Peach season is upon us and we're making this tantalizing taco recipe from Veritas Winery Executive Chef Andy Shipman.
These chicken tacos are an ever-evolving summer time meal. My love for them started when I was in college in Fredericksburg and working at Foode for co-owner/chef Joy Crump. In the summer, an iteration of these tacos would hit the menu for a short period of time. They have since been one of my favorite go-to summertime dishes. The simplicity of 4-ingredient tacos, with the salty-sweet relationship of chicken and peach, make these a light and enjoyable summer meal.
Recipe by Chef Andy Shipman, Veritas Winery, Afton
Ingredients
Fried Chicken Marinade
2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 quart stabilized buttermilk
2 tablespoons Tapitio hot sauce
3 tablespoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
3 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme Blackened Redfish Magic
Fried Chicken
Marinated chicken
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
4 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme Blackened Redfish Magic
Peanut oil or other neutral oil
Peach Salsa
1 red onion
1 bunch cilantro or parsley
1 pound fresh yellow peaches
1 lemon
Corn tortillas
Cotija cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Fried Chicken
Combine all the ingredients in a container and marinate overnight. The next day, combine flour, seasoned salt, and blackening mix. Drain the chicken from the marinade and toss in flour to evenly coat. Take the chicken out of the flour and put on a sheet tray, then leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The breading will become tacky and will give you a crispier result.
Fill a dutch oven 2/3s full with peanut oil or another neutral oil. Set on medium heat until the oil reaches 325℉, as read with a candy thermometer or an instant-read digital thermometer. When chicken is tacky, start dropping the chicken into the oil. Unlike other recipes, you do want to overcrowd the pot without causing the oil to overflow. Overcrowding the pot will drop the temperature of the oil, letting the chicken cook all the way through before the breading gets too dark. Once the chicken has reached 165℉, remove to a sheet tray lined with a paper towel.
For the Peach Salsa
The day you plan to eat the chicken, finely dice half of a red onion, cilantro or parsley, and the best local yellow peaches you can find. Put them in a bowl and toss with the juice of a lemon and a pinch of salt.
To Finish
To heat the corn tortillas, place them on an open flame burner and lightly char them on both sides. Fill each tortilla with fried chicken, peach salsa, cotija cheese and a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
