Homemade Chalupas

I don't know about you but I have been known to eat some late night Taco Bell. And early morning Taco Bell. And middle of the day Taco Bell. Basically anytime anywhere Taco Bell. In fact one of my favorite people on the face of the planet and I have been known to... on the morning after a night on the town to wake up at 10:45 am and book it to Taco Bell and wait for them to open, then between the tiny two of us order a cheap but oh so greasy delicious feast! Yeah we've done that. More than once. Oh well. 

One of my favorite TB menu items happens to be the Chalupa. It's essentially just a fried puffy taco, but it is so good. I've been trying to avoid fast food lately (something I've been quite successful at) but that by no means means I can't try to replicate it at home. I mean I'm really just trying to avoid all the scary extra things (i.e. chemicals, dyes, etc) that fast food has in it these days. So as long as I know exactly what is going in my at home fried food is more than suitable to me. Are you catching on to how my rational works yet?

So the following is simple the recipe for at home Chalupa shells. Fill them with your favorite taco fixings and enjoy!

Chalupa Shells

Makes 6 shells

2 1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup milk

Oil (for frying)

Combine all dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Cut in butter. Add milk and stir until the dough forms a ball. Lightly roll out the ball on the counter and divide the dough into 6 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. 

In a pan or skillet deep enough for frying, add enough oil to come at least an inch up the sides. Turn heat on, you want to oil to be about 350 degrees F (a deep frying thermometer works wonders for this). 

While the oil is heating up, roll out your balls of dough on a lightly floured surface to be about 6 inches wide. If they don't come out in a perfect circle, don't sweat it. 

Once your oil is to temperature carefully place your rolled out dough into the hot oil. It should float and immediately begin to get puffy. After 1 minute, carefully flip your shell over. Cook for another 1 minute. Using tongs grab your shell from the oil and place on a plate covered with paper towels (to absorb the extra grease).

Here's one that I ripped up to taste!

Covered with my favorite taco toppings... 

Chicken, cheese, lettuce, avocado, and sour cream.