Recipe: Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos

Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos

Tacos de Pollo en Ensalada Enchipotlada
Makes about 4 cups, filling 12 to 16 tacos
Serving 4 as a casual meal
Contemporary

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
   (no need to use your very best balsamico here)
1/3 cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, finely chopped
Salt
1/2 small head Napa cabbage,
   thinly sliced (about 2-1/2 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled and
   chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken,
   preferably grilled, roasted or rotisserie chicken
1 large ripe avocado, peeled,
   pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup coarsely grated Mexican queso añejo
   or other dry grating cheese, such as Romano or Parmesan
12 to 16 warm, fresh corn tortillas

1. The Filling:
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and chipotles. Season generously with salt, usually about a generous 1/4 teaspoon. Add the cabbage, carrot, onion, cilantro and chicken. Toss everything together and let stand for 15 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.

2. Finishing The Dish:
Scoop the filling into a wide shallow serving bowl, dot with the cubed avocado and dust generously with the cheese. Set on the table the warm tortillas, and you're ready for some great roll-them-yourself tacos.

Working Ahead:
The chicken filling is best eaten the day it is made, though it will keep for several hours in the refrigerator.

Buy the Book!

Mexico—One Plate at a Time
By Rick Bayless
with JeanMarie Brownson & Deann Groen Bayless
Scribner, October 2000
Hardback, $35.00
368 pages, color, black & white illustrations
ISBN: 0-684-84186-X
Recipe reprinted by permission.