Here’s the latest installment of Cooking with Bwog. This week, culinary wiz Matt Powell shares his recipe for spicy chicken tacos. Delicioso!

Thursdays are the worst days for me. In the afternoon, I have classes and discussion sections from 1-8 p.m.. By the time I hit that 7 p.m. discussion section, I’m no longer focusing on academics—I’m only fantasizing about what I’m going to have for dinner. This past Thursday, by the time the clock had struck 8, I was thinking, “Gosh, I’d settle for microwave popcorn!”

I soon got a grip on myself. I wasn’t going to allow my hunger get the best of me. One should never settle for mediocre food (microwave popcorn, take-out Chinese food, free pizza, the list goes on) just to satiate the appetite. Food should be more than fuel—it should be a meal.

So after raiding my kitchen for ingredients, I decided to go with Mexican food, namely spicy chicken tacos.

Spicy Chicken Tacos

Makes 10 tacos

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, rubbed with a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper

Salsa, store-bought or from the recipe below

Sour Cream

Chopped Cabbage

Shredded yellow cheese

1 onion

Cilantro

10 tortillas, corn or flour (I prefer corn)

Salsa Ingredients:

14.5 oz. canned tomatoes with green chiles

14.5 oz. whole, skinned tomatoes in water or juice

1 jalapeno, seeded

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ onion, chopped

½ tsp. cumin

Juice of half a lime

Salt and pepper to taste

1 whole fresh tomato, seeded and diced

Directions:

1. Sauté prepared chicken breasts in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside. Allow chicken to cool and shred with your hands. Toss shredded chicken with salsa (homemade or store-bought).

2. Dice onion and mince a small bunch of cilantro. Combine together in a small bowl.

3. Lightly fry the tortillas in a skillet, using corn oil or olive oil. The tortillas should be lightly browned.

4. Assemble tacos: On each tortilla, place a good helping of chicken, cilantro-onion mixture, sour cream, cheese, and cabbage. Serve with more salsa and lime wedges.

Directions for Salsa:

1. In a blender, combine the canned tomatoes (without juice), jalapeno, garlic, onion, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

2. Blend until slightly chunky. Add in fresh diced tomato and garnish with fresh cilantro.

I also made my great-grandma’s famous pinto beans to go with this meal, but that recipe is a family secret…sorry!

Culinary Excitement for the Week:

Jehangir Mehta (runner-up on Bravo’s Top Chef) has opened his much-anticipated second restaurant called Mehtaphor! The restaurant boasts not only more seating (as compared to the tiny Graffiti) but also a more extravagant menu. The restaurant is located at 130 Duane Street (and Church) which is a trek, but it will undoubtedly be worth it!