Chicken Taquitos with Guacamole

Ingredients

• For the guacamole:
• 2 avocados, cut in half, pits removed, flesh scooped out and chopped
• 1/4 small white onion, diced, rinsed under water, and drained
• 1/2 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• Small handful fresh cilantro, stems removed, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 to 2 limes
• Kosher salt
• For the taquitos:
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 1/2 small white onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 medium garlic clove, peeled
• One 15-ounce can tomatoes, drained
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken, shredded
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/2 head Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
• 8 small radishes, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
• Mexican crema or sour cream

Directions

1. For the guacamole, put the avocados, white onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice into a large bowl. Stir with a spoon until the mixture turns creamy while leaving some avocado pieces intact. Add kosher salt to taste, then put it aside.
2. For the taquitos, warm 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and garlic clove, then cook, stirring frequently, until both are starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Shut off the heat and lift them out, trying to leave as much oil in the pot as you can. Put the onion and garlic in a blender with the tomatoes, jalapeños, and salt, and blend until combined but not completely smooth.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon more oil into the Dutch oven and warm it until shimmering. Add the blender mixture, stir thoroughly, and cook until it tightens into a thick sauce-like consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, mix in the shredded chicken, and stir until evenly coated. Taste, and season with more salt if needed.
4. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1 tortilla and let it bubble in the oil just until soft, 2 to 3 seconds. Turn it over for a couple more seconds, then transfer it to paper towels to drain. Do the same with the remaining tortillas.
5. With 1 tortilla in front of you, spoon 2 tablespoons chicken mixture down the center, then roll it up like a cigar. Hold each roll closed with a toothpick, positioning the toothpick parallel to the tortilla. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
6. Warm the remaining oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add as many rolled tortillas as will fit in 1 layer. Fry, turning now and then, until the tops and bottoms are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer finished taquitos to a paper towel-lined plate and salt them right away. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
7. Divide the taquitos among 4 plates. Top each plate with lettuce, radishes, and a drizzle of crema. Add 1/4 of the guacamole to each plate. Serve.