Mexican street-style dry rub chicken tacos
Taco Tuesday. Tex Mex tacos in flour shells with melty cheese. Fish tacos. Taco Bell. Street tacos with fresh lime and cilantro and slaw. I love it all! And it's hard for me to imagine that street tacos are a relatively new addition to my life compared to the others because they're my favorite way to indulge in Mexican inspired eating. And while I love ordering them out at restaurants or from street stands and food trucks, it's really fun to try them at home with all the best toppings.
I made spicy dry rub chicken thigh tacos with cabbage slaw, grilled sweet onions, and jalapeño lime crema. I garnished them with radish, lime, and cilantro. And I honestly wouldn't have changed a thing. I think tacos should taste like every layer they're composed of. These crushed it! They met all my standards: juicy meat, good crunch and freshness, citrusy bite to balance out the creaminess, and a little heat.
I'm going to first list all of the ingredients you need and then break them down in more detail per item.
Here's everything you need
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
Spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, chipotle chili powder, paprika, cinnamon)
4 T canola oil
2 tsp vinegar (I used champagne; apple cider would be good too)
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
2 T heavy cream or half 'n half
Jalapeño tabasco sauce or other hot sauce of your choice
2 limes
¼ sweet onion
½ cup sliced red cabbage
½ cup sliced green cabbage
½ jalapeño pepper
Radish
Cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 taco shells (I used homemade six-inch corn shells)
Here's the recipe breakdown
Dry rub chicken
Yields enough for 8 six-inch tacos
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chipotle chili powder
¼ tsp paprika
⅛ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
3 T canola oil, or enough to coat your grill pan
Squeeze of lime
Jalapeño lime crema
½ cup sour cream
2 T half 'n half or milk
Juice of half a lime
6 or so dashes jalapeño tabasco sauce
Pinch of salt
Cabbage slaw
½ cup sliced red cabbage
½ cup sliced green cabbage
½ jalapeño, very thinly sliced
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp vinegar (I use champagne or apple cider)
A couple pinches of the dry rub
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grilled onions
¼ sweet onion, sliced into rounds
1 T canola oil
Start by making the chicken. Combine all of the spices together, including salt and pepper, in a small bowl. Reserve a couple of pinches to use later for the slaw. Pat both sides of chicken thighs with the rub. Let thighs sit on a plate and come to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the crema. Whisk all the ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Put it in a squirt bottle if you have one. Set aside.
Now make the slaw. Add sliced cabbage and jalapeño to a mixing bowl. In separate bowl, combine mayo, vinegar, and seasonings. Pour over slaw and toss to combine. Set aside.
For the onions, heat a grill pan with about 1 T canola oil over medium-high heat. Grill whole slices of onion until charred with grill marks, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Set aside.
Add remaining canola oil to the grill pan and when it's heated, place chicken thighs in pan. Grill chicken about 1 minute per side, until nice and charred (it may look extra charred in parts due to the dry rub). Squeeze a little lime juice over the chicken. Turn heat down to low and continue cooking chicken, flipping again half way through. Depending on the thickness of your chicken thighs, this may take no time at all. I offed the heat on mine and covered the pan with foil to ensure doneness without overcooking. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before pulling apart with forks. Use the resting time to prepare your garnishes (chop cilantro, slice radishes and limes) and get all of your ingredients on the table. And let the street taco assembly line begin!
I layered the chicken first, followed by slaw, grilled onions, a drizzle of crema, and a sprinkling of cilantro and extra lime juice to top it all off. Mm mmmm.