Chicken tacos with peppers, creamy avocado relish and mango salsa

Leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken from Saturday night’s dinner. A craving for something South of the border on Sunday evening. Sums up to a meal comprising chicken tacos, along with yummy Mexican flavours, relishes and tastes. Of course, a trip to the local grocery store thrown in on Sunday morning, to pick up fresh peppers, corn tortillas, a ripe avocado and a big fat mango! I could not also help myself to pickup some fresh green tomatillos. Tomatillos, look like little green tomatoes, but actually are a kind of gooseberry, used extensively in many Mexican dishes. Primarily to make sauces and salsas, which is what i intended to do. A few extra minutes to whip up a salsa verde, ain’t do no harm!:-). The dish requires more prep work than anything else, minimal cooking and a few buzzes of the food processor to get the meal going. And it’s definitely worth it, a happy meal to keep my family happy and smiling at dinner time 🙂

Servings 3

Ingredients:
Soft corn tortillas – 9
Roasted and diced chicken – 4 cups
Chopped orange bell peppers – 1 1/2 cups
Chopped green bell peppers – 1 1/2 cups
Chopped onions – 1 cup
Mexican chile powder – 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp.
Cinnamon powder – 1/2 tsp.
Dried oregano – 1/2 tsp.
1 jalapeño, chopped, seeds removed
Extra virgin olive oil – 1 tbsp.
A squeeze of lime juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a saute pan. Add the bell peppers and onions and saute for a few minutes. Add cumin seeds. Add the chopped jalapeno. Add the spices and oregano. Saute for a minute or so. Add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well for a couple of minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

For the toppings :
1 avocado
1/2 cup thick plain yoghurt
Lime juice – 1 tbsp.
Mayonnaise – 1 tsp.

Process the avocado in a small food processor till smooth. Mix along with yoghurt, mayonnaise and lime juice. Add a pinch of salt.

For the mango salsa :
1 mango, diced in small cubes
Chopped cilantro or fresh coriander – 1 tbsp.
Chopped jalapeño – 1 tsp.
Finely chopped red onion – 2 tbsp.
Lime juice – 1 tbsp.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl and set aside.

For the salsa verde : It is optional. One can flavour the tacos with it or serve it as a side along with tortilla chips.

7-8 tomatillos
1 chopped jalapeño. Deseeded if you do not like too much heat.
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or coriander
Juice of a lime
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup red onion, roughly chopped
A tad extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Preheat a broiler. Arrange the tomatillos, garlic and onions on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes or so. Remove and let cool. Add a

ll the ingredients in a food processor and process to a sauce-like consistency. Season with salt.

Before serving, heat the tortillas on a griddle or pan.

On a platter, assemble the tortillas. Place chicken and top with the avocado relish and mango salsa. The salsa verde can be used as a side with chips. Or just add it on to the tacos! For the full onslaught, garnish with shredded iceberg lettuce and shredded cheese(cheddar, jack or queso Oaxaca)