Mexican Fiesta Menu5 (1)
We’re coming up to one of our favorite food times of the year. That is of course, none other than the famous Cinco de Mayo! Celebrated every May 5th it’s a time for all Americans, not just Mexicans, to embrace this wonderful nation, their history, heritage, and most importantly of all – the food! In homage to Cinco de Mayo, we’re sharing with your all this wonderful Mexican Fiesta Menu of our favorite Mexican dishes
Now being an Australian who moved to the US not only was I initially unaware about the greatness that is Cinco de Mayo, I recall once having to ask someone what ‘Cinco de Mayo’ actually meant. After being laughed at someone took pity on me and explained it’s simply the date – May 5th!
Once we got that out of the way, I was so pleasantly surprised by how eager Americans get behind this day. It’s a great excuse to drink some cervezas and chow down on some simply phenomenal Mexican Cuisine
For our Mexican Fiesta Menu, we’re breaking out the dishes into the three main course:
So, lets jump into these awesome dishes!
Guarniciones (Dips and Bites)
There’s nothing like starting off a Mexican Fiesta Menu with some lovely dips and smaller bites of food. For that first amazing bite we’re big fans of serving up a couple of different varieties of dips and salsas. They’re great for parties because people can just grab a Chip, dip it and eat, all with one hand so as to not put down the drink
Here are three of our favorite Dips and Salsas which are perfect for that one bite with a crunchy corn chip to kick off the festivities
Mango Pico de Gallo
A light, fresh Pico de Gallo is a great way to kick off a Mexican Fiesta Menu. Fresh Tomatoes and finely chopped Onions that are drenched in Lime Juice makes for a wonderful first bite. We’ve kicked our Pico de Gallo game up a little bit with the addition of Mango
The Mango adds a lovely touch of sweetness to the Pico de Gallo and are perfect for this time of year as they are just coming into season. We’d recommend picking up a Mango a few days in advance and let it ripen before preparing this dish. Also, cut it into small chunks so it can easily be scooped up with a Corn Chip!
Guacamole
It’s simply not a Mexican Feast without Guacamole. We’re very proud of our homemade Guacamole Recipe. It’s super simple and relies on simple, fresh ingredients to shine
For an authentic preparation of this Guacamole dish, we highly recommend you grind up the ingredients in a Mortar and Pestle. It’s the traditional way to make Guacamole and allows you to control how smooth or chunky you want it. Personally, we like our Guac a little chunkier, as it adds a bit more body and texture to the dish
Enchilada Sauce
Ok this one may be a little bit left field but hear me out. Enchilada Sauce makes for a phenomenal dip in its own right. That rich, Tomato sauce that has been aggressively spiced with beautiful flavors and aromas is the perfect flavor to kick off the Mexican Fiesta Menu
Our homemade Enchilada Sauce is super simple to make, just roast up the vegetables (we include beautiful Red Bell Peppers). Blitz them all up in the blender and then cook it down on the stovetop to achieve the right consistency. Let it cool a bit to get to room temperature before serving along with the Pico de Gallo and Guacamole to kick the party off in style
Plato de Entrada (Appetizers)
The first course on a Mexican Fiesta Menu is all about bringing the flavor. You want powerful flavors of authentic Mexican cuisine to be coming through with each dish. The Appetizers still need to be relatively light and manageable, as we don’t want everyone to fill up too much before the main courses arrives. So, from Tacos to Nachos, we’ve got some of our favorite Mexican bites for everyone to power into as the party starts to get into full stride!
Flat Iron Tacos
It’s just not a Fiesta without Tacos now is it! We’ve got two versions of Tacos in this section, the first being these phenomenal Flat Iron Steak Tacos. Flat Iron is a cut of beef from the Chuck area of the Cow, yet it has a similar texture and flavor profile of the more commonly used Skirt and Flank Steaks for Tacos
Flat Iron Steak can take a lot of seasoning, so load it up with all those wonderful Mexican spices like Cumin, Coriander, and Smoked Paprika to bring the flavor into these Tacos!
Tacos are always a hit at parties, so the best way to serve them is to plate up individual bowls of each ingredient so people can mix and match how they want to create their Tacos. It’s fun, interactive, and tasty!
Carne Asada Tacos with Cheese
Our second Taco dish is these beautiful Cheesy Carne Asada Tacos. Now, this recipe is a bit heavier than the Flat Iron Tacos, namely due to the addition of cheese. We grill these bad boys up with the Cheese on the outside for a decadent, rich finish. Cheese on the outside of Tacos and Quesadillas is a bit of a trend at the moment so we’ve thrown our hat into the ring too. It’ll be a showstopper on the plate, and we guarantee these will disappear very quickly with your hungry party guests!
Air Fryer Chicken Nachos
In addition to Tacos, the other staple you simply must have at a Cinco de Mayo party are Nachos! American by design, yet truly Mexican in flavor, who doesn’t love a big bowl of cheesy, melty Nachos to dive into?
For our Nachos we’re using Mexican Pulled Chicken, which will also be a featured recipe in our Main Course Section. So, cook up a big batch of this wonderful Chicken dish and use it in two applications for the feast. For a little twist, our Nachos are cooked in the Air Fryer. This is optional, but it’s a great way to make Nachos. It takes little time, and will help with stovetop and oven congestion which can always be a thing when you’re making a big feast for a lot of people
Plato Principal (Main Course)
Finally, it’s time for the showstoppers! The main course, or Plato Principal! Any good Mexican Fiesta will have epic main courses that are all shareable, which is exactly what we’ve got here. Three beautiful dishes that you can serve up as the centerpieces to the meal alongside Tortillas and an assortment of fillings. Family style servings like this are the best way to feed hungry party goers and the dishes taste amazing
Pulled Mexican Chicken
The same Chicken that is used in those wonderful Nachos is this delicious Pulled Mexican Chicken. The Chicken is marinated in a tomato-based Chipotle Sauce and then slow cooked until it is pull-apart tender. The Chipotle Sauce adds a wonderful spicy, smokiness to the Chicken which gives the dish an authentic Mexican flavor
This Chicken is so tender you can enjoy it on its own or wrap it up in a Burrito with your favorite fillings for a hearty and delicious meal. Either way, you’re eating well!
Easy Chicken Burritos
Sticking with the theme of ‘food you can wrap in Tortillas’ are these easy Chicken Burritos. This is a go-to recipe for us for most weeks, as it is so easy to make, yet tastes complex and delicious. Allow the Chicken to marinade for at least 24 hours in the delicious sauce to amplify it’s flavor. It’s then pan seared over high heat and served either in whole pieces, of cut up into bite-sized chunks for easy Burrito filling
The Chicken goes exceptionally well when added into a Burrito along with some of those wonderful sauces and dips we kicked off the meal with. Try a combination of Enchilada Sauce, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole for an intensely flavored Burrito!
Mexican Short Ribs
The final dish for our Mexican Fiesta Menu and the most epic of the bunch. These amazing Mexican Short Ribs are slowly braised in the Oven for 5 hours with a rich smoky, spicy sauce. The result is these amazing Mexican Short Ribs that are melt-in-the-mouth tender
This is definitely the richest dish on the menu, and a perfect way to end the meal in style. Enjoy them by themselves, wrapped up in a Tortilla, or however else you want to enjoy this decadent dish. If you’ve got leftovers, they make the perfect topping for Nachos and go very well in a Breakfast Burrito too!
We hope you all enjoy this amazing Mexican Fiesta Menu. Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo, or simply looking to put on an epic feast for family and friends, there’s plenty of great Mexican Dishes in here we’d love for you to try
If you cooked any of these dishes please let us know on Pinterest and Instagram how it went, as we’d love to hear from you
Happy Cooking!
