Viral Chicken Tortilla [Recipe from Scratch]
Tortillas are undoubtedly one of my fav go-to meals. Options are endless, though, but I like mine loaded with vegetables, chicken, and some good sauce. Depending on my mood, it goes from fresh to spicy real quick.
For me, corn tortillas have a special flavor and texture, so I always choose them as a base. I wrapped them as a burrito before, but when I saw that viral chicken tortilla hack, I definitely had to try it. The Internet is flooded with the TikTok trend, and this is my take on it. It is a fully nutritional meal, extremely delish and so easy to make!
What Makes This Viral Chicken Tortilla Special?
First of all, it’s not wrapped but folded. They are eye-catching, though, as they look like little pockets of savory relish. This tortilla is full of flavors and different textures that won’t keep you indifferent! Succulent inside and coated in crispy breadcrumbs, spicy chicken is a superstar of this meal, along with garlic-lemon sauce.
I fancy corn tortillas, especially for their grainy texture and strong flavor of toasted corn. They pair flawlessly with pungent mustard and a drip of honey. I add a bit of freshness by chopping different veggies to smash the spiciness.
Even though I made homemade corn tortillas from scratch, you can use store-bought ones.
How to Make a Viral Chicken Tortilla?
Tortillas are known for the simple prep process, and this one is no exception. They are my comfort food, so I usually use basic ingredients, nothing exotic or fancy. I spice things up a bit, nonetheless. Here is what you need to make it from scratch!
- Flour – I mix all-purpose and corn flour in a 1:1 ratio, as I like strong corn relish. You can make it with all wheat flour, or mix it with some other, like rye flour. Corn flour gives it a grainy texture, but all-purpose keeps it soft and flexible.
- Baking powder – I add just a dash of baking powder to make them easier to roll out.
- Salt – A bit of salt is there for the taste.
- Oil – I use extra virgin olive oil, as nothing tops its quality aroma and taste, at least for me. If you’re not a fan, some other oils like canola, grapeseed, or butter are amazing options as well.
- Water – I add warm water to form a dough and help the oil distribute evenly. It gives a shape-able tortilla that is not crumbly at all.
- Chicken – I used chicken breasts, but tenders, thighs, or even shredded chicken are top-notch options. I love to make them extra spicy and crispy.
- Mustard – Mustard is a fantastic condiment to pair with chicken. It is strong and bitter but has a subtle sweet base note.
- Yogurt – I submerge chicken breasts in Greek yogurt marinade as it makes them succulent and heavenly tender with a melt-in-mouth texture.
- Spices – I use loads of spices, as for me it is not enough if you can still see the meat. This is my spice mix of choice: salt, ground pepper, hot paprika, garlic powder, chili flakes, lemon zest, cumin, and coriander.
- Bread crumbs – Bread crumbs are there to kick on the crispiness.
- Eggs – Eggs are there to help bread crumbs stick to the chicken.
- Sour cream – Sour cream is a splendid base for the sauce. It is slightly tart, so with the right additions will make the taste pop.
- Lemon – Lemon juice will smash the taste with its citrusy flavor.
- Honey – Sugary honey matches perfectly with garlic and mustard, giving a meal a whole new dimension. If you don’t like to mix sweet and savory, just skip this ingredient.
- Garlic – Spicy garlic will take the basic sauce to the top tier in a blink.
- Herbs – I like to use dill, parsley, basil, or mint. This time I used a tangy dill for a touch of Mediterranean and clean-flavored parsley.
- Fresh vegetables – I used cucumber, tomato, and red onion. Those three make a perfect mix: mild, crisp, and refreshing cucumber, sweet but tart tomato, and lastly umami onion. Good additions are cabbage, iceberg salad, spring onion, bell peppers, or anything you want actually.
Now that you’ve collected all the ingredients, let’s make this delish lunch!
Step 1: Making the Dough for Tortilla
In a large bowl combine dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, corn flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour oil and warm water over it, then mix it with a wooden spatula till combined. Now use your hands to knead the dough more, for a few minutes, to start the gluten.
That will make your dough more spreadable, so don’t skip that step. It will be soft but not sticky, so don’t add more flour. Some flours absorb more or less water, though, so it’s better to knead in some flour later than make it too hard.
Cover it with plastic wrap, leave it for about an hour, or more, and skip to the next step. After one hour, dust the kitchen surface with all-purpose flour, and knead the dough once again for a bit. Divide it into even pieces. I weigh mine to 100 grams each because it matches my pan.
Those are medium-big tortillas, you can do bigger or smaller depending on your pan. Cover the dough balls with a kitchen cloth and leave them for 40 minutes.
Step 2: Marinating the Chicken
Slice the chicken breasts as thick as you like it. Sprinkle them with salt, and prepare the marinade. Whisk Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and spice mix. Submerge the chicken in it, but make sure every piece is covered.
Cover it with a lid and leave it in the fridge, for about an hour or more, as well.
Step 3: Chopping the Veggies
Take garden-fresh vegetables and dice them in even cubes. I chose cucumber, Roman tomatoes, and red onion. Leave it at the side to dissolve excess water.
Step 4: Making the Sauce
Whisk sour cream, a bit of mustard, and lemon juice. Chop fresh garlic and herbs: dill and parsley. Make sure it’s really tiny, though. Now, assemble them all together, plus add salt to taste, garlic powder, ground pepper, and a splash of honey.
Step 5: Baking Tortillas
Preheat the non-stick pan, pancake maker, or upside-down wok pan to the highest. Don’t grease it at all, because the dough already has enough fat in it to not stick on the surface.
Take a piece of parchment paper, and roll out dough balls one by one. You are going for crepe-thin tortillas, so roll them out finely. If you have a tortilla press, just use that.
Take one tortilla and bake for about 45 seconds on one, and 30 seconds on the other side. Small bubbles will appear and that’s good. Fold tortillas on top of each other and cover them with a pot lid. That way you’ll be sure they’ll stay warm and steam will make them softer and more flexible.
Step 6: Frying the Chicken
Bring the oil to medium heat. Take marinated chicken, coat them in flour, then dip them in whisked eggs, and coat them in bread crumbs. Place one by one in hot oil and fry till crispy-golden.
Take them out and place them on the kitchen paper, to absorb the excess oil. Slice them into strips so they can fit in the tortilla.
Step 7: Assembling the Tortillas
Place one tortilla on the counter, and slice it from the edge to the center. That’s crucial because we’re going to fold it like a pocket. Divide the tortilla into quarters, so here is the sorting order for the best results.
First place a spoonful of sauce, in the second quarter, put the salad, the third is reserved for chicken, and leave the last quarter empty. Fold it quarter by quarter clockwise, and you’re done!
Enjoy this delish meal! Bon appetit!
How to Store Chicken Tortilla?
Raw tortilla dough is both fridge and freezer friendly. It can last for 3 days in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer, just place it in the zip lock bag or wrap it in plastic foil. You can also roll out the tortillas, separate them with parchment paper and freeze them like that.
That way you’ll have homemade tortillas ready in a minute. Keep baked tortillas covered so they don’t dry out for 3 days at room temperature or fridge. When it comes to chicken, it can last marinated for a day in the fridge.
I made a small batch, enough for 3 people, but you can double or triple the recipe for more.
Viral Chicken Tortilla (From Scratch)
Equipment
- 1 rolling pin or tortilla press
- 1 non-stick pan
Ingredients
Tortilla Dough
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1 ½ cups corn flour (180 grams)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup olive oil (60 milliliters)
- ⅔ cup warm water (160 milliliters)
Chicken
- 2 pieces chicken breasts (300 grams)
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 2 ¾ ounces Greek yogurt (100 grams)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp hot paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 2 eggs
- 5 tbsp flour
- 10 tbsp bread crumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream (3 ¼ ounces or 100 grams)
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp salt
- a handful of fresh dill
- a handful of fresh parsley
Salad
- 1 cucumber
- 1 Roman tomato
- 1 red onion
Instructions
Making the Dough for Tortilla
- Combine the dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, corn flour, salt, and baking powder – in a large bowl. Next, pour in the oil and warm water and mix everything together with a wooden spatula until well combined.
- To start developing the gluten, knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes. That will make your dough more spreadable, so don't skip that step. It will be soft but not sticky, so don't add more flour.
- Cover it with plastic wrap, and leave it for about an hour.
- After one hour, dust the kitchen surface with all-purpose flour, and knead the dough once again for a bit. Divide it into even pieces. I weigh mine to 100 grams each.
- Cover the dough balls with a kitchen cloth and leave them for 40 minutes.
Marinating the Chicken
- Begin by slicing the chicken breasts to your desired thickness, and then sprinkle them with salt. Prepare the marinade by whisking together Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and spice mix.
- Submerge the chicken in the marinade, ensuring that each piece is fully coated.
- Cover it with a lid and leave it in the fridge, for about an hour or more.
Chopping the Veggies
- Take garden-fresh vegetables and dice them in even cubes. I chose cucumber, Roman tomatoes, and red onion. Leave it at the side to dissolve excess water.
Making the Sauce
- Whisk sour cream, a bit of mustard, and lemon juice. Chop fresh garlic and herbs: dill and parsley. Make sure it's really tiny. Then, assemble them all together, plus add salt to taste, garlic powder, ground pepper, and a splash of honey.
Baking Tortillas
- Preheat the non-stick pan. Don't grease it at all, because the dough already has enough fat in it to not stick on the surface.
- Take a piece of parchment paper, and roll out dough balls one by one. You are going for crepe-thin tortillas, so roll them out finely. If you have a tortilla press, just use that.
- To bake a tortilla, place it on a hot skillet or griddle and cook for approximately 45 seconds on one side and 30 seconds on the other. The tortilla will begin to form small bubbles, indicating that it is ready. Once done, fold the tortillas on top of each other and cover with a pot lid. This will help to keep them warm and the steam will make them softer and more pliable.
Frying the Chicken
- Bring the oil to medium heat.
- Take marinated chicken, coat them in flour, then dip them in whisked eggs, and coat them in bread crumbs.
- Place one by one in hot oil and fry till crispy-golden.
- Take them out and place them on the kitchen paper, to absorb the excess oil.
- Slice them into strips so they can fit in the tortilla.
Assembling the Tortillas
- Place one tortilla on the counter, and slice it from the edge to the center. That’s crucial because we’re going to fold it like a pocket. Divide the tortilla into quarters, so here is the sorting order for the best results.
- First place a spoonful of sauce, in the second quarter, put the salad, the third is reserved for chicken, and leave the last quarter empty. Fold it quarter by quarter clockwise, and you’re done!
