chicken taquitos

The spices in this recipe are to taste. I did 1 jalapeno when the kids were younger, and 2 now that they are older. Did a habanero once. Generally use more chile powder than anaheim chile powder (because the anaheim is stonger). A pic below has garlic powder in it, but I don't use that in my taquitos anymore. Important thing to keep in mind: different brands of bouillon contain different amounts of salt, especially if you switch between Mexican and American brands. You may need to add salt.

This is an original recipe I came up with one night when trying to figure out what to do with a whole chicken when I was tired of eating chicken. The recipe can be made with pork shoulder as well. The pork version can be found on the pork page of this site here: https://sites.google.com/site/familyrecipescollection/home/pork/pork-taquitos-1.

• 1 whole large chicken

• 1 red onion

• 1 large bag shredded Mexican cheese

• 1 large pack corn tortillas (6 inchers)

• 1 - 2 jalapeno peppers (size determines spice/heat contribution)

• 1 green bell pepper

• 1 bunch cilantro

• oil

• red chile powder

• anaheim chile powder (the hotter stuff)

• coriander

• chicken bouillon

• pepper

• cumin

• water

1. Boil the whole chicken until it is cooked, stirring occasionally. This may take several hours. The chicken is done when it is just beginning to fall apart. I cook so long to make the meat tenderer so that it is easy to mash with your hands.  

2. Let the pot cool, possibly overnight, in the fridge. At lukewarm temp pick out all the meat, reheating to lukewarm if required on the stove first. Keep some of the cooking liquid/broth. Mash the chicken with your hands and put on a large bowl. Add some of the chicken broth from the pot to the mash to moisten it as needed.

3. Rinse vegetables. Finely chop/mince the cilantro. Slice the onion into 1/4 inch or so width pieces. Seed and and either mince or cut the jalapeno/s into pieces. Seed and cut the green bell pepper into 1/4 or so width pieces. When handling jalapenos it is recommended you use plastic gloves, although I no longer do. Make sure not to touch your face and particularly your eyes. Jalapenos in your eyes hurts. If you don't shield your hands the jalapeno will stay on your hands despite thorough washing for several hours after.

4. Add the desired amounts of chile powder, anaheim chile powder, coriander, cumin, bouillon, and pepper to the chicken. Mix it all together with the minced cilantro and jalapeno if minced. Add and mix in the onion and bel pepper pieces. 

5. Add in more reserved liquid from the cook. The mash will be wet and liquid-y, with some standing liquid. See the pic below for what it should look like at this point. At this point check taste and adjust spices as desired. If you don't have time for a very long reduction you can start with less liquid as desired.

6. Preheat oven to 325. 

7. Bake for several hours, until when you stir there is only a very small amount of liquid. When you run a spoon across the filling scraping along the bottom, the bottom will be generally dry, with only part of it, the minority, being re-covered in liquid. That is the right moisture level. Don't cook away all liquid. Remove from the oven and refrigerate/let cool. This is a good break point for the day. 

8. Heat oil over medium-high heat to full heat. Have enough oil in the pan to half plus ~ cover the taquitos.  

9. Get a corn tortilla. Place the chicken mash on it. If the chicken mash is too dry add a bit of water. Form a firm line across the middle, leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 inch space from the ends of the tortilla. You want the chicken pressed together so it will be less likely to fall out in the oil. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the chicken. Discard seasoning vegetables (onion/jalapeno/green bell pepper) if desired, or you can roll them in as well. Microwave for 30 seconds or until supple and steamy. Roll into taquito. If it isn't warm enough the tortilla will bust. Do not do this step before the oil is ready to cook in, or the rolled tortillas will cool and rip while waiting for the oil to heat.

10. Fry taquitos in pan to a crispy point, flipping once. Generally, about ~ 30 seconds a side depending on amount of oil added and heat of stove, with some cooks oil level or other variations bringing the rotation time down to 20 - 25 seconds or up above, just varies. Generally you can get the microwave and roll time to match well with the cook and turn time so you can do it rapidly. Make sure to place the taquitos in so that they remain rolled at first until you get the hang of it. You can use tongs if that works for you. 

11. Shake some salt and chile powder, maybe some chile flakes, over the finished batch of taquitos. You might want to do the frying in several batches. I usually do, taking a break for the day after frying 20 or 30 or so.

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