Taco Tuesday! Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa

[slideshow]Thank you, Food Network magazine, and your article on 50 Tacos. It could not have been timed better!  A friend and I have been brainstorming new taco ideas. [She has been holding Taco Tuesdays for several months, and her kids are starting to get bored with the same old taco.] And then – BOOM – this magazine lands in my life outta nowhere. Thank you, fairy godmother!

There are sooooo many great ideas in it, from beef to lamb to fish to poultry. There’s even a spaghetti taco, a gag turned food phenom thanks to an episode of iCarly a couple of years ago. I decided to take the mango salsa idea from #22, and do a basic taco filling with ground chicken. I am a little obsessed with mangoes right now. Every bite has me more convinced they are the sweetest, most delicious fruit I’ve ever eaten. Yes, they can be challenging to cut and peel due to the large, oblong pit, but after some instruction via Youtube and a little practice, I feel quite competent. The rewards are sweet, naturally 🙂

This simple chicken taco features peppers, onions, cumin and coriander, with a little hot sauce for zing. Except for my youngest, who thought it was a bit spicy, we all loved it. The mango salsa is the real star — colorful, sweet, and zesty.  It will be a mainstay this summer, topping shredded BBQ pork, spicy fish tacos, burgers, and grilled fish.

Taco Tuesday? Or Mango Monday? Both work!

Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa
Serves 5-6 small appetites
adapted from The Food Network

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken stock
12 taco shells

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and spread taco shells out on a cookie sheet. Place them in the oven to warm.

In a large non-stick pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and onion. Saute until the vegetables are beginning to soften (about 3-4 minutes) then add the garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Cook for about a minute, then add the ground chicken. Break up the chicken well while cooking so that there are no large clumps.  

Once the chicken is cooked through, sprinkle the flour over the top and stir while cooking to allow the flour to blend into the chicken.  Add the chicken stock then raise the heat until it is simmering. Cook until the stock thickens a bit, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve in warm taco shells topped with Mango Salsa; recipe follows.

Mango Salsa
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
From Food Network magazine

1 mango, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon lime juice
Salt, to taste (2-3 turns of sea salt grinder)

Combine all ingredients; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.