The Best Chicken Tacos Ever

 

I looked up the best chicken taco recipe and this came up and it did not disappoint. They are so easy and fresh-tasting. I used chicken breasts, not thighs, but either would be great. The topping is a MUST. Also, I used the keto street taco tortillas (Mission brand) and they are the yummiest, and carb free!

The Best Chicken Tacos Ever

From Bless this Mess (Melissa Griffiths)

Ingredients 

For the chicken:

• ▢1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ▢1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢Juice of 2 limes
• ▢1 tablespoon olive oil

For the topping:

• ▢1/3 cup finely chopped red or sweet onion
• ▢1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• ▢1 finely chopped jalapeño
• ▢Juice of 1 lime
• ▢Salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢1 lime, cut into 8 pieces
• ▢16 small corn tortillas for serving

Instructions 

• In a large zipper-topped plastic baggie or in shallow dish, add the chicken, all of the spices, lime juice, and oil. Close the bag and use your hands to mix everything together. If you are using a shallow dish, use tongs to work the spices evenly into the chicken. You can let this rest for up to a half-hour or work with it right away. I like to let it rest a minute to increase the flavor.
• Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add the chicken. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes. If you have an extra-large chicken thigh, you'll need to cook them longer, so turn down the heat to medium and cook them until no longer pink (could take up to 25 minutes or 12 minutes per side).
• While the chicken cooks, stir together the chicken taco topping by placing the chopped onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and the juice of one lime in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
• While the chicken rests, wipe your skillet clean with a warm rag or paper towels, and place the skillet back on the heat over medium-high to high heat. Place two tortillas (still stacked together) on the skillet and cook until the underside starts to char. Flip over and cook the other side (so the middle of each tortilla won’t be cooked against the skillet but it will get warm all the way though). Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• Chop the rested chicken into small pieces.
• To serve, place 1/8 of the chopped chicken in each set of tortillas (still two stacked together) and top with 1/8 of your onion mixture. Serve each taco with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the taco just before serving.

Fall Harvest Salad with Sweet Mustard dressing

 

Fall Harvest Salad with Sweet Mustard Dressing

recipe from Plum Street Collective

Ingredients

Sweet Mustard Dressing

• 4 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt (plain)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Fall Harvest Salad

• 2 heads Kale
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, sliced thin (slice each one into 3-4 slices)
• 6-8 strips cooked bacon, cut into small pieces, or crumbled
• 1 cup candied pecans (I started buying mine pre-candied to save time but you can sweeten them yourself if needed by cooking in a nonstick pan with a little maple syrup)
• 1 pomegranate, arils removed (or you can buy just the Arils, already removed)
• crumbled goat cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• salt

• Instructions

  Sweet Mustard Dressing

  • Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

  Fall Harvest Salad

  • Brussels Sprouts: Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium-sized bowl toss cut Brussels sprouts with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once coated turn out onto large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
  • Bacon: If you haven't cooked your bacon already, do that while the Brussels sprouts are baking. Pan fry the bacon until well cooked and set aside to cool on paper towels to absorb the grease.
  • Kale: Prepping your kale is an important step to it tasting great and helping it absorb some flavor. First start by cutting out all the veins of your kale leaves. Once those are removed, using a large chef's knife, slice your kale into thin strips. The thinner they are, the easier they will absorb the flavor. Place kale shreds into a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Then using clean hands, slowly start to massage the kale by grabbing large portions and squeezing together. Keep doing this for 3-4 minutes until the kale softens up and reduces in size by about half.
  • Build your salad. Start with the kale as the base, then add on the Brussels sprouts, the bacon, the pecans, then the pomegranates, and finally the goat cheese. Mix mustard dressing again, or shake, before using. Drizzle generously with the dressing and toss well. Top with a little more goat cheese before serving.

Marry Me Chicken Soup

 Made this today for Soup Sunday and it was delicious!!

Marry Me Chicken Soup

By Salt and Lavender

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 1 medium onion chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste I use double concentrated
• ▢ 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes see note
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakesoptional
• ▢ 1/2 cup dry white wine
• ▢ 4 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
• ▢ 1.5 cups uncooked rotini or fusilli pasta
• ▢ 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• ▢ 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheeseplus more, for serving
• ▢ 2-3 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
• ▢ 1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil torn/sliced 
• ▢ Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

• Add the oil, butter, and onion, to a soup pot/Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pot and cook for about a minute.
• Add in the wine and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes, stirring to incorporate the tomato paste mixture.
• Add in the chicken broth and increase the heat to high. Once the soup is boiling, add the pasta, then reduce the heat and simmer (covered, with the lid slightly open) for 10 minutes. Stir it every few minutes to ensure the pasta isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Stir in the cream and chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the chicken has warmed through.
• Turn the burner off and stir in the parmesan, spinach, and basil. Season with salt & pepper if needed. Give it a good stir and serve once the spinach has wilted. Top bowls with more freshly grated (or shaved) parmesan.
  
  

  Notes

  • I drain the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and loosely pack them in the measuring cup. If they’re not already chopped, it’s a good idea to chop them into small pieces.
  • Serves 4-6 depending on portion size/what else you serve it with.