillas
  • Good melting cheese (i.e. Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese), freshly grated
  • White onion, diced
  • Cilantro, finely chopped
  • Lime slices

Instructions:

Step One: Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat in a skillet or saute pan. Add the onion, pepper and celery

Step One: Prepare Dried Chiles – Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, then cut chiles into smaller pieces. Toast Dried Chiles in Instant Pot – Put all dried chiles in Instant Pot. Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” to heat up the Instant Pot. Stir occasionally. Once you smell the chiles’ aroma (~4 to 5 mins), remove and set aside the toasted chiles

Step Two: Brown Meat in Instant Pot – Wait until the Instant Pot says “HOT”. Pat dry your meat. Season one side of beef with salt & black pepper. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil in inner pot, and ensure to coat the oil all over the whole bottom of the pot. Carefully place the seasoned side of beef in Instant Pot. Season the other side of beef with more salt & black pepper. Brown one side for 5 minutes before flipping the meat, then brown the other side for another 5 minutes. Set aside the browned meat

Step Three: Saute Onions and Garlic – Add another 1 tbsp vegetable oil to Instant Pot. Add in sliced onions, then saute for 3 minutes. Add in garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, ½ cinnamon stick, 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano, 1½ tsp ground cumin seeds, 1 tsp ground coriander, and 2 tsp tomato paste, then saute for another minute

Step Four: Deglaze Instant Pot – Pour in 1 cup unsalted chicken stock, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix

Step Five: Pressure Cook Birria – Add in 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, and another cup of unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix. Add in toasted dried chiles (make sure all chiles are submerged in the cooking liquid). Layer browned beef on top. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Cook the Beef Shank & Chuck Roast Pieces on High Pressure for 1 hour then Natural Release for 15 minutes

Step Six: Blend and Shred Beef – Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl. Find and discard the bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Keep all the chiles in Instant Pot. Blend the birria sauce with an immersion hand blender. With two forks, shred the beef, then transfer the shredded beef back to the Instant Pot

Step Seven: Season Birria: Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt (for reference: we added roughly 4 – 6 large pinches of salt)

Step Eight: Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce. Make sure the birria sauce is fully covering both sides of corn tortillas because the tortillas will break if they’re too dry. If you’re using a cast-iron skillet, grease pan with oil to prevent tortillas from sticking. You can use a bit of oil for a non-stick pan. It’s important your skillet is hot enough before you start to pan-fry the tortillas. Place corn tortilla on the heated skillet. Layer a handful of grated melting cheese on corn tortilla, then let the cheese melt. Once the cheese has melted and the corn tortilla is a bit crisped, layer some birria meat on the cheese. Fold corn tortilla in half. Serve these birria tacos immediately with dipping sauce and lime slices

Story:

Notes: Swap out beef for chicken or pork and definitely make extras for the freezer!

Aug 08, 2023

Elote Corn and Chicken Burritos

Elote Corn and Chicken Burritos

Ingredients for chicken:

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 6 oz chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Ingredients for elote:

  • 4 ½ cups Corn (cooked, about 5 cobs of corn, see notes)
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 6 Garlic Cloves (minced)
  • 1 Lime Zested
  • 2 ½ tablespoons Lime Juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Chili Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)
  • 5 tablespoons Cotija Cheese (crumbled)
  • 3 tablespoons Cilantro (finely chopped)
  • Add Kosher Salt
  • Add Black Pepper

Instructions:

Step One: On a cutting board, season the chicken all over with salt and pepper

Step Two: Transfer the chicken to a large zip-top bag with the chopped chipotles and mix until the chicken is fully coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight

Step Three: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 4 minutes per side

Step Four: Remove the chicken from the pan with tongs and place on a cutting board. Let cool for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces

Step Five: Transfer the chicken back to the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes, until all pieces are browned

Now on to the elite

Step Six: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the Cotija cheese and cilantro. Make sure the sauce is nice and smooth. Pour the sauce over the corn and give everything a nice stir. If it isn’t creamy enough to your liking, add another 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Step Seven: Sprinkle with Cotija cheese and cilantro. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve warm with tortilla chips or as a side dish

Story:

Notes: I also like adding black beans and white rice for this burrito.

Jul 27, 2023

Enchilada Sauce

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 5 Dried Anaheim Chiles
  • 1 Ancho Chile
  • 2 Chiles de Arbol
  • ½ Onion
  • 4 Garlic Cloves
  • Water
  • ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
  • ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, chicken flavor
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin
  • ½ teaspoon Salt, optional

Instructions:

Step One: Stem, seed and rinse all dried chiles. Cut onion into three pieces. Peel garlic cloves. Place in a medium sauce pan with enough water to cover.

Step Two: Place pan on medium high heat and bring to a boil then reduce to low and cover with lid. Allow to cook until everything is heated through and chiles are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Step Three: With slotted spoon, remove all ingredients from sauce pan to electric blender. Add about 1 cup water so blender blades will move easily. Pulse until smooth. Strain out and discard solid pieces, leaving the liquid. Set aside.

Step Four: Rinse and dry sauce pan or use a different one. With a whisk, mix together oil and flour briskly until smooth. Place pan on stovetop at medium heat. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. (To make gluten free, see note below.)

Step Five: Stir in liquid sauce from blender until smooth. Slowly stir in three cups water. Be careful when you first start pouring. There will be a lot of hot steam.

Step Six: Stir in remaining ingredients. The bouillon already has a lot of salt so, if you want to reduce the sodium, leave out the extra salt.

Step Seven: Bring to boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened.

Story: Drew’s mom, Gloria, gave us this recipe. She made us enchiladas in Las Vegas one year and we had to request the recipe!

Notes: Makes 1 quart. Serving size is calculated at ¼ cup for nutritional information. To make gluten free, you can use GF flour or masa harina. Or you can leave this part out completely for a thinner sauce. Use any leftovers at the table as a condiment or save for another recipe later. Mexican gravy. To thicken this sauce for more of a Mexican gravy, slowly stir in ½ to 1 cup of your favorite cheese until fully melted near the end of cooking. Serve over tamales, burritos, nachos, tacos, chimichangas, everything.

Dec 14, 2022

Guacamole

Guacamole

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove, smashed with the side of a knife
  • 1/4 jalapeno, seeds removed
  • 3-4 cilantro stems, save the leafs
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 large avocado, cut in half, then cut into cubes
  • 1/4 lime, squeezed into mortar and pestle

Optional Ingredients

  • Roma tomato, chopped
  • Feta cheese, crumbled
  • Purple onion, chopped

Instructions:

Step one: Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic clove, jalapeno, cilantro stems and onion powder into the mortar and pestle. Smash everything together still until a paste has developed

Step two: Add the avocado and gently mix in with the paste in mortar and pestle with a fork to keep a chunky guacamole. Use the mortar to combine for a smoother guacamole

Story:

Notes:

Nov 22, 2022