Paleo Fried Chicken Taco Shell

Back in January, a good friend of mine posted this article on Facebook about Taco Bell’s Fried Chicken Taco Shell, coming soon. My immediate reaction was ‘I am going to make a Paleo version asap!’. I might have even said that in the comments.

For this recipe, I used the same breading as I do for my chicken tenders. You can either use plantain chips or chicharrones. I tried it both ways, and I think the chicharrones work a little better, but if you can’t find any, plantain chips will do. I buy my pork rinds from a local butcher. I’ve also made this recipe using these salt and pepper pork rinds from Epic.

The ingredients don’t really vary from my chicken tenders recipe; it’s all about the technique to fry them up into this shape.

Ingredients

(makes 2-3 fried chicken taco shells)

3/4 cup pork rinds, ground (or you can sub ground plantain chips)
3/4 cup tapioca flour (I use this kind)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
coconut oil for frying (I highly recommend using this kind) (or sub palm shortening, duck fat or avocado oil)
1 lb. organic chicken breast

Blend pork rinds or plantain chips in the food processor until it has the consistency of flour.
In a shallow bowl or a plate, combine 3/4 cup ground plantains or pork rinds, tapioca flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs together.
Butterfly the chicken breast, to get it thinner. Keep that edge intact and, using a sharp knife, open the breast along the “fold.” Next, cover a cutting board with parchment paper. Lay down the butterflied breast, fold it open, and cover it with another sheet of parchment paper. Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken to get it as thin as possible.
Fold the chicken breast in half like a taco; using sharp kitchen shears, cut the breast into a taco shape.
Dredge the chicken breasts one piece at a time in the flour mixture. Shake off the excess flour, then dip the chicken tenders in the egg and again in the flour. Make sure they are very well-coated with the flour mixture.
Set them aside on a clean dish.
Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan like cast iron over medium-high heat. Start with 1/4 cup coconut oil and add more if needed. You want enough oil in the pan so the chicken tenders are halfway submerged in the oil.
Use tongs to place one breaded chicken breast at a time into the oil. It should start to sizzle. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip over and fold the breast in half, holding in place with the tongs until crispy. Flip one last time to cook the remaining part of the “taco shell.”
Fill them with your favorite toppings and serve! I used lettuce, tomato and homemade ranch dressing!