Now, this isn't much of a recipe. In fact, I'm not gonna give you specific measurements at all. But Taco Night is always a win in our house, because it's tasty and it's quick and easy. Who can beat that?
Our Taco Night typically involves chicken tacos (ground beef or turkey also work). I cut up a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook it in a pan in a little olive oil. Usually I add some chopped onion and garlic as well. Once the chicken is browned, I throw in some mushrooms and add my favorite seasonings to taste. The great part about this is you can put in whatever you want. I typically use (a lot of) ground cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Mix it together first or add one at a time. If you like other stuff or don't like some of those, that's fine. Again, use what you like. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and simmer till the chicken is cooked and the spices are evenly distributed. You can also add a little corn starch to the mix to thicken it all up.
You can cut corners a bit by buying a packaged taco seasoning mix. Beware, though, that they have a lot of sodium. Alton Brown, one of my favorite cooking personalities (he's really not a chef) has a great recipe for a taco seasoning mix called Taco Potion #19 that I've used and liked a lot.
Once the mix is done, we serve it on some warmed tortillas with guacamole, cheese, salsa, black beans or whatever toppings you like.
One variation I like from time to time is shredded chicken. I've done this a couple of ways. One way is to put the chicken breasts in a pot of boiling water. When they're cooked, drain most of the water, shred them with a couple of forks, return the meat to the little bit of water in the pot, add your spices and cook until evenly seasoned. You can also add in a little cheese and some milk to help it melt. Or before you go to work in the morning, put the chicken breasts in a Crock Pot. Add a can of Mexican stewed or diced tomatoes and some spices to taste and let it cook all day. Then just shred, stir and serve.Even though it's just a chicken breast per person, we always find it makes a very filling meal, even with a little extra.
KID REVIEW: Our 19-month-old isn't too big on meat yet, but he LOVES black beans and guacamole. He will eat every bit he can get and wear much of it. So Taco Night is also bath night at our house.
