crispy citrus avocado tacos with sweet chili chipotle sauce
Surprise! You can make avocados as crunchy as popcorn chicken. These Crispy Citrus Avocado Tacos prove such. Breaded and battered avocados get basted with a sweet and smoky chili chipotle sauce, of course with plenty extra to dip. It’s fresh, it’s funky, it’s your next Taco Wednesday star.
I sliced my finger real nice yesterday (Monday, 2/8, if you will) so I type this while trying to avoid use of my left middle digit. Not easy when that particular finger seems most important for several keys I fancy using regularly. Looking at you, keyboard top row. I’ll spare you the details of the knife attack, but if I make any ridiculous typos here and don’t catch them, there’s your explanation.
I admittedly wasn’t sure how the concept of crispy avocados might work. Avos are soft, pliable, not exactly associated with a strong bite experience. On their own, I’d be concerned if one snapped between my teeth sans the appropriate garnish. If you’re on the same skepticism plane, I invite you to try these guys out. They’ll blow your mind into changing.
The key? A gentle hand and a thorough battering. Start with semi-firm avocados, ripe enough to have some give and be easy to slice but not so much that turning the flesh intro guacamole is the next logical step in its lifespan. Prepare the marinade, a tangy blend of orange juice, soy sauce, and honey. This infuses the avocados just a touch and serves as an additional garnish once you assemble the tacos. Slice each avocado into 6-8 wedges, swirl them gently in the marinade, and pop the bowl, covered, in the fridge.
After the avocados marinate awhile in their OJ bath, set up your dredging station. Flour in one bowl, eggs in a second, breadcrumbs in a third, and a fourth with plain water to rinse your dredgy fingers. Keep your hands very clean, for one to avoid transferring egg goop everywhere, but also to prevent overmixing the dredges and causing unwanted clumps that won’t stick to the avocados. Plop the avocado slices into the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Once all are done, spray them thoroughly with oil and bake, flipping once halfway.
The sauce comes next – the second act. Whisk up some mayonnaise or yogurt with sweet chili sauce, chipotle, and honey. I prefer Greek yogurt since I find mayo abhorrent and a sin amongst the world of edible things, but if you desire a milder base, mayo is your pal. I may not be. Baste your shockingly cohesive avocado slices with sauce and bake them one more time to fully integrate the awesome. That’s all she (I) wrote, folks!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts! Share with me anything you made from VE on Instagram and say hi as you pass by, I’m always around and ready for a chat.
Recent Taco Wednesday features:
Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos with Bleu Cheese Dressing
Cheeseburger Tacos with Chipotle Cheddar Queso
Chipotle Honey Sweet Potato Tacos with Caramelized Onion Beer Queso
Ingredients
- 2 avocados, sliced into 8 wedges each
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tsp chipotle sauce, from canned chipotle peppers
- 3-4 cups slaw
- 8 corn or wheat tortillas
- fresh lime wedges and parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, and honey in a large bowl. Add sliced avocados carefully and marinate for about 30 minutes, but no more than an hour.
- When avocados are finished marinating, preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Prepare your dredging station. Add flour to a shallow bowl, eggs in a separate small bowl, and finally the panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and paprika in a third bowl. You can add a fourth bowl of just water to rinse your fingers between stations, which I highly recommend you do!
- Remove avocados from the fridge. Reserve the marinade – you'll use it later. Take one avocado wedge and first toss in the flour, shaking off excess. Rinse fingers, then turn the wedge in the egg mixture, letting excess drip off. Finish by rolling in the breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated. Add to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining avocado slices. Be very gentle with the avocados to avoid breaking them.
- After all avocados have been coated, spray with oil and bake for 12-15 minutes. Flip, then bake an additional 10 minutes.
- While avocados bake, whisk together the mayonnaise or Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, honey, and chipotle sauce.
- Remove avocados from oven and brush thoroughly with sweet chili chipotle sauce. I opted to use a basting brush but you can spoon the sauce over the slices and gently toss them to coat. In either case, be generous with the sauce! Bake an additional 10 minutes.
- To assemble the tacos: Toss slaw with a few spoonfuls of the reserved citrus marinade, to your taste. Add a generous handful to the center of a tortilla. Top with two avocado slices, additional sweet chili chipotle sauce, a squeeze of lime, and a sprig of parsley, as desired.
