It’s the Cilantro Tequila Chimichurri that really makes this dish. Chimichurri is an Argentine sauce used on steak, chicken, and fish. On a taco, it adds a bright, tangy, spicy flavor that makes that taco memorable. I like to put a significant amount on the taco. This particular chimichurri is a combination of tangy and spicy-hot that I can’t get enough of. Chimichurri is usually made with parsley rather than cilantro and does not have chiles in it. Personally, I much prefer it with chiles … hot chiles. I made the chimichurri twice – with mild chiles and with hot Mirasol chiles (much like a Hatch hot) and I thought the hot was much better. The tequila adds a subtle new dimension; you can omit it and still have a fabulous sauce.
What about the street taco? Very popular nowadays. Basically you fry up a fresh corn tortilla so it gets soft and starts puffing up, then drain it and add meat (chicken, pulled pork, steak, whatever), fresh Mexican cheese, and whatever sauce and garnish you want. Fold it, and enjoy!
Instead of chicken, you might try these tacos made with Peppery Pulled Pork or Dynamite Pulled Pork.
- -- Cilantro Tequila Chimichurri --
- ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro stems
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced (1/4 cup)
- ½ tsp lime zest
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ¼ tsp Trader Joe's Smoked Pepper Flakes (or smoked paprika)
- ¼ tsp honey
- 3 tbsp diced hot green chiles
- optional: ½ cup tequila
- dash salt (to taste)
- --------------------------
- -- Chicken Street Taco --
- 8 fresh corn tortillas
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 cups chicken strips (such as Tyson)
- 4 strips bacon
- 1½ cups crumbled Queso Fresco cheese
- optional: 1 cup canned black beans
- Garnish: Diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, chopped green onions, avocado, cilantro
- Dump all the ingredients for Cilantro Tequila Chimichurri into a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside. Makes about 1 cup
- Slice chicken strips into thinner strips if desired. Fry bacon in a skillet over medium heat until starting to crisp, then fish bacon out with a fork and set aside.
- While bacon is frying, heat oil in a separate skillet. Set out several paper towels to drain the tortillas on. When the oil begins to shimmer, fry each tortilla just until it starts to puff, then flip it over, let it puff about 30 seconds more, then remove with tongs or a fork and place on paper towel to drain.
- After removing bacon from the first skillet, drain all but 1-2 tbsp of the bacon fat. Brown the chicken strips in the fat. Break the bacon into small pieces and add back into the chicken just before it finishes browning.
- To assemble the tacos, put 2 tortillas on each plate. Top each tortilla with 1-2 tbsp black beans (if desired) and ⅛ of the chicken (about ⅓ cup), drizzle the Cilantro Tequila Chimichurri over the filling, then top with crumbled Queso Fresco.
- Serve with whatever garnishes you wish. To eat, fold each taco in half and munch away.
Leave a Reply