These chicken-style soft shell tacos are packed with flavor, look like chicken, smell like chicken, taste like….. but it is not chicken. My family or course were quite surprised when they learned that they were eating a meat-free meal.

I made the chicken-style soft shell tacos using Fry’s Chicken-style Nuggets. With a vegetarian in the house and in my class, I am often looking for quality products to use. What better quality than Fry’s. Their claim: “All the ingredients used in our products are completely Non-Genetically Modified, MSG Free, Preservative free and vegan.” is backed by an ethos, dedication and 30 years of building a family business.

Soft-shell tacos are our new fetish. When we don’t know what to eat or cook, this is our go to. Very moreish, very quick and even if you just have a pickle and some cheese, the baked soft shell taco is the winner. What makes it even easier , is that you can have a stash of mini tortillas in your freezer, so that you never run out.

What can other fillings can you use?

My favorite by far is Spicy Beef tacos with a pineapple salsa. The sweet, sour, spice and cheesy vibe is right up my ally. If you ever have leftover roast beef, shred it and keep in the freezer for soft-shell taco days. The best way to cook your shredded beef is in an InstaPot. No effort whatsoever. If you do not have one yet, a normal pressure cooker will also work.

Our other favourite is to use fish in he tacos. The cold-smoked salmon or trout ribbons are delicious. If you prefer hard-shell tacos, here is how.

Which toppings and relishes are the best to use for the Chicken-Style Soft Shell Tacos.

We love sweet-sour combination. I use pineapple often, the salsa is also fantastic on chicken burgers. Another favorite is also mango. It pairs beautifully with chicken, pork and beef. With Mexican food, the avo créma is a must, but also sour cream, mayonnaise and a tomato relish. Pickles are delicious and easy to make. Here are a few ideas.

Chicken-style Soft Shell Tacos

serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

380 g packet Fry’s Chicken-style Nuggets

12 mini tortillas

1 cup enchilada sauce  (see recipe below)

500 ml grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese

fresh coriander for serving

lime wedges

Avocado Crema

For the Avocado Creme

2 ripe avocados

125 ml/ 1/2 cup B-well Thick and Creamy Mayonnaise

zest and juice of 1 lime

a small handful fresh coriander

1 small green chili

salt to taste

Method

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and and blend until smooth and creamy.

For the Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

1 can tomato purée

60 ml/¼ cup water

30 ml/2 T olive oil

5 ml /1 t white vinegar

10 ml/2 t cayenne pepper

10 ml/2 cloves garlic

5 ml/1 t cumin

5 ml/1 t smoked paprika

1 t salt

1 t dry oregano

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Keep in airtight container until needed.

Let’s make the Chicken-style soft shell tacos.

Make sure your table is set and the crema is made before you start the process of make the taco shells. They must be eaten straight from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Place the nuggets on a baking sheet and coat each nugget with some of the enchilada sauce. Bake for about 10 minutes, you might want to turn the nuggets once. Spray a another baking tray with Spray n Cook and drizzle a little olive oil on the surface of the pan. Place the tortillas on the baking sheet and place about 1 1/2 T of grated cheese on one half of the tortilla, topped with about 1 teaspoon of the enchilada sauce. Place in the oven and allow cheese to melt. Take out the oven and top with a nugget and fold in half. Repeat with the others. Serve with the fresh coriander, lime wedges, chopped chili and more cheese and sauce. enjoy.

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