How to Make Your Toddler’s First Taco
Desperate for Taco Night but not sure your youngster is ready? Skip the “gringo” approach (i.e., ground beef, crunchy shell) and go with the goo: pulled meat and lots of cheese. For that, we’ve combined two of our classics, our BBQ pulled chicken and our cheese skirt tortilla, into a new classic of its own: a chicken taco guisado style, with the sweetness, richness, and just-enough crunchiness to satisfy your kiddo–and, well, there’s a fried cheese shell in it for you, too.
(And check out our veggie taco if looking for another option and/or something better suited to an infant or early toddler.)
- 1 Chicken Thigh (1 thigh per eater; skinless and boneless preferred)
- Barbecue Sauce
- 1/4 can Black Beans
- Mini Tortillas (flour tortillas work better here)
- shredded Cheese
- Lime
- Cilantro
Heat your oven to 300. Separate the portion of black beans you need; rinse and dry the beans. Place the beans in a microwave-safe container and cook for thirty seconds. With your hands, smoosh the beans a bit to ensure they don’t cause any texture issues for your child. Set aside.
- If using bone-in and/or skin-on chicken pieces, remove as much skin and bone as you can from the poultry. Place your chicken pieces in a small and deep cooking dish—try to choose something that can just barely fit the number of pieces you are cooking. Cut small slits in each chicken piece.
Pour barbecue sauce all over the chicken, enough so that the pieces are saturated and the bottom of your cookware is covered with sauce; if necessary, use your hands to ensure sauce gets into the cuts you sliced into the chicken.
- Tightly wrap two layers of aluminum foil—yes, double—over your cooking dish; check to make sure it’s closed on all sides.
- Place foil-wrapped dish in your oven and cook for at least two hours if using 1-2 thighs; cook for three hours if doing three or more thighs. When ready, remove from heat and very slowly, very carefully, remove foil so steam can escape. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- When the chicken is ready to handle, use a fork or rubber spatula and pull chicken apart, such that strings or soft clumps of the meat form. (Feel free to use your hands here to rip it apart yourself!)
Make the tacos: heat a non-stick pan to Medium-High. When the pan is hot to the touch, lightly coat in cooking spray.
Sprinkle and spread a circle of cheese in one corner of the pan that is roughly equivalent in size to the tortilla you are using; if there is additional room for a second tortilla, repeat in the other corner of the pan. Allow cheese to melt and bubble, roughly 15-20 seconds.
Place tortilla over the top of the cheese and press it down to adhere. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese at the left and right edges on the top of the tortilla. Cook, untouched for at least two minutes, or until cheese at edge of the tortilla has browned and crisped.
- When ready, turn off your stove and remove pan from heat. Spread chicken on the right side of the tortilla, lightly pressing down to adhere it to the melted cheese; top with beans, a sprinkle of dried cilantro, and a spritz of lime all around.
Using a metal spatula (a must), dig under the tortilla/crunchy cheese exterior from the left side and carefully lift up to pull it from the pan; fold it over on top of the right side of the tortilla, lightly patting it with the spatula to get the cheese to adhere to the other side and enclose the top.
I strongly recommend the first time you serve this that you a) make sure the taco is enclosed and its contents won’t spill out when your child holds it, and b) you do a quick test first to see if your child can and is willing to hold the taco on his/her own; otherwise, you run the risk of being your child’s royal taco holder for the duration of dinner. If he/she can’t manage the taco on his/her own, cut it into triangles a la a quesadilla and proceed.
If/when your kiddo can handle more spice or flavor, you can make this more like a tinga by mixing a chipotle sauce or salsa with a bit of barbecue sauce or honey (you need the sugars to caramelize and soften the meat); cook at the same temp and for the same duration.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
