Chef Saul Montiel Recipes!

Chef Saul Montiel shares his favorite recipes for National Nacho Day.

BIG TACO

1. Layer 2 cups of lettuces

2. Layer 2lbs. of chicken

3. Layer ½lbs. of Monterey cheese

4. Layer ¼lbs. of sour cream

5. Layer 4oz of Tres Chilies sauce

6. Layer 4oz of Avocado Sauce

7. Layer 4oz of Queso Fresco

8. Repeat the above steps 3/4 time or until the shell is almost full

9. Top the dish with 3 sliced whole avocado, 6oz of radishes, and 6oz of onions

10. Now see if you can finish it all by yourself, enjoy!

Ingredients to create Taco Shell & sauces

· Taco Shell

• 1-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

· Chicken Marinade

• Half of a white onion
• 10 Guajillo Peppers
• 3 cloves of peeled garlic
• 4 oz of white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of salt and pinch of black pepper
• Follow steps 1-3 to create Chicken Marinade

· Avocado sauce

• 1 whole Mexican Avocado peeled and diced
• 1oz fresh lime juice
• ½ Serrano pepper (whole if you love spice)
• 4oz of water
• 3 vines of cilantro
• Follow steps 17 & 18 to create the Avocado sauce

· Tres Chiles sauce

• Half of a white onion
• 3 cloves of peeled garlic
• 6 Morita peppers
• 1 Serrano peppers
• 4 Guajillo peppers
• 6oz of peeled tomatillo
• 2 whole plum tomatoes
• 4 oz of white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of salt and pinch of black pepper
• Follow steps 13-15 to create Tres Chiles sauce

Ingredients list for the Big Taco

• 8 lbs. s of marinated diced chicken
• 4 lbs. of Chicken breast
• 4 lbs. of Chicken thighs
• Twenty-six inches flour tortilla
• hearths of shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 lbs. of Monterey cheese
• 1 1/2 lbs. of Pico de Gallo
• 1 lbs. of Queso fresco
• 1 lbs. of sour cream
• 2 cups Tres chiles sauce
• 2 cups avocado sauce
• 3 whole avocados
• 8oz of sliced radishes
• 8oz of Pickles onions

1. Take all the ingredients listed for the Chicken Marinade and add ingredients to a large pot. Then fill the pot with water until all the ingredients are submerged. Place the pot on medium heat for 30/40 minutes.

2. Take your Chicken Marinade mixture and place it in a blender, blend until mixed evenly and consistently.

3. Once blended, add 4oz of white vinegar and a teaspoon of salt and blend for 30 seconds. Once completed, pour into a container and refrigerate until needed.

4. Marinate 4lbs of chicken breast and 4lb of chicken thighs in the Chicken marinade recipe for 3 hours and keep frigerated.

5. In a small bowl, mix warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar; add yeast and whisk until dissolved. Let stand until bubbles form on the surface.

6. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups flour, salt, and the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour; add yeast mixture and oil. Stir until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

7. Place onto a floured surface; knead, adding more flour to the surface as needed until no longer sticky and the dough is smooth and elastic, should take about 6-8 minutes.

8. Place in a large greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes; transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill overnight. Allow dough to come to room temperature before rolling, which should be about approximately 30 minutes.

9. Take all the ingredients listed for the Tres Chiles sauce and add it to a large pot. Then fill the pot with water until all the ingredients are submerged. Place the pot on medium heat for 30/40 minutes.

10. Take your Tres Chiles mixture and place it in a blender, blend until mixed evenly and consistently.

11. Once blended, add 4oz of white vinegar and a teaspoon of salt and blend for 30 seconds.

12. Once completed, pour into a container and refrigerate until needed.

13. Take all the ingredients listed for the Avocado Sauce, place in a blender, and mix.

14. Once evenly mixed, pour into a container and refrigerate until needed

15. When the dough is ready the following day, place flour on a clean flat surface and place dough on the surface. Using a rolling pin or by hand; start to flatten out the dough until its 26” round and ½ inch thick (When making at home, make the shell 20” so you can complete the next few steps)

16. We need to precook the dough, use a flat top or large pan to cook both sides for 2-3 minutes.

17. Once precook, we will form the dough into a taco shell. Using 2 large pieces of Aluminum Foil wrap one behind the dough and use one in the center to keep its shape intact while frying.

18. Use a deep pot (18” deep and 24” wide minimum) and fill with vegetable oil, heat on high. You must submerge 70%, so it cooks evenly. Once the bottom of the taco is cooked, flip it upside down until it finishes cooking the top of the shell.

19. Once cooked, placed on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any remaining oil. Now we can begin filling our massive taco shell.

20. In a large Sauté pan on high heat add 1 cup of vegetable oil, once hot, place your diced chicken into the pan and sear for 10 minutes or until fully cooked. You should stir the chicken every few minutes to ensure the chicken is fully cooked. Now we are ready to assemble the BIG TACO!