Chalupas shell made with spicy, crispy chicken just like Taco Bell, but with one big difference. Mine is Lectin Free Gourmet. Get this healthy fast food hack.
Naked chicken chalupas like the ones at Taco Bell are delicious. The only problem is, they're not great if you're living the lectin free lifestyle. But don't worry. I've hacked this fast food recipe and made it even better. It's still the same great marinated spicy chicken chalupa shell filled with lettuce, tomato and cheese and smothered with spicy avocado ranch sauce. But there's one MAJOR difference. This copycat recipe is lectin free. Read on to see how it's made.
Fast food is one of the major culprits in America's fat and unhealthy state. All that processed food, bad fat, and cheap ingredients like corn and wheat, and a1 casein cheese, and non-organic, GMO foods are contributing to a lot of inflammatory disease. But somehow, when we are fed commercials for fast food, we immediately get hungry. That's the art of advertising. Just remember, Lectin Free Gourmet loves a good fast food hack. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to make Taco Bell naked chicken chalupas at home. And with a few swaps, we can make them lectin free.
Start with pasture-raised chicken. These days there are many choices for pasture-raised chicken if you know where to look. My absolute favorite is by Pastured Steps Family Farm. Their lectin light chicken is legit. I has no affiliation with them except I'm a satisfied customer. The chicken is truly lectin free, raised in open pastures, and fed zero grains. In fact, these chickens are fed a special feed made entirely from ingredients on Dr. Gundry's YES list. And you know what Dr. G always says. You are what you eat ate.
Next, make sure your lettuce and tomato for this easy dish are organic. It would be a shame to pay extra for good chicken only to ruin it with produce treated with Round Up. Wait, back up. Did I say tomato? YES! We are using fresh Roma tomatoes in this recipe. But don't worry. We are going to remove the lectins before we eat them. If you are unfamiliar with how to easily remove the seeds and skins from tomatoes, watch my one-minute video tutorial.
Additionally, be sure to choose a good compliant cheese. There are lots to choose from. Goat and sheep cheeses work great, as does real Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano. Or try a vegan cheese, but check the ingredients because some are made with cashews or soy.
Finally, we are going to be pan frying in oil. So, choose a compliant oil with a neutral flavor. Again, we have lots of options, but I like a blend of rice bran oil and pure olive oil, for their neutral taste.
Okay, ready to make my fast food hack of Taco Bell's naked chicken chalupa? Let's go!
The Recipe
LFG Naked Chicken Chalupas
1 Large Pastured Chicken Breast
3 Tbsp Blanched Almond Flour
1 Pastured Egg
1/4-1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 Head Baby Romaine Lettuce
1 Roma Tomato
1/2 Cup Grated Compliant Cheese
LFG Creamy Avocado Ranch Sauce
1/4 Cup Organic Sour Cream or Plain Sheep Yogurt
1 Ripe Avocado (finely diced)
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Chives
1 tsp Chopped Cilantro
10 Shakes Green Tabasco
Instructions:
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
With a sharp knife, finely chop the chicken into teeny, tiny pieces. Or if you have a grinder, run it through so that you have coarsely-ground chicken. In a medium bowl, add chicken, egg, almond flour, seasoned salt, and cayenne. Mix well. Set aside to marinate.
Step 2: Make the Cream Avocado Ranch Sauce
In a small bowl, ad sour cream or yogurt, diced avocado, lime juice, salt, cilantro, and Tabasco. Whisk until very creamy. Spoon into a squeeze bottle. Set aside.
Step 3: Prepare the Chalupa Fixins
Finely slice the romaine lettuce. Dice the peeled and seeded tomato. Grate the cheese. Set aside.
Step 4: Make the Chalupa Shells
In a medium skillet, heat 3 Tbsp oil on medium heat. Place a parchment square onto a tortilla press. Keep a piece of plastic wrap handy. Place a heaping soup spoonful of the chicken mixture onto the parchment. Cover with plastic wrap and press ever so lightly. Let the press do the work so as not to press the chicken too thin. You want the chicken chalupa to be about 1/4-inch thick. If you don't have a tortilla press, you could also just press with the bottom of a skillet. After you've pressed the chicken, peel off the plastic and set chicken side down into the oil. Wait 10 seconds before peeling off the parchment. Flip the chicken chalupa after about 30 seconds. Repeat until you've used up all the chicken. It should make 5-6 chalupa shells.
To serve the chalupas, place a chicken shell onto a plate, top with lettuce and tomato, stripe with creamy avocado ranch sauce, and grated cheese. Pick it up and eat it like a taco. ENJOY!