Chicken Taco Twist
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken
2 Tbs. favorite taco seasoning
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 chipotle peppers, rehydrated in hot water, drained, and diced
1/3 cup black beans
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 (11 oz) tubes refrigerated French bread
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Mexican oregano
Instructions:
What it took for 4:
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high, and add the ground chicken. Brown all over until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning, red bell pepper, chipotle peppers, black beans, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the cilantro. Toss to combine and sauté another 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
On a clean and lightly floured work surface, arrange the french breads. Using a serrated knife, lightly score each loaf from tip to tip. Using either a roller, or your fingers, spread the dough until you get a 4-inch well in the center.
Lightly sprinkle some of the cheese along each well. Fill the wells with the chicken taco mixture. Get it all in there. It will work. Then, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the chicken mixture. Using your fingers, pinch the dough tightly, closing the mixture inside the bread. Continue until both loaves are pinched all good like.
Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Carefully transfer each loaf to the pan, and place them seam side down. Twist each loaf around each other, creating a twist.
Lightly brush the twist with the egg wash. Using a small paring knife, lightly score little slits across the top of the twist, allowing for ventilation. Lastly, sprinkle the Mexican oregano on top of the twist.
Slide that thing in for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through. Let sit for a few minutes, slice and eat.
Adapted from bevcooks.com