Fried Chicken Tacos with Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa

I couldn't resist this recipe, which comes from my FOOD & WINE Annual Cookbook 2012.  It's a recipe from Andrew Zimmern, whose recipes I had not tried...until now.  And now, I will be trying MORE of them!  We've already had these tacos twice since Spring, and our neighbors love them too!

I learned to debone chicken thighs, not as hard as it may seem, as the recipe calls for boneless, skin ON thighs.  Believe me, you want the skin on, because it is delicious.

The fresh salsa is delicious and easy to make.  Our addition of a little extra squeeze of lime juice sends these tacos over the top. 

While Andrew serves his with corn tortillas, our family prefers flour, so that's what we use.  I'll just say "tortillas" down below and you decide for yourself!

Fried Chicken Tacos
Total:  35 minutes active plus 2 hours marinating
Serves 4


1/4 cup fresh lime juice (divided)
Kosher salt
4 large boneless chicken thighs with skin (about 5 ounces each), pounded 1/3 inch thick

1/2 pound tomatillos—husked and quartered
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 serrano chiles or 1 large jalapeño with seeds, chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Large pinch of cayenne pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Warm tortillas & lime wedges, for serving

In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the lime juice with 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a food processor, combine the tomatillos, garlic, serranos, onion and cilantro and process to a coarse puree. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and stir in the avocado and the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Season with salt.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour with the pepper, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In a large skillet, heat 1/3 inch of oil until shimmering. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Fry the chicken over moderately high heat until well-browned and crisp, about 3 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

While chicken is still hot, cut the chicken into thin strips and serve with the tomatillo salsa, warm tortillas and lime wedges.  And Coronas, of course!