Spicy Chicken Tacos

                                                      

I don’t know about you but rain always puts me in a sour mood. All I want to do is curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and a good movie on the television. However this dish should change your mind. Serve with rice and you have yourself a perfect rainy Tuesday night dinner. Who knows you might even be in the mood for a homemade Margarita.

Special Cooking Equipment: Food Processor (blender will work as a substitute).

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

salt

4 large boneless chicken thighs with skin (about 5 ounces each), pounded 1/3 inch thick

1/2 pound tomatillos—husked and quartered

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large jalapeño with seeds, chopped

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons cilantro leaves

1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Large pinch of cayenne pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Warm corn tortillas, for serving

In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the lime juice with 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a food processor, combine the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño, onion and cilantro and process to a coarse puree. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and stir in the avocado and the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Season with salt.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour with the pepper, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In a large skillet, heat 1/3 inch of oil until shimmering. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Fry the chicken over moderately high heat until well-browned and crisp, about 3 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Cut the chicken into thin strips and serve with the tomatillo salsa and warm corn tortillas.

*Taken from Food and Wine Magazine.