Crunchy Black Bean and Chicken Tacos

I've made these crunchy black bean and chicken tacos three times now and they have been a hit every time! The recipe is adapted from just a black bean taco recipe I found on Pinterest. I knew Kyle wouldn't be a big fan without some sort of meat so I marinated some chicken breast and threw these together.

 

Ingredients

1 large boneless chicken breast
Marinade of choice
2 C. black beans, cooked

½ C. red onion, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 avocado, sliced

Pinch of salt and pepper

8 corn tortillas

Hot sauce

Salsa

Sour cream 

 

 

 

Directions

 

1) Cut your chicken breast into small pieces, about half an inch or smaller. Marinade your chicken however you would like. I used a McCormick Grill Mate mesquite marinade. Marinade your chicken for a few hours. (I've also marinade and cooked my chicken whole and then cut it up, either way is fine)

 

2) Drain all marinade from the chicken and cook until cooked through over medium heat in a skillet. Remove and keep warm once done.

 

3) In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

 

4) In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.

 

5) Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

 

6) Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.

 

7) As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

 

8) Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.

 

9) When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.

 

10) Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

 

Remember: Corn tortillas are resilent to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy.

Recipe here

 

 

I always just serve these with guacamole, salsa and chips and we LOVE them! Don't be intimated by the several steps if you are tend be an "easy recipe cook" Its really not hard and completely worth it. Enjoy!

 

 

I'm pretending today is Tuesday, since apparently I couldn't get my act together yesterday, and linking up today with Emily for the Tuesday recipe linkup.