Navajo Tacos

Amazing doesn’t begin to describe Navajo tacos. Delicious fry bread forms the base, which you top with chili and taco toppings. They’re colorful, flavorful, easy to make, and cheap – only about 75¢ per serving.

Navajo Tacos

2015-09-22 17:10:46

Serves 8

Fry bread topped with chili, cheese, tomato, and more!

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

35 min

Ingredients

1. 2 1/2 cups flour
2. 3 tsp baking powder
3. 1 tsp salt
4. 1 cup milk
5. 1/2 cup shortening
6. 2 cans chili (or Super Simple Chili)
7. toppings of choice

Instructions

1. Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and milk.
2. Split dough into 8 similarly sized balls.
3. On a floured surface, roll the balls to a 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Melt shortening in frying pan.
5. Lay dough in melted shortening and fry until golden on both sides.
6. Top fry bread with chili and any other toppings desired. Enjoy!

Notes

1. I roll my fry bread out. I have seen others use their hands to pull the bread into shape.
2. Left over fry bread tastes great with butter and cinnamon sugar, or just a little honey butter!

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Instructions

Making fry bread dough is super simple. You just put all the ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, and milk) into a mixing bowl and mix it together. The dough should hold together and be slightly tacky. If your dough is too dry, add a little water or milk until it looks like this:

Next, you’ll split the dough into 8 balls, then roll the balls out on a floured surface. I like my fry bread to be about 1/4 inch thick so it can hold the crazy amount of toppings I put on it. 

Still can’t roll a circle. Guess my tacos will be square!

Once all 8 balls are rolled out, melt the shortening in a frying pan on medium heat. I like to have a deeper one for this. The shortening is ready to go when you flick water on it and the shortening makes an awesome popping noise. This is kinda fun to do. 

Once the shortening pops, lay the fry bread dough in the pan. The dough doesn’t need to cook long – maybe 45 seconds on each side. It’s ready to turn when the tops of the dough bubbles are golden brown.

See those lovely air bubbles? I have it on good authority that if you want your bread to be authentic, you have to pop the bubbles in order to let the evil spirits out. It’s an old Navajo tradition.

Once your bread is golden on both sides, fish it out and lay it on a plate. Putting a paper towel down on the plate beforehand helps with blotting up the grease.

Navajo Tacos

Now all that’s left is loading your taco up with toppings. Once you’ve piled your fry bread high with deliciousness, you can try to eat it. Real Navajos can fold these things like a taco and eat them with no mess (I’ve seen it!), but I can’t. I use a knife and fork to cut mine up. Doesn’t matter, because it tastes amazing either way!

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