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Ultimate Crispy Patatas Taco Salad

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Crispy roasted potatoes, poblano, and onions, juicy marinated Mexican chicken, tons of veggies all tossed in a sweet and acidic honey lime vinaigrette: this Ultimate Crispy Patatas Taco Salad is on another level. 

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As much as I love cooking, I’m also a sucker for a good restaurant. I’m totally that person who’s always planning out different foodie spots to try, especially when travelling. I love a good ambiance, but there’s truly nothing better than a hands-down amazing dish that keeps you wanting to go back. In fact, it’s these sorts of dishes that I get a lot of my inspiration in the kitchen from. Can’t get back to that one restaurant? That’s when I try to recreate something myself. 

A few weeks back my best friend and I took a little road trip and of course had to check out the town’s local Mexican restaurant. Despite eyeing my usual chicken fajitas or tacos, I was encouraged to order the restaurant’s signature taco salad. Despite being hesitant, this truly was one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten.

With crispy, fried bits, a sweet yet tangy dressing, and juicy chopped chicken, I knew I had to create this salad for myself. Hence, this Ultimate Crispy Patatas Taco Salad was born. And, let me tell you, it might even be better!!

The breakdown…

This Ultimate Crispy Patatas Taco Salad starts off with a simple, yet flavor packed chicken marinade. Chicken breast is notoriously dry and bland, so a good marinade is always a must. For this recipe, I bend some olive oil, water, red onion, garlic, chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a high speed blender. There’s something about the thickness of this marinade that sticks to the chicken so well… bringing in all the good Mexican chicken flavors. Think Chipotle’s chicken… but with a lil twist. So good. 

Next up, you’ve got to get all those crispy, crunchy bits into the oven. I opt for some baby potatoes, a poblano pepper, and some sweet onion. I like to chop my potatoes into quarters and my poblanos and onions a little thicker than usual (like ¾ an inch) to ensure an even cooking time. Tossed with some garlic powder, salt, pepper, and panko, these veggies get super crispy, which really takes this salad to another level.

toss it all together!

Lastly, toss everything together with some charred corn, black beans, and cotija cheese and top with some pico de gallo and guacamole. Then, get to eating. And, although it may seem like a lot of salad, I can guarantee you will want to go back for seconds… and thirds…:) Pro tip: make some of my Super Simple Mexican Corn Dip on the side (or on top!), you won’t regret it!!

Plus, It makes for great leftovers, or even a healthy meal prep. I like to package this up for my weekly lunches. With tons of protein from the beans and chicken, plus some substance from those crispy potatoes, this salad is definitely hearty enough for a substantial lunch or dinner. I served this up for dinner the other night, and it was truly a hit. My mom even deemed it “one of the best salads I’ve ever made.” I don’t often post my classic lettuce-based salad recipes on here, just because they are usually pretty basic. But, this Ultimate Crispy Patatas Taco Salad clearly was worthy of a post. I mean, it is called “ultimate” for a reason!! 

I hope you give this recipe a try… it really is the best! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Ultimate Crispy Patatas Taco Salad

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main Course, SaladCuisine: Mexican, AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

35

minutes
Marinate time

30

minutes

Crispy roasted potatoes, poblano, and onions, juicy marinated Mexican chicken, tons of veggies all tossed in a sweet and acidic honey lime vinaigrette: this Ultimate Crispy Patatas Taco Salad is on another level. 

Ingredients

  • chicken:
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

  • 3 tbsp water

  • ¼ red onion, roughly chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed

  • 2 tbsp chile powder

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

  • honey lime vinaigrette:
  • 3 limes, juiced

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • salad:
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced

  • 2 cups baby potatoes, quartered

  • ½ yellow onion, thickly diced

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • 2 tbsp breadcrumbs or panko

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • 1 container mixed greens, roughly chopped

  • 1 head romaine, thinly sliced

  • ¾ cup charred corn*

  • 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

  • ½ cup cotija cheese

  • Pico de gallo, for topping

  • Guacamole or avocados, for topping

Instructions

  • To make your chicken, blend the olive oil, water, red onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a high speed blender. In a freezer bag or large bowl, toss the chicken with the marinade and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a large baking sheet, toss the poblano, fingerling potatoes, and yellow onion with the olive oil, garlic powder, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  • Meanwhile, to make the dressing, whisk together all of the honey lime vinaigrette ingredients.
  • Once your chicken is done marinating, heat a greased grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sear for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through. Then, roughly chop the chicken into ½ inch cubes.
  • To assemble your salad, toss the chicken and the assembly ingredients with the honey lime vinaigrette. Top with a scoop of pico de galo and guacamole/avocado. Enjoy!

Notes

  • To char the corn: Heat a cast iron (or regular) skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the corn kernels and spread out so that as many kernels are touching the pan as possible. Allow to char for 3-5 minutes on each side, if using fresh corn. This will take longer if using frozen corn. Do not touch the corn until one side begins to char. Then, mix the corn and cook the other side of the kernels for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt.
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