Chicken and Sweet Potato Taquitos + Mezcal-rita

Mexican food and margaritas go hand in hand, but why not take it a step farther by combining sweet and tart? That’s exactly what I did with this pairing. The chicken and sweet potato taquitos are delicious alone, but add a margarita and you have a perfect combination.

I chose to switch things up and use some mezcal instead of only standard tequila. What makes mezcal unique is that it is made from smoked maguey hearts. Maguey is a plant in the agave family, hence the strong similarity between mezcal and tequila. Mezcal actually means “smoked agave”.

The Oaxaca have a saying, “For everything bad, mezcal; for everything good, the same.” If that frightens you away from trying Mezcal, be my guest and make a standard margarita, but I encourage you to branch out and try new flavors. Even if you don’t like mezcal, you’ll have expanded your palate.

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Chicken and Sweet Potato Taquitos

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 7

Ingredients

• 30 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 chicken breasts
  

Mashed Sweet Potato Filling

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  

Toppings

• ½ cup onion diced
• 1 jalapeño diced
• 2 cloves garlic diced
• ½ cup cilantro chopped
• 2 cups Monterrey jack cheddar, or Mexican cheese blend
• 1 tomato diced
  
• 2 ounces lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

• Poach the chicken breasts in a medium pot of salted water until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F - approximately 10-14 minutes, but check them at 8 minutes. I like to add some aromatics to the water too, so feel free to add additional garlic, onion, cumin, etc.. Once chicken is cooked, remove and set aside, reserving the water.
• While the chicken is poaching, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat then add the onion and jalapeño to a skillet with olive oil. Add the garlic a couple minutes later and cook until the onion begins to become translucent.
• Boil the diced sweet potatoes in a the water reserved from poaching the chicken breasts. Simmer until softened - approximately 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Add butter, paprika, salt, and cinnamon and mash the sweet potatoes.
• Once the chicken breasts have cooled slightly, use a fork to shred the chicken.
• Cover a few of the tortillas with a damp paper towel and microwave 20-30 seconds to soften. Spread tortillas with the mashed sweet potatoes, sprinkle with cheese and cilantro, add onion, jalapeño, and garlic mixture, add some chicken and top with some of the diced tomato.
• Gently roll the tortilla and be sure not to over stuff. Hold together with a toothpick if necessary. Once a baking sheet is filled, spray with olive oil and bake for 12-15 minutes at 425°F. Note: I've made these two ways, and the other way is the one that is pictured. The corn tortillas tend to flake and fall apart easily. The two things to remedy this are making sure you use a moist paper towel when you microwave the tortillas and the you can also do a brief fry session to brown them in hot oil before baking.

Notes

This recipe makes a large portion of taquitos, but they are perfect for freezing. After baking, just lay them out on a baking tray to freeze. Once frozen, wrap individually with cling wrap (Press'n Seal works great) and bag in a large freezer zipper bag.

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Mezcal-rita

Course: Cocktail

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 2½ ounces tequila
• 2 ounces orange liqueur Cointreau preferred
• 1 ounce lime juice
• ½ ounce mezcal

Instructions

• Garnish rim of tequila glass with rimming salt by rubbing with a lime wedge then rolling in salt. Chill in freezer.
• Add mezcal, orange liqueur, and lime juice to shaker filled with ice.
• Shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain into margarita glass and garnish with a lime wheel.