Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Sweet and slightly spicy glazed chicken is the key ingredient in these fast and easy chipotle chicken tacos. Add a creamy, tangy cilantro lime sauce and crunchy slaw to feed your taco craving.

I had an addiction-creating taco experience in Breckenridge, CO a couple weeks ago.  Maybe it’s because we’ve been overseas for so many years in a place where tacos were about as common as a snowy day.  But these tacos were seriously good.  Nothing fancy – just everything you want in a taco.  A punchy citrus slaw, soft tortillas, perfect fillings – including sweet glazed chicken.  And all in a dive bar with 30 beers on tap and a super cheap happy hour.  We were in Breckenridge for a week and went to Oscar’s twice.  Just for the tacos.

(Okay, okay, for the beer too.)

Oscar’s tacos have been floating around in my recipe-loving brain for weeks, along with a can of chipotles in adobo in my pantry that was begging to be used.  Honey and chipotle are a natural fit – spicy and sweet and, as it turns out, make a perfect glaze for taco-destined chicken.

These little chipotle chicken tacos come together super fast, perfect for a hot summer night.  They may not be served at 9,600 feet, but they’ll definitely bring something special to any lower altitude dinner table.

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Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Sweet and slightly spicy glazed chicken tenders top super fast tacos with a creamy, tangy cilantro lime sauce.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Chicken

Calories: 563kcal

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Adobo Sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
• 1 Chipotle Pepper (from a can of chipotles in adobo), minced
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
• 1 lb Chicken Breast Tenders (or sliced chicken breast)
• 8 small (6-inch) Flour Tortillas (sub corn tortillas to make the recipe gluten-free)

For the slaw:

• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
• Juice from 1/2 a Lime
• 1/2 head Green Cabbage, thinly sliced
• 8 Radishes, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4 cup Cilantro leaves

For the sauce:

• 1/3 cup Plain Yogurt
• 1/3 cup Sour Cream (you can just use additional plain yogurt as a substitute for this if you prefer)
• 2 Tbsp Cilantro leaves
• 1 clove Garlic
• Juice from 1/2 a Lime
• 1 Jalapeño, seeds removed (unless you like spice, in which case - leave the seeds in)

Instructions

• To make the sauce, combine the yogurt, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and jalapeño in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Season with salt. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• To make the marinade, whisk together the first six ingredients (through black pepper). Combine with chicken and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to a day.
• To make the slaw, whisk together the honey, oil and lime juice. Toss with the cabbage, radishes and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and, when it begins to shimmer, use tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place them in the hot pan (be careful - the marinade will splatter when it his the hot pan). Heat the chicken, turning once, until nearly cooked through, about 6 minutes and then pour the remaining marinade into the pan. Continue cooking until the marinade is sticky and coats the chicken and the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Cover the tortillas with a slightly damp paper towel and microwave just until warm, about 15 seconds. Top the tortillas with slaw, chicken and drizzle with sauce to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 2g | Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 865mg | Fiber: 31g | Sugar: 23g

Molly and Clara say that tacos are okay and all, but they’d choose animal crackers any day.  They’re also 15 months old – update coming this week!