Panuchos and salbutes – Yucatán fried tortillas with chicken

Ingredients for 4 portions

• 300 gMasa harina
• ≈ 380 mlWater, warm
• to tasteSalt
• 500 gChicken breast
• ½Yellow onion, for the chicken
• 2 clovesGarlic
• 30 gAchiote paste
• 1Orange, juiced
• 1Red onion, in thin half-moons
• 1Habanero, finely chopped
• 3Limes, juiced
• 250 gRefried beans
• 2Eggs
• 5 tbspRapeseed oil, for frying
• ½Lettuce, finely shredded
• 2Tomatoes, sliced
• 1Avocado, sliced

Method

1. Put the chicken in a saucepan with the onion, garlic and some salt, cover with water and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer the chicken for about 20 minutes, until cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, mix the masa harina with the warm water and a pinch of salt. Knead into a soft dough that neither sticks to your hands nor cracks at the edges, and cover with a damp tea towel.
4. Mix the red onion with the habanero, lime juice and a little salt and leave it to pickle while you make the rest. Habanero is very hot, so wash your hands afterwards.
5. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool them in cold water, then peel and slice.
6. Lift out the chicken and shred it. Stir the achiote paste into the orange juice in a frying pan, add the chicken and a splash of the cooking liquid and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is reddish and almost dry.
7. Divide the dough into 16 balls and flatten them in a tortilla press lined with plastic into thin rounds about 11 cm across. Cook 8 of them in a hot, dry frying pan for about 30 seconds per side; after the second turn, press gently with a cloth so they puff up: these are for the panuchos. Keep the other 8 raw between sheets of plastic for the salbutes.
8. With a small knife, cut open the thin puffed-up layer along one edge of each panucho to make a pocket. Spread a spoonful of beans inside, add a slice of egg and press closed.
9. Heat about 1 cm of oil in a frying pan. Fry the panuchos in batches for 1–2 minutes per side, until golden and crisp at the edges. Then fry the raw salbutes for about 1 minute per side, until puffed and barely golden but still soft. Drain on kitchen paper.
10. Top the panuchos and salbutes with lettuce, chicken, a slice of tomato, avocado and pickled onion. Allow four per person.

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