As soon as summer arrives we like to maximize our time outdoors, enjoy the yard and bust out our trusty grill. We currently use a small charcoal grill, we’ll eventually upgrade, but for now I prefer that little charcoal beast. It gives everything great flavor and char, with the added bonus of less cleanup. And, if you know me, you know I hate cleaning. So win win all around as far as I’m concerned. Plus, Ry is typically the one who does the actual grilling around here. I do all the prep inside, hand it off and he grills away.
In all honesty, I could eat a taco everyday, and we usually have them at least once a week. So, for our low-key 4th of July celebration we made some grilled orange and adobo chicken tacos. With most things we frequently eat here, there needs to be minimum amount of effort for maximum payoff and these certainly fit the bill. It’s a quick marinade, a bit of slicing and chopping, grill up, then you’re ready to consume.
The most involved part of this recipe, is the marinade. And by involved I mean you’ll need at least ten mins of forethought to throw it together. I’m a big fan of marinating meats in plastic bags as you probably know from the Arugula & Fennel Salad I did a while ago. Those baggies keep everything contained, maximizes marinade exposure on your meat, and are a quick cleanup.
For this version I marinaded the chicken with some chipotles in adobo which I generally have on hand at all times. I love the stuff. It makes everything taste smokey and spicy. And you only need a small bit, so I save any leftovers in a baggie in the freezer for later use. I refuse to waste any of it. I also added in some tangerine, zest and juice, cause we had one sitting in the fridge. You can just as easily use an orange instead. And then some lime zest, garlic and a dab of honey. You of course don’t have to follow this exactly, but the combo of smokey and spicy with a good bit of sweet and sharp citrus works really well especially when you grill it up. Or at least I think so.
With most things we frequently eat here, there needs to be minimum amount of effort for maximum payoff and these certainly fit the bill.
You can definitely do this with steak, fish or any veg you want. This marinade goes good on anything. Here we used chicken. I like thighs, he likes breasts, so we used both. I would recommend splitting or butterflying the breasts. They grill up quicker and there’s just more surface contact with the marinade, so more flavor, mo’ bettah.
Grilled Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 1 chicken breast split
- 2 chicken thighs or just use as much chicken as you want to eat
Marinade
- 4 tbsp chipotle in adobo
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 orange juice and zest
- 1 lime zested
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- pepper
For Assembly
- 4 tortillas
- 1 bunch radishes thinly sliced
- 8 oz queso fresco crumbled
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 lime in wedges, use that lime you zested before from the marinade
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- sour cream or crema
Instructions
- First up, marinade that chicken. Place the chicken and all your marinade ingredients in a bag, or bowl if you prefer. Mix it all together and let sit for about ten mins. If you have more time great, just stash it in the fridge to keep cold, cause ya know, salmonella.
- Next prep all your toppings. Slice the radishes, crumble your cheese and so on.
- All chopped and prepped? Get to grilling. Cook the chicken for 5-7 mins per side on a screaming hot grill, or till cooked all the way through. Once your chicken in done, pull it off the grill and let sit for five mins before you slice it up. During that time I recommend tossing your tortillas on the grill for a few seconds to heat through and get just the slightest char.
- Once your chicken is done resting and your tortillas are warm. Slice that meat up and assemble those taco. Eat up!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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