Easy Breezy Tortilla Chicken
Posted by Gail | Filed under Gail Cooks!
I love Mexican food. For years Husband #2 would take me to Mexico every year in February. The sizzling meat, the fabulous flavours, the wonderful crunch. I’ve been back to Mexico a couple of times since and I always enjoy the food.
Tortillas are a staple in Mexico. The Spanish word for “little torta” or “little cake”, it usually applies to a flatbread made of corn or wheat, and filled with all sorts of good stuff like guacamole, cheese (queso in Spanish), salsa and picadillo, which is a spicy eat sauce.
Traditional tortillas are soft and folded around food, or used to wipe up sauces. The versatile tortilla can be warmed in the oven, steamed, grilled, or baked in the oven. The crispier “taco” version adds crunch to the flavourful equation.
We have, in North America, come up with our own versions, including the “chip” variety that we can lay out on baking sheets, slather in melted cheese and dip in salsa. But that crunchy chip can also be used to add flavour and texture to main dishes. All you need is a little imagination.
I like putting my own twist on food, and I love integrating flavours from a variety of cultures to the menus at home interesting. Here’s a recipe I customized (read: made easier) because I’m also damn lazy sometimes.
Gail’s Tortilla Chicken
- 2 cups natural yogurt
- 1 heaping tbs brown sugar
- 2 tbs chili powder
- 1 tbs thyme
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 small chicken breasts
- 2 cups tortilla chips crushed
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup jalapeno peppers chopped finely
- 1 cup old cheddar cheese
Combine first 7 ingredients. Add chicken and coat, then refrigerate for up to 6 hours.
Combine remaining ingredients. Coat chicken thoroughly.
Bake at 450 til done… about 20 minutes.
This recipe is too easy for words and is delicious. Who says good food has to take a long time to make!
July 4, 2012 at 8:47 am
N This looks and sounds delicious!! Can’t wait to try it
July 4, 2012 at 9:26 am
Sounds delicious! I’ll bet it would be good in a salad also.
July 4, 2012 at 9:37 am
This looks amazing! I also love Mexican food and love trying new dishes! Thanks!! Will be on the menu this week!!!
July 4, 2012 at 12:53 pm
My mouth is watering as I read this recipe! And I’ve been searching for very quick recipes lately, as getting home from work and getting dinner on the table in time to get my 11 month old in the bath and to bed on time is proving challening. Plus, my little man loves chicken, cheese and spice, so as long as I can keep the overall salt down, this should be perfect
July 4, 2012 at 4:42 pm
I LOVE MExican food too Gail!!! I wish I could eat it everyday!!
July 4, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Seems like a tasty recipe! I have to try it! A tasty, homemade nutritious meal ready in less than 30 minutes from the time you get through the door to the moment you sit down? That’s priceless!
Thank you
Annick
July 4, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Sounds yummy – thanks for the recipe !!
July 5, 2012 at 9:47 am
hi pal, sounds delicious. here is my tip for keeping cool. i take my Easy Bake Oven a.k.a. the toaster oven out on to the deck during this sweltering heat. i cook outside in the morning when it is shady and the heat from cooking stays outside versus inside the house. now is the time to take our appliances out of doors and this idea works equally well for rice cookers, grills, and slow cookers.
July 5, 2012 at 11:50 am
Yumm-o. i love Mexican food also. Can’t wait to try this. Thanks Gail. Gail, any bean recipes, by chance? Thanks Wendy
July 7, 2012 at 8:42 am
Here’s my recipe for flour tortillas. Oil MUST go into the dry flour. Do not overwork. These are particularly spectacular with steak and literally cost pennies a wrap.
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk
Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
July 12, 2012 at 8:15 pm
Tried this recipe today and it is delicious! Between this and the sweet potato cannelloni, I think you next book should be all recipes
Thanks!
July 13, 2012 at 9:13 am
I’m making this tomorrowCP