Chalupas
I was so excited to try my hand at some more fast food things after my breakfast sandwiches were so well received. After last week’s poll, it looks like people were most excited about the possibility of making a chalupa at home.
Let me start by saying that I’ve never actually had a Taco Bell Chalupa, although I did go through a Taco Bell phase in high school… That means I based my chalupa version off of what I could see in their photos which was some sort of chewy shell, seasoned ground beef, and various toppings.
Guess what: I nailed it!
I'll take this!
It’s true that my shells are not as perfectly shaped as Taco Bell’s version, but cut me a break people. I consider that character! As you might guess, the only hard part about chalupas at home is the shell. Otherwise, you’re basically just making a taco.
Chalupas
Yield: Serves 3-4.
Prep Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/4 onion, diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 Teaspoons cumin seeds (I left mine whole but you could toast them and grind them if you wanted)
1 Teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 Teaspoon cayenne
Pinch of salt
Chalupa Shell: (I found this recipe that I adapted. I was happy with it)
Makes 6 shells, I recommend doubling it so you have some room for error.
2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1 Cup milk
Oil for frying
Additional Toppings:
Grated cheese
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Sour cream
Helpful Equipment:
Deep Fry Thermometer
Good Tongs
Directions:
1) Add oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Once your oil is hot, add onions and let them cook for a few minutes until they soften. Then add all the spices and cook for another minute.
2) Stir in ground beef and cook over medium heat until beef is browned.
3) Prep other ingredients like lettuce, cheese, and any other toppings you want.
4) For the shells, add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir them together. Then cut the butter in until it resembles pea-sized pieces. I just used my fingers for this.
5) Stir in the milk and bring the dough together into a ball.
6) Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 even pieces.
7) Heat about two inches of frying oil to 350 degrees in a shallow pan.
8) Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out to a 6 inch circle.
9) Gently slide the dough into the hot oil. It should immediately float and puff. Let the dough fry for 30 seconds on side one. Use tongs to flip the dough over and gently fold the dough in half (like a taco shell). Hold the dough in that shape as it fries for 30 seconds. Roll the shell over to cook evenly. It should be done after about 2 minutes of frying.
10) Remove the shell and let it drain on a paper towel. When it's fried, it should hold it's shell shape. Repeat with all the shells. You can keep the finished shells warm in a 200 degree oven.
11) After the shell has drained and cooled, fill them with ground beef and lots of toppings.
I decided to get all my toppings ready before making my shells just because I assumed they would be best if we ate them as soon as possible. This turned out to be not completely true. The shells kept pretty well actually and were even good on day two.
The Ground Beef
You can definitely buy one of those packets of taco seasoning if you want, but the above recipe I used is really flavorful.
basic stuff.
Start out by adding your oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Once your oil is hot, add your onions and let them cook for minute or two until translucent. Then add all your spices and stir. Cooking your spices for just a minute or two before you add the beef will really release their flavor. Just be careful to make sure they don’t burn.
Then add your ground beef! I used an 85/15 ground beef for this version.
Turn your heat down to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the beef is browned and it smells like tacos!
Smells good.
Other Stuff
While my beef cooked, I prepped all my other toppings. I didn’t want to be distracted while I was making the shells!
Essentials.
Chalupa Shells
The shells for these guys is obviously the tricky part of this recipe. Luckily the dough is incredibly easy to make. It’s just the frying and shaping part that requires a bit of dexterity.
Easiest dough ever.
To make the dough, just add all your dry ingredients to a bowl and stir them up. Then cut in your butter (the original recipe used shortening). I used my fingers to evenly incorporate the butter. Then add your milk and stir it together until the dough forms a ball.
Next, lightly roll out the ball with your hands and divide it into 6 even pieces. Roll each of those into balls and you’re ready to get started frying!
I doubled the recipe and here are my dough balls ready to be rolled out and fried.
You're shooting for the same size...
TIP. For the frying part, don’t use a really deep pot or pan. A deep cast iron skillet is perfect for frying these. The reason is that you only want your oil to be about 2 inches deep at the maximum that way you can easily tong your dough and shape it.
So get out your favorite skillet or pan and add enough frying oil (I used canola) to come a few inches up the side. You want your oil to be 350 degrees. As always when frying, I highly recommend a deep fry thermometer. They aren’t very expensive and if you’re oil is too hot or too cold, you’re shells just won’t fry up correctly.
While your oil is heating up, lightly flour a clean surface and roll out a ball of dough to roughly a 6 inch diameter circle. Try to make it as round as possible, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Kind of like a tortilla I guess!
Next, when your oil is hot, gently slide the dough into the hot oil. It should float immediately and start to puff up!
It'll puff up!
Each shell will only take about 2 minutes to cook. You have two choices. You could just fry it for about a minute on each side, turning it with tongs a few times to make sure it cooks evenly. That’s the easy way to do it and would give you kind of a chalupa tostada base that you could pile toppings on.
If you want a real shell though, this is what you have to do:
1) Let the dough fry for about 30 seconds on one side.
2) Use tongs to flip the dough over.
3) After you flip the dough, use the tongs to gently fold the dough in half. Hold the dough in that shell shape with the tongs for about 30-45 seconds on one side.
4) Roll the shell shape over to the other side to cook it evenly.
Sorry I couldn’t really take photos of this process. It all went down too fast. Don’t worry if you mess up one or two, eventually you’ll get the hang of it.
Here’s one of my finished shells!
How awesome is that shell?!
You can keep these in a warm oven (200 degrees) while you fry off the rest of the shells and then everybody can eat at the same time.
I ripped apart one of the chalupas so you could see the interior texture. They were nice and crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
Crispy on the outside soft on the inside!
These are larger than normal taco shells so you can really pile them high and deep with fillings!
Ok. I'm hungry.
So while I’ve never had the Taco Bell variety, I can’t imagine that their version is better than mine because these were really awesome. Whether you actually make the shells or just make flat tostadas to pile stuff on, chalupas are a definite win.
If you like Tex-Mex these are a great change from the normal taco/burrito line up so give them a shot!
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Tshez Louiese! This is a killer recipe with an outstanding easy to follow (for dummies – like me) So terribly impressed, so early in the morning. I'm already hungry.
Love your blog!
Penelope
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Dang your pictures and recipes are beautiful. Can I say food looks beautiful. COngrats!
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Vive La Chalupa!
I've been known to favor Chalupas, and yours look beautiful…………I only currently indulge through your photos — I'm off to have a mid morning of FF Yogurt, granola and something………..but your photos will be in my dreams this afternoon @ nap time ;)
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This does not compare to Taco Bell in any way! It's so much better! Thanks for sharing the recipe for the dough. That is something to try.
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OMG! Those shells look amazing. I could eat those plain.
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Nick replied: — April 9th, 2010 @ 7:47 am
They were pretty darn good plain also ;)
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You
Freaking
Rock.
Bookmarked. These chalupas are amazing. I don't think Taco Bell belongs in the same zip code as these beauties you made, Nick.
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It is 6:26 a.m. and I'm all fired up for chalupas . . . these look delectable, but I, of course, would have to add some HOT sauce to these puppies for maximum enjoyment. Delicioso!
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Nick replied: — April 9th, 2010 @ 3:49 am
No doubt. Hot sauce improves pretty much everything!
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First things first: this looks amazing. Way better than anything Taco Bell could make.
However, even though I realize this is in response to a reader poll, and you are recreating a fast food dish, I feel it should be make clear to your readers that the Taco Bell chalupa is a bastardized version of a real chalupa, and barely comes close to even resembling one. A real chalupa is made with a fried corn tortilla as the “shell”, which is more like an english muffin than anything else, and is sprinkled with queso fresco, and most certainly does not contain ground beef.
I don’t want this to seem like a negative comment or anything reflecting your culinary skills… I am a longtime fan! I just think it’s a shame that most Americans think that Taco Bell’s version of Mexican food is anything close to authentic. The food at your local taquiera is twice as delicious at half the price! That is, of course, unless you cook the food in the comfort of your own home ;-)
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Nick replied: — April 9th, 2010 @ 7:35 am
From Kelly:
"No problem! I live in Alabama so it's hard to find good, authentic ethnic food here, but the one thing we do have is good Mexican food! I eat at the local taquiera about once a week or so, and chalupas are my absolute favorite thing on the menu, which is why I got so excited about your post!
Here's a link I found for an authentic chalupa.
I think the trick here is to use a homemade corn tortilla. The store-bought ones just won't puff up the way they need to. The end result is something very much like an english muffin in texture, though not as thick. The taquiera I go to has a choice of different meat fillings, and they range from slow-cooked and shredded chicken, pork, and beef to tongue and "cabeza" meat, which I know means "head" but I'm too scared to ask any further :)
I think the reason it's so hard to find these good, authentic recipes is because they are family traditions that are passed down from generation to generation. You don't see many Mexican taquiera owners as bloggers, so their recipes don't show up on the internet. That said, I can tell you put a lot of effort into your recipes, and you've helped me out of a "whats-for-dinner" slump more than a few times!"
Thanks Kelly for the info!
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Nick replied: — April 9th, 2010 @ 7:48 am
Thanks for the comment Kelly. I’m not actually sure that I’ve ever had that. If you know of a link or recipe, could you comment with it?!
Thanks!
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In Arizona, what you made, we would call a Navajo taco and boy are they good!
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The Chalupa shells seem akin to Navajo Fry Bread or New Mexican Sopaipillas. Yum.
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homemade chalupas earn a massive bravo from me–well done! heck, even though the filling looks great, i'd be satisfied with a shell or four–they're perfect. :)
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Hey Nick! I've enjoyed reading your blog although this is the first time I'm posting. Thanks for sharing yummy recipes, beautiful (and helpful) photos and good reading. I made these tonight. I really liked them, even though it was a bit time consuming. (I mixed the dry (bread) ingredients and butter yesterday without milk yesterday, which helped.)
I had a bit of trouble after cooking the shells… they split in two when I tried to carefully fold them. Opps, just noticed I should have folded them as they finished cooking in the oil. I'll do that next time, although we ate them as tostadas and they were good with sides of beans/rice. At least I enjoyed them, Hubby did not like the shells, and would have preferred white corn tortillas, and something other than ground beef as well. Oh well.
Ps. These make a sweet dessert also, just shake some cinnamon sugar over the top right after frying.
Thanks for blogging!
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These are amazing! I followed this recipe for a project in school! Do you know where Chalupas came from, like how thye came to be?
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Nick replied: — May 31st, 2010 @ 7:46 am
Hmm… not really. The only thing I really know about it (other than that it's delicious) is what I could find on Wikipedia…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalupa
Maybe that helps?!
Glad you liked it!
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I have been searching for a recipe to make the Chalupa shells. Cannot wait to try them!
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Freaking amazing! The shells came out perfect! Thank you so much
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K I just made these tonight and they were a hit, I did not try your spice mix for the beef yet, I just used TB taco mix and I tell you it was amazing. The fried bread was easy and taste great, Thank you very much for this post!
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I can’t wait to try these. Your instructions were excellent and your pictures are awesome. Too bad it’s bedtime, or I’d be in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Your spice mix sounds so yummy to me. I’m going to use it rather than Taco Bell seasoning.
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These look great! Will definitely have to try. Sadly, as good as they look, I noticed the Yuengling Lager in the background first. :) Looks like a win/win combo.
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Used your recipe. DELICIOUS!
100% more tasty and satisfying than Taco Bell’s chalupas. :)
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This is very very good omg I could just eat these! I recorded me making them I wish I could upload it to give the view you were trying to give. I love cooking at home i always recreate what I don’t want to spend $40 bucks on feeding a family of five!
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Georgianna replied: — August 10th, 2012 @ 2:28 pm
Funny I used vegetable spread and it tastes and smells sweet almost like funnel cake. I am going to get some powdered sugar and try it out as a dessert shell as well!
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So excited to see this. I love everything about chalupas they’re muy bueno! I will be trying these out tonight!
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This version of shells are not chalupas but in fact soft taco shells. The chalupa is a harden flat shell served with refried pinto beans melted cheddar, finely shredded lettuce and petite diced tomato. At times topped with guacamole, sour cream and spicey hot sauce. A crispy Mexican style pizza so to speak. Anything coming out of Taco Bell is not Mexican but a fabrication of what the big wheels like as a Mexican delicacy. Taco Cabana serves the next best thing to Authentic Mexican Style and for the real thing go to your local Mom and Pop Mexican Cafe. I should know, I was raised on it.
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Josh replied: — November 19th, 2012 @ 6:21 pm
Btw, this version is better known as a “Puffy Taco”.
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Nick replied: — November 20th, 2012 @ 10:58 am
Hey Josh, so what’s your definition of a tostada then?
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What you have is Navajo Fry Bread. Used by the Southwest Indians at special Pow Wows. Anyway, poke a small hole in the center before frying and you won’t get the cup up in the center while frying…..
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Use the left over dough…Fry them then sprinkle both sides with cinnamon sugar, serve flat, pull into pieces drizzle with honey and eat…mmm
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This FB page is using your entire recipe and picture as their own, just thought you would want to know. https://www.facebook.com/TexasRecipes
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Nick replied: — April 8th, 2013 @ 3:21 pm
You rock. Thanks Bobbie! :)
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