Recipe & pairing | Deborah Kaloper's (Taco Night) Street-style chicken tacos with chicken skin chicharrones
Whether it’s a weekend gathering with mates, a date-night in, or simply taco Tuesday, Deborah Kaloper’s Taco Night (available now) has the best tacos for any occasion. Here’s what we’re pairing with these stellar street-style chicken tacos.
Pairing tip: "Lots of citrus and herbs going on here… so straight to a Kiwi sauvignon blanc for me, or an albariño if we want to stay in a latino lane. Though if I’m looking for a pairing that has a bit more body and a touch less acid, I’m thinking something like a richer style of fiano, or a good old Hunter Valley aged sem - either would be great, poured generously alongside a plate loaded with these tacos." - Nick
Try this with:
Granbazán D. Alvaro de Bazán Albariño 2020
Fleshy, fierce, and fresh: you'll want to melt into every glass. If you've been around for a while, you'll know that Granbazán are top tier when it comes to albariño producers. They dedicate their winery almost solely to the variety, and each level they produce just gets infinitely better. This albariño is from the best plots on the famous granite soils of the region and has spent 24 months ageing on fine lees. What does that mean? Think about the wines of Chablis, but then add a creamier, toasty note to offset the mineral and saline notes. Incredibly textural, all round stunning wine. Seriously, you'll thank us later for this one.
Torrent Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Nelson is Marlborough's neighbour to the west, know for producing sauv blanc that has all the bright fruit of the headline region with a bit more structure to balance with these tacos. A former New Zealand Winemaker of the Year is behind this drop, one that brings all the best of the grape with a touch more seriousness (don't worry, it isn't that serious) on the palate. There's gooseberry, tropical fruit and plenty of lime to taste, but that's all buttressed by some vibrant clean acid and herbaceousness. If you want a further nudge, just place your trust in the judges at the New Zealand International Wine Show - this took home a double gold medal to go along with a whopping 96 point score.
Street-style chicken with chicken skin chicharrones
Makes 6-8
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) boneless chicken thighs, skin on
olive oil, for brushing
HERB CITRUS MARINADE
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (not Mexican)
TO SERVE
6–8 warm small Corn tortillas [see below for recipe]
1 small white onion, diced
coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped
Red chilli sauce [see below for recipe]
Tomatillo salsa verde [see below for recipe]
lime wedges
Remove the chicken skin from the thighs and reserve for the chicharrones.
Mix the herb citrus marinade ingredients together in a large glass bowl. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Bring to cool room temperature 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF). To make the chicharrones, pat the reserved chicken skin dry with paper towel. Place on a wire rack set over a baking tray and very lightly season with sea salt and black pepper. Transfer the tray to the oven and roast the chicken skin for 18–20 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Place a chargrill pan or cast-iron frying pan over medium–high heat and brush generously with oil. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, discarding the marinade. When the pan is hot, fry the chicken for 5–6 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
Transfer the chicken to a plate, lightly cover and leave to rest for 3–4 minutes, before slicing into strips.
To serve, place some chicken strips on a warm tortilla, then top with a little onion, coriander, chilli sauce and salsa. Crumble some chicken skin chicharrones over for a delicious crunchy topping and serve immediately, with lime wedges.
Corn tortillas
Makes 16 × 15 cm (6 inch) tortillas
220 g (2 cups) masa harina
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) warm water
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Place the ingredients in a large bowl and, using your hands, mix together until a dough forms. It should be pliable, almost like a play dough; add a little more water if it’s a bit dry.
Knead the dough for 1–2 minutes, then divide into 16 equal portions. Roll into balls, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 20–30 minutes.
Place a ball of dough between two pieces of waxed baking paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 15 cm (6 inch) round tortilla. (If you have a tortilla press, place a piece of waxed baking paper on the base plate, then place the dough ball in the centre and add another piece of waxed baking paper on top. Close the tortilla press and press the handle down to sandwich and flatten the dough into a tortilla.)
Continue rolling or pressing until all the balls have been flattened to size. Cover with the tea towel until ready to cook.
Heat a large flat cast-iron frying pan or comal over medium–high heat. Add a tortilla and flip after 10 seconds, then cook for 45–60 seconds. Flip again and cook for a further 35–50 seconds. The tortilla should feel dry, but not stiff or crumbly, and should be just lightly changed in colour.
While cooking the remaining tortillas, keep the cooked tortillas warm by stacking them on top of each other and covering them with the tea towel.
Serve immediately.
NOTE: To make beetroot or spinach corn tortillas, replace 60 ml (¼ cup) of the water with fresh beetroot (beet) juice or spinach juice, for a colourful twist.
Red chilli sauce
Makes 250 ml (1 cup)
12 dried arbol chillies
2 dried guajillo chillies
2 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 large ripe heirloom tomato
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
Warm a cast-iron frying pan over low heat and dry-fry the chillies, in batches, for 1 minute on each side, taking care to not burn the skin. Remove and set aside. When cool enough to handle, discard the stems and seeds, or retain some seeds if you prefer a spicier chilli sauce.
Place the chillies in a bowl, then cover with boiling water and leave to rehydrate for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the chilli soaking water.
Meanwhile, dry-roast the garlic cloves and whole tomato in the pan, turning occasionally, for 5–10 minutes, until the skins are lightly blackened and charred.
Peel the garlic cloves and add to a high-speed blender with the remaining ingredients, including the reserved chilli soaking water. Blitz to a puree.
The sauce will keep in a clean airtight container in the fridge for 5–7 days.
Tomato salsa verda
Makes about 2 2/3 cups
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed
1/2 onion
3 garlic cloves
3 fresh green jalapeno chillies, stems removed, seeds scooped out
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems
For a fresh salsa verde, roughly chop the tomatillos and onion and place in a food processor. Peel the garlic and add to the processor, along with the remaining ingredients, and blend until well pureed.
For a roasted salsa verde, place the tomatillos, unpeeled onion and unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking tray. Cut the chillies in half lengthways and add to the tray, then place the tray under an oven grill (broiler) on high heat. Grill for 9–10 minutes, until the ingredients are slightly charred and beginning to blacken in spots, then turn them over and cook for a further 6–7 minutes, until charred. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Peel the onion and garlic, then place in a food processor with the chillies. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until pureed. Use straight away, or cool before refrigerating.
The salsa verde can be refrigerated in a clean airtight container for 5–7 days.
Recipe & images taken from “Taco Night: 60+ recipes for date nights, lazy nights and party nights” by Deborah Kaloper, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $29.99), available now. Photography © Mark Roper.