Taco Tuesday: Elote Lime Chicken Tacos

Welcome to my annual recipe crush. Each February I choose a theme, and provide one or two recipes each day for the whole month. This year the theme is Weekly Menu Planning. What are the categories, you ask? We have Sunday Special, Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Worldly Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Fishy Friday, and Celebrate Saturday.

Years ago I went hunting for a few alternative taco recipes that weren’t ground beef with taco seasoning. All of us can get into a rut and make the same old thing time after time. By committing to Taco Tuesday, you’re pretty much ensuring you’re not going to let that happen at your house since the family won’t want ground beef and taco seasoning every week.

There are lots of recipes on the Internet using chicken with citrus. I adapted a few to make this version for tacos. Feel free to experiment with grapefruit or orange to see what you like best. Adding the corn to the lime juice marinade gives it a resemblance to elote, the Mexican street corn dish showing up in American restaurants.

Elote Lime Chicken Tacos (serves 6-8)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (I used breasts but thighs work, too)

Juice from 3 limes, divided

zest of one lime, divided

1 tablespoon Zesty Apple Rub (Pepper Palace)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 cup corn (fresh, frozen, or canned)

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup chunky salsa

Hard corn taco shells

Toppings: plain Greek yogurt, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and shredded Mexican cheese blend

Place chicken in a slow cooker. Combine juice from 2 ½ limes, half the zest from one lime, spice, garlic powder and one teaspoon olive oil. Whisk together, then pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low until chicken is done about 5-6 hours.

When chicken is almost done, heat a small skillet over medium high heat with 2 teaspoons olive oil. When hot, add corn and red pepper flakes in a small skillet. (If using canned corn, drain the liquid off first.)

Add juice from ½ lime and remaining zest to the corn. Lightly brown the corn then set aside.

When the chicken is done, remove from slow cooker to cool. Add corn and salsa to slow cooker and cover.

Shred the chicken using two fork and return to the slow cooker. Blend chicken with the corn and salsa and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

Spoon filling into tortillas and serve with desired toppings. Black beans make a great side.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up

DH: “The lime makes it taste really different.” Me: “Good different or bad different?”

DH: “It’s fine.” Me: “Fine? Shall I make it again?”  DH: “Yeah. It’s tasty.”

He thought it a little weird having corn in the taco meat. I told him I was trying for an elote thing in the taco. Is this my favorite taco? No, but we both liked it a lot for something different on Taco Tuesdays.