The BEST Grilled Chicken Tacos

My husband loves tacos. In fact, during our first year of marriage we had tacos or taco bake (perhaps I'll share that recipe one day) once a week.   Starting our second year of marriage I vetoed that request and we've had tacos/taco bake maybe three times. I'm not a huge ground beef gal, so tacos are definitely not a favorite of mine. I got completely burned out on taco bake and could honestly go the rest of my life without having it again. However, when I saw this recipe a light bulb went off. This was a great way to make the hubs happy, since it's tacos and ME happy, since it's chicken!

If you look at the recipe below it may seem a little over-whelming. There seems to be a lot of ingredients and a lot of work but it's really not. Although there are a lot of ingredients I had everything on hand except the chicken thighs. The only thing I changed from the original recipe was that I left out the cilantro because we aren't big fans.  I also didn't grill the pablano pepper for the sweet corn salsa. 

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Source: Simply Scratch

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs

2-3 cloves of Garlic, grated

1 teaspoon Chile Pepper

1 teaspoon Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Pepper

1 cup Beer, any kind

2 tablespoons Sesame Seed Oil

Juice of half a lime

For the Sweet Corn Salsa:

2 Cups Corn {fresh or frozen}

1 Poblano Pepper, seeded and diced small

1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced small

3 tablespoons Red Onion, diced small

1/2 a Lime, juiced

1/2 a teaspoon Sugar

Kosher Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Garlic Habanero Sour Cream:

 

2 Garlic cloves, grated

2 Habanero Peppers, seeded and diced small

1/2 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:

For the Chicken:

Combine the garlic, spices, sesame seed oil, beer and lime juice in a medium sized bowl.

Place chicken thighs in a re-sealable bag, pour the marinade over top and toss to coat. Seal the bag and place in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat grill or grill-pan to medium-high heat then place chicken on grill.

Cook 4-6 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through then remove and set aside.

Allow chicken to rest a few minutes then slice chicken into bite-size pieces.


For the Sweet Corn Salsa:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and toss together.

Place plastic wrap over bowl and keep in refrigerator until ready to use.


For the Garlic Habanero Sour Cream:

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and add garlic and Habanero peppers and saute about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and place in a food processor with sour cream and salt and pepper.

Blend together until combined well.  Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.


Assemble tacos on flour tortillas as desired and enjoy!

I'm telling you, these are AHHHHHH-MAZING! I loved them, the hubs loved them; this recipe was a winner and one I will be making more often!!!!

Corn Pudding

This was one of the first dishes I made before I considered myself "a cook" and took to a gathering. Before I got married and moved into a home of my own, I didn't do much cooking and had no real interest in learning to cook.  I got married and realized I had to feed myself and my husband so I started cooking a little and realized I really enjoyed it and I wasn't terrible at it either.  The first time I made this I was still in college and going to my boyfriend's family Thanksgiving. It just so happens I married that boyfriend; I guess he liked my corn pudding :)

 

This recipe never fails and everyone always loves it.  In fact, I rarely have leftovers to take home if I've taken this dish to a pot-luck style dinner. Like many of my other recipes, it's super easy and doesn't require any special cooking technique.  I obtained this recipe from my mother but I'm not sure where the original recipe originated from.

Next time you're asked to bring a side dish, make this corn pudding.  I guarantee at least two people will ask for the recipe. And is there anything better than having someone ask for your recipe?  In my book, that's the ultimate compliment!

Corn Pudding
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can cream corn
1 can corn, drained
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.

Pour into a 9x9 prepared baking dish (or larger baking dish).

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Serve warm.

Corn Fritters

Stephen had been asking me to make these for weeks! Almost every night when he came home from work he would ask if we were having corn fritters for dinner.  So, I finally made them for him and they were amazing! I don't know what it is about simple foods but more times than not, it's the simplest foods that are my favs. How about you?

You can really make this recipe suite your tastes and experiment with different flavors.  The recipe I used calls for cayenne pepper, but if you don't want something with a kick you could change it out for whatever spices you prefer. I added a little more cayenne pepper and left out the chives from the original recipe.  The first time I made these I opted out of powdered sugar and maple syrup...BIG MISTAKE! I tried it the other night and it was great! It didn't seem like a good combo to me: slightly spicy corn fritters & sweet powdered sugar and maple syrup but it's genius I tell you. 

Corn Fritters
Source: The Pioneer Woman
Printable Recipe 

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 whole Eggs
• ½ cups Milk
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 3 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 4 cups Corn Kernels: Fresh, Frozen, Or Canned (I used frozen)
• Canola Oil, For Frying
• Powdered Sugar (optional)
• Maple Syrup (optional)

Directions:

Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add in the eggs, milk, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir together to make a batter.

Add corn and fold together to combine.

Heat canola oil to 365 degrees. When oil is heated, drop spoonfuls (I used a large cookie scoop) of batter and cook, flipping to the other side, until golden brown.

Drain on a towel-lined plate. Serve alone, with dipping sauces, or sprinkled with powdered sugar or drizzled with maple syrup. I HIGHLY recommend the sugar and syrup!

 Make these & ENJOY! :)