But this time I was in a Mexican mood. I wanted some tasty shrimp tacos. And tasty shrimp tacos is what I got :) I mean, really, take a look.

Best tacos I've made.

I know, right? Right? Oh, well, I guess I know but you’ll just have to take my word for it. Or you could make this too… You should. There is so much great flavor in this. A little smokiness, a bit of heat, and even a little sweetness (not to mention the scallions, onion, and tomato) all work together to make this some of the tastiest tacos that will ever come out of your kitchen.

I mean, look at that, I bet you wish you could have eaten it.

So go get the ingredients and get cooking. Click though for the recipe and more details. If you like this one, maybe I’ll share some more chipotle recipes soon.

Ingredients

For the shrimp
Note about the shrimp: Get small sized shrimp. That means look for a count of 31/35 or less. That number means that there are about 31 to 35 shrimp per pound. If you get shrimp that are too large, they won’t fit well into the tacos, so smaller shrimp, which means a higher number, is your friend.
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
4 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
about 1 1/2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar

For the tacos
12-15 taco shells (I used flour tacos, but you can use corn)
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped
guac or avocados
jalepenos, if you want some more heat :)

Directions
Directions for shrimp
1. In a bowl mix together the chipotle, adobo, brown sugar, and lime juice.
2. In another bowl, mix together the shrimp, salt, pepper, and sugar.
3. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, then add about half the shrimp (from step 2). Make sure that they are in a single layer. Cook until you can see the color start to turn pinkish and they develop brown spots on the underside (about 1 minute). Flip each shrimp over (you can remove the pan from heat for this if it takes time). Cook about 30-60 seconds longer, until that side browns slightly to match the top half. Transfer everything to a plate or bowl and repeat with the remaining shrimp (don’t forget to add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet).
4. Once the second batch has been flipped over and cooks slightly, you can re-add the previously cooked shrimp to the skillet. Mix in the chipotle mixture (from step 1), cover and cook for 1-2 minutes.

For the tacos
Once the shrimp is made, you can pretty much figure out that the shrimp and the rest of the ingredients get tossed into the taco shells and then are chomped down on.
A tip for the taco shells though, if you have a gas burner you can lightly char them over it. Be quick and vigilant because you don’t want to burn them.
I don’t have a gas burner, so I actually pulled out a propane torch and tossed each taco onto my cast iron skillet and charred them with that. Yeah, I really did that.

One more photo...

Considering the relatively few ingredients, these enchiladas pack quite a bit of flavor. Using chili powder is a handy shortcut for flavor as it is really a mixture of several spices. For extra tender chicken, use thigh and leg meat. I ended up with breast meat for two reasons, first, it’s a bit healthier, and second (and this was the deciding factor), it was on sale for a ridiculously low price. I also used whole wheat tortillas instead of corn or white flour ones. Personally, I’m a fan of the earthier taste of whole wheat so I tend to eat whole wheat breads fairly often (the one big exception is hearth breads and baguettes, but that’s another story). I’m not sure that those changes really classify as making this a healthy dish anyway, so I won’t claim it is. But it’s not unhealthy and it was tasty. Really tasty.

Chicken Enchiladas

Oddly enough, I had never made enchiladas before. Now that I have, I am confident that it is something that I will make again. I even like how it lends itself to a lot of advance preparation. This would be a great dish to serve for a casual evening with some Mexican beers and margaritas. When it comes time to prepare it, all that would be left to do is move the dish from the oven to the fridge for 25 minutes or so.

Chicken Enchiladas
Makes 12 enchiladas-serves 4 to 6.
Serve with the regular sides of wedged lime, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, beans, and/or rice if desired.

Ingredients
1/2 tsp oil
1 onion, diced
salt, pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsps chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 15oz can tomato sauce
8 oz (1 cup) water
1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 cups cheddar cheese (about 8 oz)
1 4oz can minced jalapeños
12 6-in whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup cilantro, minced (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.
1. Add the diced onion, 1/2 tsp oil, and 1/2 tsp salt to a large pot or saucepan over med-low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened, stirring frequently.
2. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and cook for 30-60 seconds. Pour in the tomato sauce and water. Increase the heat to bring the mixture to a simmer. Cool for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken to the liquid so it is mostly submerged. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat until has just cooked though (160F in the thick part of the meat). Remove the chicken. Once cooled enough to continue, shred/pull the chicken with forks. Try remove all chucks of chicken as they can tear through the rolled tortilla.
4. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the sauce, 1 cup of the cheddar, and the can of jalapeños (if using cilantro, add it now). Season with salt and pepper if needed (taste it, don’t worry, it’s cooked).
5. Loosely cover the stacked tortillas with plastic wrap and heat in the microwave for one minute (to soften and warm them). Add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture to each round and roll tightly (12 will have to fit into a 9×13 pan, so roll tightly). Place each on seam side down onto a very lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Can be prepared up to a day in advance to this set. Cover and refrigerate until ready to continue.
6. Pour the remaining sauce over the center and into the base of the dish. Spread the remaining cheese over the center of the enchiladas. Cover loosely with for and bake for 25 minutes. If desired, the foil can be removed and the enchiladas cooked for 5 minutes more to brown the cheese.