INGREDIENTS
45 corn tortillas, store-bought preferred
picadillo
toothpicks
3 cups vegetable oil
garnishes:
cotija cheese, crumbled
mexican crema
guacamole
minced cabbage
picadillo:
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
2-inch piece Mexican cinnamon stick (only the first 2 thin layers)
3 medium sized plum tomatoes, quartered
3 tomatillos, peeled, rinsed, and quartered
1 white onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves
kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups finely shredded cooked chicken breast (about 2 chicken breasts)
15 pitted green olives (1/3 cup), finely chopped
18 blanched almonds (2 tablespoons), finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins, finely chopped
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
guacamole:
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 serrano chile (stem removed)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 avocados (pitted and peeled)
DIRECTIONS
To make the picadillo: Grind the oregano, thyme, black peppercorns, cloves, and Mexican cinnamon in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until ground to a powder; set aside.
Place the tomatoes, onions, tomatillos, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup of water into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Heat 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until very hot and shimmering. Add the blended ingredients. Lower heat and let it simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, olives, almonds, and raisins and stir to combine; stir in the parsley.
Simmer the chicken for 5 minutes then add the ground spices (Tip: if you ground the condiments in a mortar, it is recommended to add 1/4 cup of water into the mortar in order to get all the powder out of it and into the skillet). Add the vinegar, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir to mix. Allow the chicken to cook until the chicken has absorbed all the juices in the skillet, about 15 minutes more. Set the picadillo aside to cool.
To make the guacamole: In a blender, combine the lime juice, salt, cilantro, chile and oregano. Blend until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the avocados (you can use a potato masher for this). Pour the lime juice mixture over the top and mix until everything is well combined.
To make Taquitos de Picadillo de Pollo: Bring a comal or cast-iron skillet to high heat and, one by one, heat up the tortillas until soft and pliable. This should take a minute per side or less.
As the hot tortillas are coming out, add 2 tablespoons of picadillo to the center of each tortilla and tightly wrap it up. Use a toothpick or two to pierce the tortilla together and hold it in place.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add the taquitos in batches of three or four at a time. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Use tongs to flip the taquitos over so both sides cook equally. Continue this process until all the taquitos are fried. Drain the taquitos on a large plate linked with paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Serve immediately with cheese, crema, guacamole, and minced cabbage.
