Chicken Soup and Crispy Tacos (Grandma Delia's Recipe)

Name: Chicken Soup and Crispy Tacos (Grandma Delia's Recipe)
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: Serves 6-8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cleaned (ask your butcher for them this way—they really will prepare them for you); as needed frozen julienned mixed vegetables (any brand is fine); 1 ear corn; 1 zucchini (the green kind); 1 onion; garlic powder, to taste; salt, to taste; 1 tomato; as needed flour tortillas; as needed oil; as needed cucumber with chili powder and lime (optional); sour cream, to taste, for the tacos

Amílcar Salazar Méndez @amilcar_salazar

This is my Grandma Delia's recipe. It's not that it has an amazing flavor—in fact, I think it's a bit bland. This is what she would serve me when I arrived at her house; you ate it because there was no other option. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

For those who were curious: My grandma Delia Anaya grew up in Mexicali and married a man from Tabasco. She spent her childhood on the border with a binational influence. She later moved to Mexico City, where she had four children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Tell me about the recipes your grandma used to make. How much does your grandma influence your cooking?

Amílcar Salazar Méndez @amilcar_salazar

Tell me about the recipes your grandma used to make. How much does your grandma influence your cooking?

Saved

Ingredients

1 hour

Serves 6-8 servings

2boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cleaned (ask your butcher for them this way—they really will prepare them for you)
as neededfrozen julienned mixed vegetables (any brand is fine)
1 earcorn
1zucchini (the green kind)
1onion
garlic powder, to taste
salt, to taste
1tomato
as neededflour tortillas
as neededoil
as neededcucumber with chili powder and lime (optional)
sour cream, to taste, for the tacos

Saved

Steps

1 hour

1

This process is long and a bit tedious, but we can get through it together. We need to make two dishes: a soup and crispy tacos. We'll start with the soup, and the last steps will cover the tacos.
2

Bring the chicken breasts to a boil with the corn, half an onion (whole), a little salt, and a little garlic powder. Cover the pot and cook until the chicken is fully cooked. Make sure the chicken is cooked through.
3

Once it's done, remove the chicken breasts from the broth (be careful—they'll be very hot).
4

Add the frozen vegetables to the broth and a little salt. Wait a few minutes, then add the zucchini (slice it into rounds). Reduce the heat to very low and the soup is ready to serve. Now let's make the tacos.
5

Shred the chicken using two forks. If the chicken was in the hot water long enough, it should be nice and tender. (If it's not tender, you may need to return to step 2.)
6

CAUTION: Hot oil burns and it hurts a lot. (I wish my grandma had warned me before I tried it myself!)
7

Heat oil in a skillet. The original recipe uses a lot of oil, but you really don't need that much. Start with a teaspoon and add more if needed—you'll see you can usually use less.
8

To make the crispy tacos, place some shredded chicken in the center of a flour tortilla. Fold two sides of the tortilla over each other so the chicken is wrapped up and doesn't fall out. (If it's hard to keep the taco closed, use a toothpick to hold it together, or even tie it with a piece of string—just cut it off after frying.)
9

Now for the tricky part. Carefully place the tacos one by one into the hot oil. Don't drop them in, and if you have tongs, use them. (It may still splatter, but don't worry—I'm here to guide you through it!)
10

Move and turn the tacos as they fry so they don't burn. While the tacos are frying, you can clean up your workspace or chop the tomato.
11

Remove the tacos from the oil and drain them on a plate lined with a couple of paper towels. In the end, you'll have something like empanadas. They're ready to eat.
12

Serve the tacos with chopped tomato, salt, and sour cream to taste. You can also add a good salsa or some guacamole.