As Herson Peraza from La Palma, El Salvador, taught Lindsay Sterling in Portland Maine, November 2015
Serves: 8
3 tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
2 dried guajillo chili peppers (substitute any mild red dried chili such as New Mexico or California)
4 chicken breasts
1/4 lime
about 3 cups water
2 tsp salt + more to taste1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
16 corn tortillas
1 egg
1/4 of a large cabbage, shaved or sliced finely with a knife
1 carrot, peeled and then shaved using a peeler
1 Tbsp minced onion
1/4 cup mayo
1 1/2 cups salsa de tomate
Draw an "X" in the bottom of the tomatoes and put into a small to medium sauce pan with the whole guajillo chilis and the onion wedges. Cover the contents of the pan with water and heat on medium until the x'ed tomato skins start to loosen.
Stab the chicken through about every inch or so with a paring knife. Squeeze lime juice on chicken and rub around with hands. Rinse chicken with cold water. Cover chicken with water in pot. Add 2 tsp salt and garlic. Bring to a boil and cook on medium until chicken is cooked through (opaque throughout). Reserve the chicken cooking liquid. Remove the chicken and put on a plate or cutting board. Shred chicken by using two forks to pull apart the strands of chicken meat.
Once tomato skins have loosened. Remove tomatoes from the pot onto a plate. Peel off tomato skins and discard. Put tomato flesh into the blender. Slice open chilis lengthwise and wash the seeds off the flesh in the cooking liquid. Put the chili pepper flesh and onions with the tomatoes in the blender. Add chicken broth until all the contents are covered and blend until all the flecks disappear and you have a red liquid.
Discard any remaining chicken broth (or save for another use), and return shredded chicken to the pot you cooked it in. Pour red blended mixture into the shredded chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes to incorporate, salt chicken and sauce to taste.
Mix cabbage, carrot, and minced onion with mayo.
Microwave corn tortillas with a wet paper towel over them for 30 seconds to soften. Whisk egg in a small bowl.
Put about 2 Tbsp of chicken filling towards the bottom of the first tortilla. Roll tortilla over chicken. Put egg yolk along the top edge of the tortilla and finish rolling the toritilla. Press the roll into the part that you egg yolked.
Continue rolling a couple more. In a large saute pan, heat about 1/4 inch deep of vegetable oil. Fry the rolled tortillas until golden on one side, and then flip and cool until golden and crunchy. Let dry on a platter lined with paper towel.
Serve taquitos topped with cabbage slaw and salsa de tomate.
Copyright Lindsay Sterling 2015
