By Nicole Hunn| Published: | Posted In:Breads, Cinco de Mayo, Dinner, Holidays, Meat, Pizza
Gluten Free Chalupas, a homemade Taco Bell style recipe. Crispy, crunchy fried gluten free chalupa shells filled with beef and cheese!
When you fry them lightly, the shells really do hit that sweet spot between crunchy and chewy. And even though you would never expect it, they actually reheat rather well. A fried food miracle!
I used pretty typical fillings, but of course you could make these your own, any way you like. They'd be delicious with shredded chicken—even with the Chicken Gyro fillings. Fusion food!
The dough from GFOAS Bakes Bread is, of course, easier to work with and just plain better. But the old recipe still works, as all my old bread recipes do work just as they did before!
And believe it or not, this made enough food (with some veg on the side) that even my ever-hungry family had 2 leftover chalupas that I wrapped up tightly in plastic and placed in the refrigerator—and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't be a soggy mess the next day.
Lo and behold, we gave it a quick spin in the microwave and served it for lunch the next day, and it was still really good. I think it's because the shells are fried very, very lightly in the oil. And that crispy/chewy texture just does better as leftovers than if we fried them crisp. And of course, the dough is a dream.Magic chalupas!
1 recipe gluten free deep dish pizza dough, chilled
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Neutral oil, for frying
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded lettuce, for serving
Chopped and seeded tomatoes, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Instructions
Prepare the pizza dough according to the recipe instructions. Then, on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smoother as directed in These General Shaping Tips. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, each about 4 ounces, and roll each into a ball. Working with one piece of dough at a time, and covering the others with a moist tea towel so they do not dry out, sprinkle the dough lightly with bread flour. With well-floured hands and a well-floured rolling pin, pat and roll out the first piece of dough into a 7-inch diameter round, rotating the dough and flouring it frequently, to prevent sticking, as shown in thisgluten free pizza shaping video. Transfer the round of dough to a piece of unbleached parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining 7 pieces of dough. Cover the rounds loosely with a moist tea towel and allow them rise slightly while you prepare the fillings.
In a medium, heavy-bottom skillet, brown the ground beef until nearly cooked through (about 4 minutes). Add the cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper flakes, and mix to combine with the ground beef. Transfer the beef to a small bowl and set it aside.
In a clean heavy-bottom skillet with high sides, place about 2 inches of frying oil. Clip a deep-fry/candy thermometer to the side of the skillet, and bring the oil to 350°F over medium heat. Line a plate with paper towels, and set it aside. Once the oil has reached temperature, fry the round of dough into chalupa shells one at a time using the following method, and working quickly: place the round of dough, flat, into the hot oil. Allow it to cook for only 10 seconds. Using heat-safe tongs, fold the dough in half down the center of the round, and allow the dough to cook for another 10 seconds, pressing it down gently into the oil using the tongs to ensure that it is making contact with the oil. Using the tongs, carefully turn the chalupa shell over and cook for another 10 seconds, again pressing down gently with the tongs. Continue to cook on each side for 10 seconds at a time until the entire shell is very lightly golden brown all over. Lift the shell out of the oil with the tongs and allow the excess oil to drain before placing the shell on the paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining rounds of dough. The shells can be kept warm on a lined baking sheet in a 200°F oven until all the shells are ready to be served.
To assemble the chalupas, fill each with the seasoned ground beef, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream, and serve warm.
A chalupa is a thick, fried shell filled with all your favorite taco fillings like taco meat or shredded chicken along with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and sour cream. The shell is made with flour and while it's fried, it's still slightly fluffy and super delicious.
Unfortunately, Taco Bell Chalupas are not gluten-free. The Chalupa shell is made from flour, which contains gluten. So, if you're trying to avoid gluten, Chalupas might not be your best bet. But don't worry!
Currently, Taco Bell doesn't sell their Chalupa shells separately in stores or online. That's right, those crispy, slightly chewy shells that perfectly hold all the delicious fillings are a Taco Bell exclusive.
Their shells are similar to a flatbread – shaped into a taco shell and filled with ground beef and toppings. The shell for this chalupa recipe is a version of Native American fry bread (also called Navajo fry bread) which I discovered and fell in love with on a camping trip in Arizona with my brother.
Taco Bell's signature taco shell is made from corn flour, water, and oil, and is crispy, curved, and has a distinct texture and flavor. In contrast, traditional Mexican taco shells are made from corn tortillas that are soft and flexible.
*Taco Bell® does not claim “gluten-free” for any of its food. Some Taco Bell® items are made without gluten-containing ingredients but are prepared in common kitchen areas, including common fryer oil, risking gluten exposure. Taco Bell® does not recommend products for customers with celiac disease.
Technically, the food products used in Taco Bell's hard shell tacos are gluten-free. That said, due to cross-contamination issues, they aren't considered safe for people with celiac disease.
Taco Bell's Chalupas are instead notably made from flatbread shells that have been fried until they're crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Basically, they're thicker and doughier than the real-deal chalupas.
Tacos utilize either flour or corn tortilla; both are very thin and unleavened. On the other hand, a chalupa shell has some levener and a thin, fluffy layer inside with a crispy exterior. In Americanized versions, it's much closer in texture to fried bread or dough.
It is exactly the same item other than the shell being fried. It's a round Flatbread. This is used on the Gorditas, the cheesy Gordita crunch and for the chalupa. The only difference between a chalupa and a Gordita is the chalupa uses the fried Flatbread.
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Traditional chalupas are small, thick, boat-shaped fried dough topped only with Salsa, cheese, and shredded lettuce. It is made out of flour dough and a thicker kind of shell that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is almost like Indian fried bread which is topped with different toppings.
What is a Chalupa? A Chalupa is basically a taco, however, it is made from Fried bread dough or pita bread. It is then topped the same way you would top your tacos.
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