Taco Cups for Cinco de Mayo

Start by marinating your chicken. Mix the dry spices together and rub it all over the chicken breasts. Let these marinate for about 30 minutes.

Spray a 12-count muffin tin with cooking spray, and preheat your oven to 375 F.

While the chicken marinates, warm your tortillas in the microwave or in a skillet on medium heat just until they are nice and pliable. Keep them warm in a tortilla warmer, or wrapped in a towel until you are ready to cut and place them inside of your muffin tin.

Now you need to figure out how to best cut your tortillas. You can use a large cup, placed over the tortilla and use a sharp knife to cut the rounds. Or you can use one of the best things I probably ever purchased, and use a round cutter and cut it into perfect rounds (the rounds should be about the size of the muffin tin hole, so it goes up the sides and covers the bottom). Place each round inside a muffin tin. Repeat until your muffin tin is full.

Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts, and cook for about 6 minutes per side. Once the second side is cooked, add about 1/2 cup of water into the skillet, cover the skillet and remove from the heat.

Place your muffin tin inside the preheated oven and cook the tortilla cups for about 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside.

Remove the chicken from the skillet, and cut it into small, bite-sized cubes. Your goal will be to have small enough chicken bites to fit inside a tortilla cup.

Ok, now we are ready to assemble.

Add about a tablespoon of cooked, refried beans to the bottom of each taco cup. Add chicken to to top of the beans and top with the shredded cheese. Pack it in there, and press gently into each cup. Add more cheese if necessary.

Place the muffin tin back into the preheated oven and cook another 6 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. When done, remove pan from the oven.

Remove the taco cups from the pan by running a knife around the tortilla cup, and place on your serving dish. Top with shredded lettuce and avocado cubes.

Let me just say this. My wife made me make this twice last week they were that good. And I even served them for dinner for the kids (making some without the beans) and they loved them as well.

What was great about these taco cups, was that they were bite sized, did not fall apart, and were just the perfect bite. I think taco night now will get replaced with taco cup night. They were that amazing. Oh yeah, that extra cheese crisps up around the cup while cooking, and is just an added bonus. Hope you enjoy, and happy Cinco de Mayo!