Chicken soft tacos

We modified this recipe for chicken and cheese tortas (Mexican sandwiches) from Food & Wine magazine to create these delicious chicken soft tacos.  It uses a technique similar to pork carnitas, where you smash the meat in an oiled pan to fry the bottom to crispy perfection.  (I marked the tomatillo salsa ingredient as optional, because we thought it overpowered the other flavors).  Can't wait to make these again!

CHICKEN SOFT TACOS

Yield: 4-6 tacos

Ingredients

1 avocado, chopped

2 tablespoons plain yogurt (I used sour cream)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 small red onion, minced

1 small jalapeño, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 cups thickly shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie or baked)

1 1/2 cups shredded fresh mozzarella

2 tablespoons grated Cotija or parmesan cheese

Flour tortillas, warmed

1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeños

1/2 cup jarred tomatillo salsa (optional)

Instructions

In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Stir in the yogurt/sour cream, lime juice, onion, jalapeño, cumin and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken in an even layer and cook over moderately high heat until crisp on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Scatter the mozzarella and Cotija/parmesan cheeses over the chicken, cover the skillet and remove from the heat. Let stand until the mozzarella is melted.

Spread tortillas with the avocado mixture. Top with the chicken, then add the pickled jalapeños and tomatillo salsa. Serve immediately.