Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Valorie's in my Kitchen: Hawaiian Tacos


I had the great pleasure of hanging out with my 'cousin-in-law', Valorie, last week when she came in for a visit from Colorado. You may have seen her In the Kitchen posts here over the last few months so what did we do during her trip? Cook, of course! First we made a delicious homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which I will be posting soon, and on Sunday night Valorie shared a favorite of hers, Hawaiian Tacos! I'll let her take it from here…

Someone I knew once made me tacos with teriyaki-marinated chicken. Other than the teriyaki flavor, these were pretty standard tacos, but I remember the uniqueness of the Asian-style chicken in the Mexican dish and like it quite well. Maybe that’s what people mean by Asian Fusion? I’ve taken the idea of teriyaki-marinated chicken and blended it with pineapple, salsa, and cilantro. Yes, it sounds odd, but I’ve never met anyone who tried it and didn’t like it. You'll find a link to a printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Prep time: 30 min | Serves about 4

Ingredients:
6-8 eight-inch corn tortillas
2-4 tablespoons canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
8oz can of crushed pineapple or pineapple tidbits
1/4 cup thick teriyaki sauce or marinade
shredded cheddar cheese
roasted, diced green Chile peppers
fresh cilantro, finely chopped
fresh lime wedges
sour cream, salsa, guacamole


If you have time, marinate the chicken in the teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice for 2-6 hours. Alternatively, add uncooked chicken, teriyaki sauce and the can of pineapple (with juice) to a nonstick skillet. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is cooked, liquid is evaporated, and sauce is thick and slightly sticky, about 20 minutes.


To prepare the tortillas, heat canola oil in a skillet over medium flame. Well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick finish works best, as stainless steel tends to stick and require more oil. Heat tortillas in canola oil for about 30 seconds on each side, or just until the tortilla forms air bubbles inside. Set aside on a paper towel to catch any oil.


Assemble tacos with chicken and pineapple mixture, cheese, fresh cilantro, green chiles, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime juice (this really adds to it!). We couldn't find fresh, ripe avocados so had to pass on the guac this time, but I'll share my homemade recipe here soon.

Delicious with a side of black beans jazzed up with fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, chopped green chilies and your favorite seasonings.

Pile high, fold and enjoy!



And find more easy and delicious recipes here.

9 comments:

Lisa Abdul-Quddus said...

Oh that looks soooo good! I'm going to try this asap. Thanks for posting this.

Gloria Gomez said...

These really do look good, and simple - I'll have to give them a try!

Valerie said...

Totally printing this one. Thank you!!

Miss J said...

Yum! I wish I could reach into my screen and get one RIGHT NOW!

The Double Dipped Life said...

Mmm... wanna come watch my kids so I can run to the store to get these ingredients? :) Sounds fabulous!

Fairlightday said...

Those look and sound absolutely delicious! They will be on my menu for this week for certain! Thank you for sharing. :)

Jen said...

mmmm. sounds good. Thank you! This will be on next round's meal plan. Can I ask, is there a place I can find a code for printable recipe card?

lillyella said...

Hey Jen! Im sorry, Im not sure what you mean about the code? Shoot me an email - nicole@lillyella.com
thanks!

Stacy said...

Mmmm, this sounds absolutely delicious! Will be making this recipe, for sure.