Chicken Tacos (73 of 150)

One of my fondest memories of living in Guadalajara are the street tacos. Literally buying tacos on the street by a sketchy looking vendor who's tacos are the best I had ever tasted. I look back on those days and shake my head in disgust. Who knows what meat we were eating? Or how clean the making of the tacos were? We didn't care. They were delicious. 

I've tried for years to duplicate that flavor. I finally found a restaurant that has come close with their carne asada tacos, Taqueiria El Rinconcito. I'm not a huge fan of their chicken street tacos, thus me being on the search for good taco street tacos. 

The ones I made here were THE BOMB. They made the favorites list. 

This recipe was good, and very well could make the favorites list, maybe. I'm still thinking the others were better. 

This has seasoned, grilled chicken marinated in traditional flavors and seasonings. It didn't exactly make me feel like I was standing on a gritty corner in Guadalajara forking over a couple of pesos for some greasy street tacos with questionable meat, but they were good. 

I especially appreciated the grilling of the chicken instead of pan frying. Though pan frying does allow from crispier sides of the chicken, still, it's hot out so the grill must be on. 

Chicken Tacos

Recipe from Amanda's Cookin

Serves 5

• 1.5 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 20 mini white corn tortillas
• Fresh limes cut into wedges (2 wedges per person)
• For the Marinade:
• 4 T orange juice
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 T lime juice
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 T ancho chili powder or chipotle chili powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large Ziplock bag.

Add chicken thighs and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat grill over medium-high heat. Oil the grill with canola oil (wad up some paper towel, add some oil, and rub grates using tongs to hold the paper towel).

Remove chicken from the marinade and gently dab off excess liquid with paper towel.

Place chicken on hot grill.

Makes 10 tacos

Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping once (thickest part of the chicken thigh should register about 165 degrees).

Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before chopping into bite-sized pieces.

Warm tortillas in a skillet. Layer two warmed mini corn tortillas together.

Top with chopped chicken and your choice of toppings. Serve with fresh lime wedges.