The shell is made of cheese!
That’s all you really need to know about these delicious Chicken Cheese Shell Tacos.
I’ll say it again. The shell is made of cheese.
It’s crispy, salty, CHEESY, and a perfect match for this smoky chicken. Cooling ingredients like sour cream, guacamole, and lettuce finish off a unique and delicious take on a Tex Mex classic.
First, lets make the smoky chicken filling.
Some water and chipotle round out the sauce.
After the chicken is fully cooked, just shred it up for your tacos. This is a versatile chicken filling for a variety of Tex Mex applications.
Now on to the cheese shells.
A very lightly packed ¼ cup of aged cheddar. I don’t know the science behind it, but for some reason an aged cheese works better for this.
Let these bake about 10 to 15 minutes. At first they leak all their oil, then sort of soak it back up as the cheese almost fries on the pan.
They come out of the oven as a perfect congealed round of cheese. These make for great soup or salad toppers, but of course we have other plans.
I like to blot them with a paper towel first to soak up some of the excess oil, then shape them into anything I want. We obviously are going for shells today, but you could make these into cups, leave them flat as crackers, or if you are feeling ambitious, make some crazy origami cheesebird.
These are such a fun appetizer, and it’s great to watch your friends try and figure out what the shell is made of.
On first bite however, there is no mistake. If you are a fan of burnt cheese like me, you will love these tacos!
Dan Whalen likes to scrape the burnt cheese off the edges of a nice bowl of French onion soup. He has been blogging for over 4 years at The Food in my Beard; check Dan‘s Tablespoon profile often to try his recipes with creative international spins!
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