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Copycat Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme

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5 from 3 reviews

These copycat Taco Bell chalupas are better than the fast food favorite and loaded with all your favorite taco toppings! Using a homemade fried dough "boat" to house delicious taco meat, cheese, and lettuce, these chalupas will quickly become a family favorite.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup whole milk, warmed
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • canola oil for frying

Filling

  • the best taco meat
  • shredded cheese
  • chopped lettuce
  • sour cream
  • taco sauce

Instructions

  1. Heat about 2 inches of canola oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
  3. Stir in milk and melted butter. 
  4. Combine with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so until the dough becomes mostly smooth. The dough should feel tacky but it shouldn't stick to your hands.
  5. Cut dough into 8 equal size pieces. Roll each into a ball. 
  6. Use a rolling pin to gently roll out each dough ball into a circle about 6 inches wide and 1/8 of an inch thick.
  7. Gently shake excess flour off. Add dough to the pot of oil, cooking one shell at a time. Let it cook on each side for about 5 seconds, then use a tongs to gently fold it in half. 
  8. Use the tongs to hold one half of the chalupa in the oil, cooking it for about 1-2 minutes. Then use tongs to hold the other half of the chalupa in the oil, cooking it for another minute or two.
  9. Once it's a golden brown color, use tongs to gently remove the shell from the oil and let the excess oil drip off.
  10. Hang a wooden spoon over the center of a medium bowl. Place the cooked chalupa shell over the handle of the spoon to help form its shape as you cook the next chalupa shell. 
  11. Then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and continue cooking the remaining shells.
  12. You may need to turn the heat down a bit as you cook. If the shells cook faster than 1 minute per side, turn the heat down.  
  13. Fill chalupa shells with the best taco meat recipe, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. Enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • This recipe works best with warmed or room-temperature milk. When cold milk is added to the dough it causes the melted butter to seize into chunks. Warm the milk by zapping it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
  • Be sure to measure the flour correctly, spooning it into the measuring cup and using a knife to level it out. If you are scooping your flour right out of the bin and then leveling it off, you are likely adding too much flour.
  • If you're having trouble folding the chalupas while they fry, just cook them flat instead! Cook them for about the same amount of time on each side, let them rest on a paper towel-lined plate, and then top them flat with all your favorite taco fillings, assembling them kind of like a tostada. They will still taste just as delicious!
  • Be careful with the oil! Make sure to use tongs when handling the shells and carefully place the shells into the oil. It's also best to fry one shell at a time to keep the temperature of the oil consistent.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/taco-bell-chalupa/