{"id":132660,"title":"O’Marcos Tacos – French Tacos","modified":"2026-06-13T11:18:56+02:00","plain":"Here\u2019s my homemade take on the hugely popular \u201ctacos,\u201d or \u201cFrench tacos,\u201d from O’tacos. Step by step, we\u2019ll break down the different components of their iconic specialty and try to recreate it\u2014not only better, but a little lighter too. After all, homemade fried chicken may not exactly be health food, but mass-produced chicken is hardly better. \n\n\n\nAt first glance, French tacos can seem intimidating. With so many components, you might assume you\u2019ll end up eating them cold… Not at all! The final step\u2014melting and browning everything in the oven\u2014saves the day, warming everything through for a hot, melty meal packed with flavor. \n\n\n\n1. The fries\n\n\n\nAny Belgians reading this can skip this step straight away. For everyone else, I\u2019m going to show you a simple recipe for Belgian-style fries! \n\n\n\nYou will need: \n\n\n\n\nBeef fat \/ beef dripping (or frying oil\/sunflower oil, if needed)\n\n\n\nPotatoes suitable for fries (or regular potatoes, if needed)\n\n\n\nA vegetable peeler\n\n\n\n\n\nHeat the oil to 190-200\u00b0C\n\n\n\nFry the peeled and cut potatoes for the first time for about 7 min\n\n\n\nRemove them from the oil and let them cool for 5 min\n\n\n\nFry them a second time (this is the Belgian trick), then remove them once they\u2019re nice and crisp; this should take about 5 min\n\n\n\n\nAnd there you go! The first component is ready; set it aside for later. \n\n\n\nGood old Belgian-style fries\n\n\n\n2. The chicken tenders\n\n\n\nMy favorite \u201cextra\u201d in a French taco is a batch of perfectly crispy chicken tenders… though they\u2019re often bland and dry, fortunately hidden under all the other ingredients. Here, I\u2019m going to show you the classic American technique for buttermilk fried chicken . The buttermilk tenderizes the meat and gives it a unique flavor, and the extra-simple breading is one I designed to come close to KFC in both texture and taste. This recipe also works with other cuts, such as drumsticks, wings, and thighs, so you can make your own chicken buckets hehe\n\n\n\nYou will need: \n\n\n\nMARINADE\n\n\n\n\n500 ml buttermilk\n\n\n\n500 g chicken, cut into thick strips\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon sweet paprika\n\n\n\n1 teaspoon pepper\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon ground thyme\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon garlic powder\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon salt\n\n\n\n\nBREADING\n\n\n\n\n300 g flour\n\n\n\n2 tablespoons sweet paprika\n\n\n\n2 teaspoons pepper\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon chili powder\n\n\n\n2 tablespoons ground thyme\n\n\n\n2 tablespoons garlic powder\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon salt\n\n\n\n\nOTHER\n\n\n\n\nFrying oil\n\n\n\n3 eggs\n\n\n\nA mixing bowl and a deep plate\n\n\n\n\n1. Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk and marinade spices for at least 1 hour (up to 24h)2. Prepare the seasoned flour by mixing the flour with the breading spices3. Pour the beaten eggs into the deep plate4. Heat the oil to 180\u00b0C5. Dip each piece first in the flour, then in the egg, then back into the flour, and gently lower it into the oil. Fry the chicken in batches if needed; there are quite a few pieces.6. Cook for about 7-8 min, keeping an eye on the color of the breading\n\n\n\nAren\u2019t my tenders gorgeous? I named this one \u201cPerfection.\u201d\n\n\n\n3. The O’Marcos French tacos sauce\n\n\n\nNo cheese sauce here. For the cheese, I prefer adding thin strips of cheddar shaved with a peeler. Sorry. \n\n\n\nInstead, we\u2019re going to make the same sauce I use for my ultimate burger!\n\n\n\nYou will need: \n\n\n\n\n2 tablespoons butter\n\n\n\n1 large onion, diced\n\n\n\n2 tablespoons mustard\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce\n\n\n\n3 pickles, finely chopped\n\n\n\nA handful of fresh chives, finely chopped\n\n\n\n115 g mayo\n\n\n\n115 g ketchup\n\n\n\n1 tiny pinch baking soda\n\n\n\n\n1. Place the onions in a saucepan over medium heat with the butter and baking soda. Saut\u00e9 for about 15 min, until caramelized (the baking soda speeds up the reaction; normally it takes 45 min\u2014my gift to you \ud83d\ude18)2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl\n\n\n\nA delicious caramelized onion sauce. It pairs perfectly with a French taco.\n\n\n\n4. The ground beef\n\n\n\nFor this, you will need: \n\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon cumin\n\n\n\n1 tablespoon sweet paprika\n\n\n\n1 teaspoon salt\n\n\n\n1 teaspoon pepper\n\n\n\n1\/2 tablespoon chili powder\n\n\n\n2 teaspoons salt\n\n\n\n500 g ground beef\n\n\n\n2 onions, finely chopped\n\n\n\n\n1. Saut\u00e9 the onions over medium-high heat until translucent2. Add the beef and mix well for 5 min, breaking up any clumps3. Add the spices and stir until the juices have evaporated\n\n\n\nDelicious spiced ground beef\n\n\n\n5. Assembly and folding\n\n\n\nLayer the following on your tortilla, in this order: \n\n\n\n\nThe sauce\n\n\n\nThe ground beef\n\n\n\nThe tenders\n\n\n\nThe fries\n\n\n\nA sprinkling of cheddar\n\n\n\n\nFolding\n\n\n\nFor this part, I\u2019ll refer you to the video I followed myself: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. The cheese topping\n\n\n\nHere we are at last! The final step for the French taco: melting and browning the cheese topping.\n\n\n\n\nStart by preheating your oven to 130\u00b0C fan-assisted\n\n\n\nUsing a peeler, shave the cheddar into thin strips; these fine strips are the secret to a perfect cheesy topping that doesn\u2019t run everywhere. Lay the strips neatly on top of the taco.\n\n\n\nBake for about 10 min\n\n\n\n\nHeaven is within oven-mitt reach\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s done! Congratulations, you\u2019ve just made an authentic French taco, just like at O’tacos! \n\n\n\nAll that\u2019s left is to serve them on a beautiful plate from Les secrets du chef\n\n\n\nBy the way, I also have a delicious recipe for homemade kebab\n\n\n\n\n\n\tO'Tacos-Style French Tacos\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tBelgian-Style FriesBeef tallow or rendered beef fat (substitute frying oil or sunflower oil if needed)Potatoes for fries (regular potatoes will also work)Chicken TendersMarinade500 ml buttermilk (or cultured milk)500 g chicken, cut into thick strips1 tablespoon sweet paprika1 teaspoon black pepper1 tablespoon ground thyme1 tablespoon garlic powder1 tablespoon saltBreading300 g flour2 tablespoons sweet paprika2 teaspoons black pepper1 tablespoon chili powder2 tablespoons ground thyme2 tablespoons garlic powder1 tablespoon saltOtherFrying oil3 eggsFrench Taco Sauce2 tablespoons butter1 large onion, diced2 tablespoons mustard1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce3 sliced picklesA handful of finely chopped fresh chives115 g mayonnaise115 g ketchup1 very small pinch of baking sodaGround Beef1 tablespoon cumin1 tablespoon sweet paprika1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon black pepperhalf a tablespoon of chili powder2 teaspoons additional salt500 g ground beef2 minced onions\t\n\t\n\t\tBelgian-Style FriesPeel the potatoes and cut them into fries.Heat the oil to 190-200\u00b0C.Give the fries their first fry for about 7 minutes.Remove them from the oil and let them cool for 5 minutes.Fry them again until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes.Chicken TendersMarinate the chicken in the buttermilk and marinade spices for at least one hour and up to 24 hours.Prepare the breading by mixing the flour with the breading spices.Beat the eggs in a shallow dish.Heat the frying oil to 180\u00b0C.Coat the chicken first in the flour, then in the egg, and then in the flour again before frying.Fry the chicken for about 7-8 minutes, until the breading is golden.O'Marcos French Taco SauceSaut\u00e9 the onions with the butter and baking soda over medium heat until caramelized, about 15 minutes.Mix the caramelized onions with the remaining sauce ingredients in a bowl.Ground BeefSaut\u00e9 the minced onions over medium-high heat until translucent.Add the ground beef and mix well, breaking up any lumps.Add the spices and continue cooking until the juices have evaporated.Assemble and fold the tacos.Spread sauce over a tortilla, add the ground beef, chicken tenders, and fries, then sprinkle with cheddar.Cheese ToppingPreheat the oven to 130\u00b0C in convection mode.Shave thin slices of cheddar and arrange them over the taco.Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}