Adobo Chicken Tacos with Semi-Homemade Corn Salsa

My son has been complaining that dad has been serving Taco Tuesdays every week for the last month. It's not that the kids don't like tacos, but there is no verity to the menu. It is always ground beef with Old el Paso seasoning, shredded Mexican cheese on a soft shell.

Last week I jokingly asked Cam if we should have Taco Thursday at our house, just in case he didn't get enough of them at his dad's house. He told me he would pass, but I haven't been able to get the craving for tacos to go away. Hopefully, he will acknowledge that the protein, ingredients and over-all taste of these tacos is different and not make me feel guilty for moving forward with Taco Thursday anyways.

I'm sure this looks like a lot of ingredients for a weeknight meal, but I assure you everything comes together pretty quickly. I recommend marinating the chicken overnight, but if you have less time, an hour is good enough.

For those of you who don't know, Adobo is a Spanish seasoning mixture that you dissolve in liquid. You can normally find it in the Latin Food section of your local grocery store. They also sell jars of chilies in Adobo that you can cut up if you would like to make a spicier marinade. I stayed on the mild side, but that's because my toddler is not big on spicy foods.

My kitchen helpers for today. 

Fresh produce tends to be very expensive in Michigan in January. Therefore, I tend to use more canned and frozen veggies. A drained can of corn kernels and a 10 oz can of Rotel tomatoes with mild chiles, pair beautifully with fresh jalapeno and saute's onion to make a flavorful salsa. 

Fill your shells with a scoop of chicken, salsa, shredded lettuce, chipotle sauce, sour cream and Queso Fresco cheese, and dinner is done. I took mine to work with me, and they didn't even last 2 hours before the smell demanded that I eat them. Here's the recipe to make your own. 

Adobo Chicken Tacos with Semi-Homemade Corn Salsa

For the chicken: 

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lime juice

2 TBSP adobo

1 TBSP chopped garlic

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken thighs

Smoked salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salsa: 

12 oz can sweet corn kernels, drained

10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, mild

1 small onion, finely diced

1/2 jalapeno, chopped

1/8 cup lime juice

Smoked salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Serving: 

10 blue corn taco shells

Shredded Iceburg lettuce

Queso Fresco cheese

Sour Cream

Chipotle Sauce

1. Prep the chicken: In a large microwave safe bowl, whisk, the oil, lime juice, adobo sauce and garlic together. If the adobo does not dissolve, microwave the mixture for 2 minutes on HIGH heat and then whisk again. Allow to cool while you cut the chicken thighs into bite size pieces. Transfer the chicken into the marinade, and chill for 1 hour or overnight. 
2. Make the salsa: In a medium pan, saute the onion and jalapeno until fragrant and soft. Add the corn, lime juice and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the liquid reduces in half. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour, or overnight. 
3. Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil in a cast iron wok or skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry/saute the chicken in two batches for approximately 5 minutes each or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Heat your shells according to package directions. 
5. To build each taco, scoop some chicken into a shell and top with lettuce, salsa, chipotle sauce (Taco Bell makes and amazing one), crumbled cheese and sour cream. Serve immediately. 

Makes 10 tacos

Nutrition Facts
Per Taco
Amount per serving
Calories	334
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20.5g	26%
Saturated Fat 4.3g	22%
Cholesterol 85mg	28%
Sodium 862mg	37%
Total Carbohydrate 20g	7%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g	7%
Total Sugars 3.4g
Protein 22g
Calcium 41mg	3%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 141mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet.2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

I hope you enjoyed taco night with us. Let me know if you make this recipe and have any ideas for improvement. 

Kristie