Southwestern Chicken Tacos

The filling for these Southwestern Chicken Tacos includes corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeños, onions and cilantro so, to serve, all you need to add is cheese and the tortillas! (And extra cilantro, if desired.)

We are fans of pretty much any kind of taco in this house. In fact, Tex-Mex recipes of all kinds are popular. My typical taco is made with seasoned ground meat, either beef, pork, turkey or chicken but occasionally I like to be more adventurous and make something that is a little different.

The addition of beans and corn stretch your chicken budget, which is always a good thing, while adding extra protein and flavor, again both always welcome. Don't like black beans? Use your favorite bean instead!

Southwestern Chicken Tacos

This makes enough filling for more than a dozen generously filled tacos. We use either corn tortillas or the half corn/half flour ones my local grocery store sells freshly made in their bakery section, simply toasted in a dry pan over a medium flame. 

Ingredients

For the taco filling: 

1 1/2 lbs or 625g boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly

Fine sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups or 300g fresh sweet corn (cut off the cob or substitute frozen niblets)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, cut in thin wedges

2 ripe Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 fresh jalapeño, stem removed, chopped

1 can (15.25oz or 432 g) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

For garnish: small handful cilantro

To serve:

12-15 fresh corn tortillas 

grated extra sharp cheddar or Colby Jack cheese

cilantro, cleaned and hard stems removed (optional)

Method

To make slicing the chicken breasts thinly easier, I put them in the freezer for about half an hour first. This firms them up enough that a sharp knife can make clean cuts. 

Season the chicken lightly with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a nonstick skillet, pan-fry the chicken in batches, until slightly golden on both sides. Remove from the pan. 

Tip the corn in and fry until it gets browned, possibly with little charred bits. Add another drizzle of olive oil, if necessary. 

Add in the onions and sauté until they turn translucent and are golden. 

Add in the tomatoes and jalapeño. Stir well. 

Mash half of the black beans with a fork.

Add all the beans (mashed and whole) to the pan with the taco seasoning, tomato paste and 1 cup or 240ml water. Stir well to combine. 

Put all the chicken back in the pan and stir again. Heat to warm through. 

Garnish with some cilantro. Serve with pan-toasted tortillas, grated cheese and extra cilantro and let everyone assemble their own. 

Enjoy! 

Happy Sunday FunDay! As you can guess from the recipe titles below, today we are getting a head start on National Taco Day tomorrow. Why that’s not on a Tuesday, I have no idea but the important thing is that we will be celebrating! There may even be margaritas. ¡Olé! Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm!

• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Ancho Chili Chicken Tacos 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Breakfast Tacos 
• Making Miracles: Honey BBQ Chicken Tacos 
• Palatable Pastime: Shredded Chipotle Chicken Tacos 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Grilled Tacos 
• Food Lust People Love: Southwestern Chicken Tacos
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Spiced Smashed Potato Tacos with Homemade Purple Corn Tortillas 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Tofu Tikka Tacos

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Beef Fajita Nachos Compuestos #FoodieExtravaganza

Crunchy fried tortilla triangles topped with refried beans, fajita beef, cheese and jalapeños, these beef fajita nachos compuestos can also be made with store-bought chips.

Before we get going here, let’s familiarize ourselves with what nacho compuesto means. A basic nacho is a tortilla chip with cheese melted on top and a slice of jalapeño. Simple to make, so easy to eat. Compuesto means compound, so: things that are put together to create a different thing. It is a deliberate act, not a hodge podge of ingredients that may or may not go together. Those ingredients become something else. Like a chemical compound.

A proper nacho compuesto is a singular item. It should not be crowded or otherwise cramped unduly by its neighboring nachos. It sits nicely with them on the hot plate but can be picked up without disturbing, nay, even touching a neighbor.

That said, I am a complete fan of the sheet pan method of nacho making, but even then, I make sure that every chip gets some topping. Those restaurants that serve a big pile of chips heaped with toppings should have their nacho license revoked. No one wants the chips underneath so they are thrown away. What a waste.

When I was growing up in Houston, Texas, a plate of nachos compuestos was often my go-to order at any Mexican restaurant. They have many of the ingredients in a taco, in a much easier to eat format. Usually made with ground beef, the nachos compuestos of my youth were also topped with refried beans and cheese with a slice of jalapeño. Sometimes there were chopped tomatoes and onions or even salsa added after the nachos were cooked.

Today, I am hosting an event for my Foodie Extravaganza friends in honor of National Nacho Day. I’ve upped the ante on nachos compuestos by making them with fajita meat instead of ground beef. Make sure you scroll down to see the other creative nacho recipes the group is sharing.

Beef Fajita Nachos Compuestos

This recipe can also be a main course, as it was for me years ago. You can totally add some shredded lettuce if it makes you feel better about making this a full meal.

Ingredients
For the nachos:
1 lb or 450g trimmed skirt steak (weight after trimming of fat and sinew)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons taco seasonings
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (Ajinomoto)
freshly ground black pepper
24 corn or corn/flour tortilla chips (or fry your own!)
1 can (16oz or 454g) refried beans
4 oz or 113g extra sharp cheddar
2 whole jalapeños, fresh or pickled

For the pico de gallo:
1/2 small onion, chopped finely
2 fresh jalapeños
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 roma tomatoes
Pinch fine sea salt
Pinch sugar
A few grinds black pepper

Method
Sprinkle the beef with the lime juice, taco spices and tenderizer, along with a few generous grinds of black pepper. Rub the seasonings all over. Use a meat mallet to pound the skirt steak.

Make sure you season and pound on both sides. This helps break down any tough bits and works the seasonings into the beef. If it’s all about the same thickness, it also cooks more evenly.

Place the beef in a Ziploc bag or reusable plastic container. Refrigerate until ready to use, but preferably at least one hour.

To make the pico de gallo, chop the onion and jalapeño finely. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle on the lime juice, salt, sugar and pepper. Chop your tomatoes in small cubes and mince the stems of the cilantro. Chop the cilantro leaves roughly. Mix the tomato and cilantro into the onions and jalapeño. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Slice the jalapeños for the nachos in rounds. Set aside.

At this point, I cut six corn and flour tortillas (called mitad y mitad here in Houston, they are made with both corn and flour) in quarters and fried them until golden in a little canola oil. If you are doing the same, make sure you drain them well on a layer of paper towels with a wire rack or newspaper underneath. Otherwise, store-bought chips will work.

Meanwhile, open the can of beans and give them a good stir to loosen them up.

To cook the fajita beef, heat a grill pan or frying pan over a high heat. Once it’s hot, place the pounded beef on it, a piece or two at a time, making sure not to crowd the pan. We want this beef to sear and sizzle, not steam. When a nice brown crust forms on the bottom, turn the beef to the other side and leave it to brown as well.

Repeat until all of the beef is browned on both sides. I like to turn it to make some lovely crisscross grill marks. Remove the pieces of beef to a carving board as they are ready.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Lay the fried tortilla chips out on a large baking pan, in single file, making sure no points overlap.  I saved a space in the middle of my platter, leaving room for the pico de gallo in the middle. I have two identical platters so I split my two dozen putting 12 tortilla chips on each.

Spread a generous spoonful of refried beans on each tortilla.

Slice the fajita beef against the grain.

Top the chips with a couple of pieces of fajita meat on top of the beans. Next comes the grated cheese and finally, add a slice of jalapeño to each nacho.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the meat and beans are heated through and the cheese has melted.

Serve with the pico de gallo and some sliced avocado, if desired.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other tasty nachos we are sharing today! How are you celebrating National Nachos Day? 

• Beef Fajita Nachos Compuestos from Food Lust People Love
• Beer Brat Nachos from Palatable Pastime
• Breakfast Nachos from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Chorizo Nachos from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Garam Masala Lamb Naan-chos from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Homemade Deep Fried Nachos With Cheese Sauce from Sneha's Recipe
• Leftover Turkey Nachos with Cranberry Salsa from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pizza Nachos from Making Miracles

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

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Cheesy Bean Enchiladas #FoodieExtravaganza

These cheesy bean enchiladas made with pintos and refried beans are flavorful and easy to put together. They make a great vegetarian main course to serve for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations or pretty much any day of the year.

I should say up front that my favorite restaurant enchiladas are filled with ground beef. That's all I ever order at a Tex-Mex restaurant because the cheese ones are too rich and bean enchiladas are never offered. Beans - frijoles - are a side dish, not part of the main course.

This recipe came to me like many of mine do, with a question. Can beans be used to fill enchiladas without making them dry and unpalatable? The answer is a resounding yes, and the trick is mixing refried beans with your whole ones.

The two together, with enchilada sauce and cheese, make a satisfying filling that has become a house favorite. Best of all, these are delicious as leftovers the next day (packed lunches!) and freeze wonderfully. Since it’s only my husband and I at home, that’s very important.

Cheesy Bean Enchiladas

You can use your favorite cheese for these cheesy bean enchiladas, but I love a mix of extra sharp cheddar and either pepper jack or habanero jack. For the refried beans, I tend to use the vegetarian ones since those with lard are rarely available here. This dish will serve eight, with a side dish or salad.

Ingredients
For the filling:
1 can (15oz or 425g) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
7 oz or 200g extra sharp cheddar and/or pepper jack cheese, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 can (15oz or 425g) refried beans
1 1/4 cup or 295ml red enchilada sauce (My recipe for the sauce: Click here.)

To assemble:
16 corn tortillas
1 1/4 cup or 295ml enchilada sauce

For topping:
3 1/2 oz or 100g extra sharp cheddar and/or pepper jack cheese, grated
3-4 whole jalapeños, sliced - optional
Generous handful sliced black olives -optional

Method
In a large bowl, mix together your pinto beans, cheese, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper. In another smaller bowl, stir together the refried beans and the enchilada sauce. This loosens the canned refried beans, making them easier to stir into the dry ingredients.

Pour the saucy beans into the larger bowl and fold until well combined. Set the filling aside.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

To assemble the cheesy bean enchiladas, start by covering the bottom of a large casserole dish with a thin layer of sauce. 

One by one, fold the tortillas in half and fill with 1/16 of the filling.

Lay them single file, slightly overlapping, in the casserole dish.

Cover with the remaining sauce, the cheese for topping and the sliced jalapeños and olives, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling and the cheese is golden.

Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes, then cut into portions of more or less two enchiladas each to serve.

Enjoy!

It's almost Cinco de Mayo! Get out your blender for my super easy, always perfect margaritas (or perhaps switch it up with a pomelo version) but don't forget to put enchilada ingredients on your shopping list.

This month my Foodie Extravaganza friends are all sharing enchilada recipes, many using the myriad peppers available from Melissa’s Produce, sent to them with compliments. Make sure to check them out in the links below. Many thanks to our host this month, Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

An InLinkz Link-up

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