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Chicken Tacos

Tacos filled with seasoned chicken, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cheese, and salsa.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Chicken Tacos

Time2–3 minutes in a microwave

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the chicken

  1. Fill a tea kettle or 2-quart saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Remove excess fat from chilled chicken and place in a colander over a large bowl. Spread out with a fork. Pour hot water over the meat through the colander.

  2. Place the chicken in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

  3. Add onions, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, and paprika to the chicken.

  4. Refrigerate the chicken overnight in the plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

Heat and assemble

  1. Place the chicken mixture in a pan and heat slowly, or heat in a microwave for 2–3 minutes, stirring after 1½ minutes to heat evenly.

  2. Combine finely shredded lettuce and cabbage.

  3. Mix the cheeses together.

  4. Place ¼ cup of the heated chicken mixture in a tortilla and top with the cheese and vegetables.

  5. Add salsa as desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1109Calories
68 gProtein
26 gFat
151 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chicken100g cooked165
Tortilla1 medium flour (45g)140
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Lettuce1 cup shredded (36g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together983 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Oregano + tomatotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,767 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  5. Oregano + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken
Provides the protein and the main filling; hot water rinsing removes surface fat from the cooked meat.
Cheddar cheese
Melts into the warm filling, adding fat, savory flavor and a creamy texture.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts smoothly and stretches, adding moisture and a mild milky flavor.
Tomatoes
Add moisture and bright acidity that balance the rich cheese and spiced chicken.
Cabbage
Adds crisp texture and freshness that contrast with the warm, soft filling.
Lettuce
Adds cool, crisp texture and moisture to the assembled taco.

The step that matters

Heating the chicken mixture evenly. Microwaves heat unevenly, leaving cold spots, so stirring partway through distributes heat and keeps the filling safely and uniformly hot.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, oregano, garlic, cumin, lettuce, tomato):

  1. Spinachfits better
  2. Eggplantfits better
  3. Okrafits better
  4. Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, oregano, garlic, cumin, lettuce, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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