A lot of people think that Fall cooking has to be all about hot soups, casseroles, and rich, earthy flavors. These are great and all, but what if we told you there was a different option, and that there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying tangy and tropical flavors anytime you want? If that sounds as good to you as it does to us then you’re in for a treat, because this week we’re bring you a recipe for chili lime chicken tacos that are so flavorful that it’s like taking a vacation to the sunny shores of Mexico! So, let’s dive in and take a look at your next meal that’s a little spicy, a little tangy, and totally delicious.
First off, I want to start by saying I love this recipe, not only because it tastes fantastic, but because it’s so simple to make. You’ll be enjoying these in no time with just a little prep and a single pan to cook in. Starting with the chicken and the marinade, it’s a simple mix of a few spices, and this is where you’ll start to infuse everything with that tropical flavor with the lime juice and a little bit of diced jalapeño. You can marinate this refrigerated for up to 24 hours, or you can do what we did and let it marinate at room temperature for as little as 30 minutes. This is plenty of time to prep the rest of what you’ll need for these tacos, but there isn’t much beyond dicing a red onion and slicing a few limes and jalapeños for the tacos later.
In that time, you can start on the corn salsa as well. It’s another simple mix, the red onion, black beans, and a pack of Sno-Pac frozen corn, all mixed with some spices. This salsa is done in no time, all you really need to do is mix and heat the ingredients through, and you’ll use the same pan to cook the chicken right after, we love simplicity! As good as the tangy chicken and jalapeño is, having this to add some more muted flavors is great to add complexity so you appreciate each flavor even more.
And speaking of chicken, if the weather permits then by all means take the opportunity to grill while you’ve got the chance, otherwise a pan fry does the trick. We also diced our chicken into bite-size pieces before marinating to make sure every bite was as flavorful as we could make it with such a short marinate time. Some recipes will also marinate and cook the whole breast and slice it afterwards, and this can give you juicier chicken as you’re less likely to overcook like can happen with smaller pieces of chicken.
After the chicken’s cooked through, that’s it for the cooking, all you need to do is assemble the tacos, you’re practically done already. This is the chance to introduce more spice if that’s how you like your tacos with more jalapeño slices, the little bit of diced jalapeño in the marinade is more for adding a little flavor rather than spice. A little bit of spice goes a long way towards adding some great complexity to these tacos. The tangy lime is fantastic, but chili-lime isn’t complete without at least a little spice.
And that’s it! These tacos really come together for an amazingly fresh and flavorful meal and are done in no time. The chicken has a great mix of tangy flavors from its marinade, the corn salsa adds its own more muted flavors, and spice of the jalapeño comes in for a deliciously complex and simple taco. As good as Fall cooking is, anytime is a good time to enjoy some tacos that remind you of refreshing Summer cooking. Share these tacos with someone that you want to enjoy them with and let us know what you think or what you did to make these tangy tacos your own. Enjoy these until next week when we see you with another great recipe.
