Daily Nosh ~ Mini Chicken Taco Cups & Vidal Blanc

Thursday's Nosh, Mini Chicken Taco Cups, from Tracey's Culinary Adventures are such a fun party appetizer! They look so cute too! If you're interested, she also has a recipe on her site for a homemade Taco Seasoning that's excellent! I would serve these Taco Cups with a bottle of Travessia Urban Winery 2011 Vidal Blanc. This is an off-dry white wine from Massachusetts with grapes sourced from Westport & Dartmouth MA. The 2011 Vidal Blanc was voted "Best White Wine" at the 2012 Boston Wine Riot. Cheers!

Photo from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Mini Chicken Taco Cups
Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures
Wine Pairing:  Travessia Urban Winery 2011 Vidal Blanc
Yield: 24 Mini Taco Cups

Ingredients for Wonton Cups:
24 wonton wrappers
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Tacos:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack works well)
tomatoes, lettuce, scallions, sour cream, avocado, salsa (or your favorite taco toppings)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray your mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray (mine has 24 wells-if yours only has 12, you'll need 2).

Working with a few of the wonton wrappers at a time, lay them on your work surface, and brush both sides with a little of the oil. Press each into one of the wells of the mini muffin tin - the sides will overlap and stick up over the top of the well. Repeat until you've brushed all of the wontons and fit each into the pan. Sprinkle the salt evenly among the cups. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the wonton cups are crisp and golden brown.

To make the filling: Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, and when it starts shimmering, add the onion to the pan along with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the taco seasoning, cooking just for a minute or so to toast the spices. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the chicken to the pan, mixing to coat the chicken in the spices. Add the crushed tomato and chicken broth, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cooking just for a few minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated.

To assemble: Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into each wonton wrapper. Top with about 1 teaspoon of cheese per cup (you could use more if you wanted, but I left space for other toppings). Place the wonton cups back in the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese and warm the chicken through. To serve, top the mini tacos with your favorite taco fixings - I used sour cream, tomatoes and scallions.