When it’s time to cook up deliciousness for your family my Blackened Taco Bar is just what you need to turn dinner into a fiesta!
My early years in Texas were filled with the delights of tacos. My Mexican grandmother was always in the kitchen cooking up some sort of deliciousness for me. My Abuela was years ahead of the street taco scene using different meats and toppings. Of course, at the time we didn’t know it was a taco bar, it was just dinner at grandmas.
Unfortunately, when we moved to New Jersey, tortillas were hard to come by. So our family taco nights were limited to the times we went back to Texas and could bring home a suitcase full of tortillas.
Can you imagine not knowing the joy of taco night in your house? Thankfully, over the years tortillas in many shapes and flavors have become a mainstream ingredient available in supermarkets from coast to coast.
And the best way to enjoy Flour Tortillas is to serve them warm off the griddle. That way you get the full flavor of the tortilla.
I had some friends coming over for lunch so I thought I’d cook up a batch of Blackened Chicken and set up a taco bar for them to make their own tacos. Here are the ingredients I set up before I started cooking. In the culinary world, this is known as a mise en place.
Luckily I had plenty of tortillas on hand because they devoured my taco bar! Which made me smile…..sigh. I love making people happy with food.
I love experimenting with different seasonings, even adding to prepacked blends. Don’t be afraid to add in the flavors that you and your family like.
You can create your own seasoning blend for every type of dish you cook up in your kitchen.
Blackened Chicken Taco Bar
Ingredients
- 12 Flour Tortillas
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning or your favorite taco seasoning
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 4 cups romaine or lettuce shredded
- 2 cups Mexican cheese blend or cheddar
- 2 jalapeños seeded and sliced
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 1 ½ cups guacamole
- 1 cup salsa your favorite brand or homemade
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- 1 bunch scallions sliced midway through the green
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Prep ingredients for the taco bar and set up bowls with sour cream, salsa, guacamole and all the other toppings.
- Cut chicken breast into strips.
- Add seasoning to chicken breast strips and toss to coat all the pieces with the seasoning.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a sauté pan or cast iron skillet. When the pan has gotten hot, carefully add the seasoned chicken strips. Be careful not to get splattered with hot oil.
- Let the chicken strips stay in place for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is dark golden brown. Turn over the pieces and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side or until done. Make sure to have your kitchen fan running!
- When finished remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest for a few minutes. After the chicken has cooled slightly cut into small pieces.
- Add a little water to the pan to loosen up all the spices and dark bits in the pan. You’re making a little sauce to toss the chicken in before serving. It shouldn’t be too watery, just enough to make it cling to the chicken.
- While chicken is cooling begin toasting the Mission Organics® Flour Tortillas on a hot skillet. Let them cook until they begin to get those dark brown spots and tortilla gets a little puffy in spots. You can see the semi-translucent color of the tortilla turn more solid as they toast.
- Keep heated tortillas in a moist towel until they are ready to serve.
- Toss the chicken back into the heated pan that you cooked them in. Pan should have enough liquid to coat the chicken.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Leslie says
This is a great recipe for entertaining! Tacos are the perfect meal for any gathering! Yours look beyond delicious!
Capri Lilly says
Taco night is always a hit in my family and it was even better thanks to this recipe! My family loved the blackened chicken! It was delish!
Terra @ Terra's Bites says
Chef Dennis, this taco bar is so delicious. It’s now a permanent addition to my own weekly taco bar. Thank you so much!
Sapphire says
Yummy 😋