(These tacos are quick and easy to make if you use leftover steak or a supermarket rotisserie chicken.)
I had some leftover steak and wasn’t sure what to do with it. Now, I could have just heated it up but cooked steak isn’t very good when it sits overnight. It tends to be a little dry and tough.
So I decided to make tacos with it. All I needed were some taco shells, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream. You can also use rotisserie chicken from the supermarket to make chicken tacos this way. It’s just as easy and something you can whip together on a weeknight in about 15 minutes.
If you use leftover steak, I suggest slicing it thin and into 1-inch pieces. Then heat it up in a frying pan, adding some spices to give it flavor. I used a pre-mixed combination of butcher’s rub spices that included garlic, pepper, salt, oregano and parsley; as well as Latino spices, such as cumin, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and a splash of tabasco sauce for heat. However, all you really need are salt, pepper and chili powder. I also added just a few squirts of worcestershire sauce.
If I’m using rotisserie chicken, I heat up small pieces in a frying pan too and add similar spices. But instead of the worcestershire sauce, I add about 1/4 cup of water and let it burn off. It makes the chicken moist while it absorbs the spices.
I also use the hard taco shells. I know they’re not considered authentic and are sometimes referred to as gringo tacos but I love them, much more than the soft flour tacos. And they’ve been around so long that even some Mexican foodie-types prefer them.
Easy Weeknight Tacos (with leftover steak or chicken)
You can easily make this with leftover steak or even a supermarket rotisserie chicken. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- Leftover Steak or Supermarket Rotisserie Chicken, sliced think and into 1-inch pieces.
- Spices for the meat: chilli powder and tabasco sauce work well as do a combination of garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
- Taco shells (I prefer the hard ones)
- Tomatoes, chopped and sprinkled with salt and pepper or just lemon pepper.
- Shredded cheese, cheddar works well
- Lettuce, arugula gives it a little spice
- Sour cream (optional)
- Avocado slices (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Heat up the meat in a frying pan, adding some of the spices.
- Step 2 Heat up hard taco shells in a 350 oven for about 4 minutes.
- Step 3 Put meat in bottom of shell, add tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce.
- Step 4 Top with an avocado slice and sour cream (optional).
- Step 5 Serve with rice.
