National Taco Day (October 4th, 2023) is upon us, and I wish I could say I like tacos, but I don’t. I love tacos! True story. Tacos are often my canvas for creating beautiful and tasty new dishes, like my Takis Fried Chicken Taco, perfect for National Taco Day. Recently, while working on another project, I found myself with many leftover Takis Fuego chips. Although extremely tasty on their own, I had more than I could eat in. That’s when I had the idea to repurpose them into a “breading” to create possibly the best Fried Chicken Taco.
When creating my Takis Fried Chicken Taco, I set out to make a unique taco that I knew my family would love. As A chef, over the years, I’ve competed in taco cooking competitions all over the country and often won. Creating the perfect taco is all about balancing unique flavors on a tortilla.
Fried Chicken Taco, creating the Takis Fuego powder
You might think I’m crazy for using the Takis Fuego as a breading for my fried chicken taco, but hear me out. The Takis chips are, in fact, rolled tortilla chips, which makes it perfect as a branding. Corn flavors almost always pair well with creating a fantastic taco. The fact that the Takis chips have a hint of hot chili pepper and lime makes it a perfect combination. The combination is so powerful that using the Takis Fuego powder as a topping for salads, soups, and pasta dishes is a must-try!
The trick is turning the Takis into a suitable powder for breading. To do this, I added the chips to my food processor. I turned it on and watched the magic happen. You want the breading consistent when making the best-fried chicken taco coating. That’s one of the reasons I used the food processor, although you could easily hand smash them with a resealable bag and a rolling pin. Consistency is critical, but do not overwork the Takis in the food processor. If they do become over-mixed, they may start getting mushy.
Once the Takis Fuego chips have been turned into a powder, they’re ready to use as a breading for the Fried Chicken Tacos. The great thing about this powder is it’s not only great on chicken but any breaded fried food. I think next time, I’ll try using this recipe to create fried shrimp tacos using the Takis Fuego Powder.
Takis Fried Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Grill
- Heavy Duty Pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 4 eggs beaten
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups Takis crumbled into powder
- 2 quarts vegetable or frying oil
- Tortillas
- Limes
Instructions
- Make an assembly line with the flour, egg, and Takis powder. Add the flour to a shallow plate. Followed by the eggs and Takis in separate plates.
- Take each chicken tender and dredge it in flour. Shake off excess flour and then dip into the egg and shake off excess egg.
- Finally, completely coat the chicken in the crumbled Takis. Repeat the process for the rest of the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or pot on medium temperature or until the temperature reaches 350F.
- Add the TAKIS coated chicken pieces to the hot oil, a few pieces at a time, and fry for 3-4 minutes per side or until the outside is crispy and the internal temperature reaches at least 165F.
- The chicken should be placed on a cooling rack to let the extra grease drain. Place on a hot tortilla and top with taco crema and your favorite taco toppings.
Are you in the mood to try more of my fantastic taco creations? Try the recipes below!
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