Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Citrus-y Chicken Tacos


During my eternal quest for yummy but EASY dinners that my kids will eat, I ran across an interesting recipe for chicken tacos at AllRecipes.com.  The original recipe calls for lemonade and Worcestershire sauce; I couldn't quite get my head around Worcestershire sauce with chicken, so I changed it up a bit by substituting more traditional taco flavors (cumin, Old Bay seasoning, and McCormick taco seasoning).  I also used lemon juice, white wine, and agave nectar in place of the lemonade.

The citrus flavors make these tacos truly special; my husband asks for them quite often now, and both kids love them too!

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped (or 2 T dried onion flakes)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1-2 tsp garlic powder)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut up (can substitute cooked or canned chicken)
1 T olive oil
3 T lemon juice
1-2 T lime juice
1-2 T agave nectar or honey (adjust amount to taste)
3/4 - 1 C white wine or water
salt, pepper to taste
2 tsp cumin
1 T taco seasoning (McCormick is gluten free)
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Directions:

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent, then add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer.  Add the chicken and saute until cooked through (3 or 4 minutes on med-high).  If using previously cooked chicken and dried onion flakes, you should skip this and just add your ingredients to the next step, below.

Add lemon and lime juices, agave or honey, wine or water, cumin, salt, pepper, and the taco and Old Bay seasonings.  Feel free to increase or reduce seasonings as you see fit. 

Reduce heat to medium and stir frequently until liquid has evaporated. Serve in taco shells with your favorite condiments (shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, guacamole or sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream,  etc).

P.S. Instead of pre-made taco shells I usually buy regular corn tortillas and saute them very briefly in oil on high heat (a few seconds each side), then I blot the excess oil very well with paper towels and fold into a taco shell shape.  We prefer these softer shells to the store-bought variety.