Tiny Tacos With Spicy Dipping Trio
We're sharing all our tips and tricks for how to make tiny tacos, served with a mouth-watering dipping trio of Jalapeno Avocado Aioli, Habanero Hot Sauce, and Spicy Queso!
Equipment
- Mini loaf pan optional
Ingredients
Tiny Tacos
- ⅓ pound chicken tenders raw
- 1 cup refried beans warmed slightly
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cup monterey jack cheese shredded
- ⅔ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 ounces canned diced green chiles chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
- 6 burrito-size flour tortillas
- Scallions sliced thin (optional garnish)
Jalapeno Avocado Aioli
- 2 jalapenos
- 1 avocado
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup light mayo
- 3 pinches sea salt
- 4 to 5 tablespoons lime juice
Habanero Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 habanero peppers
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 pinches sea salt
Spicy Queso
- 8 ounces Velveeta cubed
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
How To Make Tiny Tacos
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken tenders and boil until cooked through, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and chop finely.
- Add chopped chicken, refried beans, cream cheese, monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, diced green chiles, salt, cumin, and ground red cayenne pepper to a large bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined, then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then make the taco shells. Using a 3-inch diameter biscuit/cookie cutter (or stencil), cut out small rounds from the flour tortillas. You should be able to get 8 or 9 tiny tortillas from each burrito-size tortilla. Set aside.
- Fold the tiny tortillas gently in half to form a taco shell shape, then position them upright in a loaf pan or brownie pan (something with edges). Fit them in closely together so that they support each other and hold their shape. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly crisped.
- Remove tiny taco shells from the oven and let them cool for at least 10 minutes, or until you can safely handle them. Then spread the filling into each tiny taco shell, being careful not to over-fill them.
- Bake tiny tacos for 8 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Let cool at least 2 minutes before serving with dipping trio. Optionally garnish with sliced scallions.
How To Make Jalapeno Avocado Aioli
- Slice the avocado in half, discard the pit, and scoop out the flesh into a blender. Remove the jalapeno stems, then core and de-seed.
- Add jalapenos, minced garlic, light mayo, salt, and lime juice to the blender. Blend until smooth, adding more lime juice if needed to adjust the consistency.
- Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
How To Make Habanero Hot Sauce
- Remove habanero stems, then core and de-seed.
- Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add habanero peppers, sugar, and minced garlic and sauté until peppers soften, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer peppers to a blender. Add water, vinegar, tomato paste, and salt and blend until liquified. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve.
How To Make Spicy Queso
- Add cubed Velveeta to a small saucepan and melt over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly until fully incorporated.
- Season with paprika, ground red cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Stir to combine and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until warmed through, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer to a small bowl and serve immediately.
Notes
Monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheese: We recommend shredding these cheeses yourself from a block - it melts much better and tastes fresher than pre-shredded cheese from a bag.
Cutting out, shaping, and baking the tiny tortillas: We don't have a biscuit cutter, so we used the small section of our burger press as a stencil and cut around it with a knife! Get creative and use whatever 3-inch diameter stencil you may have in the kitchen. Then to shape and bake them, we snugged the folded tortillas side-by-side in our mini loaf pan.
Habanero hot sauce: Warning - if you are sensitive to spicy things or hot peppers, be super careful handling the habaneros. Wash your hands thoroughly after slicing them. Wear safety goggles, turn on your range hood, and open up all the windows while you're sautéing them - or ask someone who isn't as sensitive to peppers to do this step for you! Read our blog post above for more info on this.
Timing: Making tiny tacos and a dipping trio is a lot of cooking at once, so we've compiled some tips and tricks for timing everything perfectly in our blog post. Scroll up to read it from the beginning!
Nutrition
Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 272mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 141IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
