Thai Chicken Tacos

My favorite day of the week is here and I am beyond thrilled to have Lindsey from Cafe Johnsonia guest posting with her Thai Chicken Tacos. If you’re not familiar with Lindsey’s blog, you need to change that asap. First because Lindsey’s recipes are original, seasonal and and I pretty much want to make everything she makes. Second, Lindsey’s photographs are drop dead gorgeous. For reals, they are amaze-balls. So good that it hurts. Third, Lindsey is sincere, down to earth and just about the nicest person you’ll ever meet. So without further ado, let’s welcome Lindsey and high fives all around for Taco Tuesday!

Hi there! I’m Lindsey Johnson, and I write the food blog Cafe Johnsonia. Kelley is absolutely one of my favorite people (and bloggers) and it’s not just because I’m jealous of her amazing hair. (I totally am though.) I was so happy she asked me to pop over and share a recipe for Taco Tuesday. I love Kelley’s Taco Tuesday tradition and I’m thrilled to share this recipe with you, her dear readers and friends.

Now there are a few things you should know about me now that we’re friends, you and I. I have a penchant for Mexican and Thai food. I joke a lot about eating curry every night for dinner, but it’s actually not a joke. Three or four days a week, we’re eating curry. The other days I’m making some sort of Mexican-inspired recipe that involves loads of avocados. That’s another thing you need to know – avocados and I are BFFs. It’s only natural that my two favorite cuisines would combine into a very tasty fusion-style Thai Taco.

The star of these tacos is marinated chicken thighs. Honestly, I don’t know how “Thai” this sauce is, but we like it a whole heck of a lot, and it works well here, so go with it. They resulting chicken is tongue-tinglingly spicy and pleasantly sweet. If chicken thighs aren’t your thing, the marinade is equally fantastic on tofu, veggies, or pretty much anything you can think of. My husband likes to eat it from the bowl with a spoon – I have to make an extra batch just for him. Trust me, it’s that good.

And what would tacos be without the toppings? Boring. So you’ve got to have plenty of crunchy toppings to load up on top of the chicken. We like shredded red cabbage, julienned red pepper, carrots, and cucumbers, sliced avocado, scallions, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. Oh, and peanut sauce. That’s the thing I like to eat from the bowl with a spoon. The resulting Thai taco is spicy, crunchy, sweet, and a little bit tangy. In other words, it’s taco perfection.

Thai Chicken Tacos

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Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 5 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup tamari
• 1/4 cup nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• 2 Tablespoons sambal oelek
• 2 Tablespoons sriracha
• 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

For Peanut sauce:

• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons tamari
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon sambal oelek
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced

For Tacos:

• 8–12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup julienned red pepper
• 1/2 cup julienned cucumber (optional – add a little rice wine vinegar, salt, and toasted sesame seeds for a quick pickle)
• fresh cilantro
• sliced scallions

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Instructions

1. Combine marinade ingredients and chicken in a large plastic resealable bag, or shallow glass dish. Cover and let marinate several hours, or overnight.
2. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the peanut sauce, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lift chicken out of marinade with tongs and let excess marinade drain off. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before cutting into bite-size pieces.
4. Warm up tortillas by cooking each side in a hot, dry skillet for 30-60 seconds. Transfer to a plate to keep warm.
5. To assemble tacos, place a little of the chicken in the tortilla and top with desired toppings. Drizzle with some of the peanut sauce and serve.