Quick Mexican

By Food & Wine
Updated May 22, 2017
From chicken and cabbage tacos with cilantro cream to black-bean soup with avocado salsa, here are delicious quick mexican recipes.
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Chipotle Chilaquiles

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Chilaquiles is a basic Mexican dish created to use up leftovers like tortillas, chiles, shredded chicken and cheese. Rick Bayless keeps the recipe simple by doctoring canned tomatoes with canned chipotles in adobo, available at Latin grocers and many supermarkets.

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Chicken Chilaquiles

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Tortilla chips heated in a quick-cooking chile sauce and topped with feta, onion, sour cream, cilantro, and chicken make a particularly tasty version of this popular Mexican dish. Don't let the idea of softened chips put you off. This recipe is a winner.

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Chicken Burritos with Black-Bean Salsa and Pepper Jack

Credit: © Todd Porter & Diane Cu
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Pepper Jack cheese looks innocent enough but adds a nice kick to these burritos. If you prefer a milder taste, use regular Jack instead.

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Fried-Fish Reuben Tacos

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"I'm crazy about fish tacos," says chef Amanda Hallowell. "And my sister Jessie is a sauerkraut fanatic. She made a fish Reuben sandwich one day, and we said, 'Let's combine the Reuben and the fish taco.'" At Nebo Lodge, that means fried flounder wrapped in a homemade flour tortilla with Jarlsberg cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing.

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Chipotle Shrimp Tostadas

Credit: © James Baigrie
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Melissa Rubel tosses shrimp with chipotle chile powder (made from dried, smoked jalapeños), grills them, then layers them on top of crunchy fried corn tortillas and crisp, citrusy slaw.

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Chunky Guacamole with Cumin

Credit: © Tina Rupp
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Marcia Kiesel's take on everyone's favorite dip has subtle tartness, balanced heat and a creamy-chunky texture.

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Quick Chicken-and-Cheese Tamales

Credit: © Tina Rupp
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To make this really easy, mix store-bought rotisserie chicken and cheddar cheese into a quick dough, then wrap the tamales in plastic before steaming them.

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Gorditas

Credit: © Zubin Schroff
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Hot Bread Kitchen's first employee, Elidia Ramos, taught her fellow bakers how to make gorditas, a favorite Mexico City street food. Crisp on the outside and soft within, these savory corn cakes are a great base for all types of toppings, from pulled pork to shredded chicken. For a more luscious gordita, fry the dough in lard or butter instead of oil.

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Crispy Corn Tortillas with Chicken and Cheddar

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For these flautas, tortillas are rolled around a savory filling and pan-fried until crisp. Grace Parisi perfected her technique by watching My Mexican Recipes on YouTube.

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Grilled Pork and Onion Tacos

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Grilling pork quickly not only keeps it moist, but adds a charred, smoky flavor that is lovely in these tacos. Remember to grill the cutlets only until they're just cooked through; leave them on the heat any longer and they can dry out.

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Tuna Tacos with Onions

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To accompany his fresh tuna tacos, chef Aarón Sanchez of New York City's Paladar makes a quick, vinegary, supercrunchy red-onion pickle. It's lovely with the warm, soft tortillas. To bump up the flavors of the tacos even more, he also adds a dash of hot sauce and a healthy squirt of fresh lime juice.

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Chicken and Cabbage Tacos with Cilantro Cream

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This healthier take on the traditional taco swaps garden-variety lettuce for vitamin K-rich cabbage.

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Cheese-Topped Guacamole

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In this play on nachos, chef Gonzalo Martinez of Casa de Sierra Nevada tops a chunky guacamole with gooey melted cheese.

Chef Tip Mild queso oaxaca is the best cheese for melting.

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Skirt Steak with Creamed Corn and Poblanos

Credit: © Stephanie Foley
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The corn is rich and tangy, and a perfect accompaniment to the great steak.

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Barley Chupe with Queso Fresco

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This comforting soup is made with barley, potatoes and lima beans in a savory chicken broth.

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Chicken and Feta Tostadas

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A Mexican classic with a Greek twist, these tostadas appeal to children of all ages. Serve one burrito-style tortilla or two of the smaller ones per person.

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Black-Bean Soup with Avocado Salsa

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This soup calls for canned black beans, making it superfast and easy.

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