Grilled Chicken Tacos w/ Summer Corn Salad

and jalapeno ranch sauce!!!!!

Did I make these twice in 24 hours? Yes.

I have a bad habit of thinking I can have friends over for dinner and film a recipe at the same time, it almost never works out! I didn’t film the final product, I didn’t even want to have my phone out at that point. Also all of my videos have us yapping in the background.

So I woke up, went to Whole Foods, and made it all again! When I told Kris where I was headed and why, he just laughed.

For dinner I grilled chicken thighs, shrimp skewers, corn, zucchini, and shallots. I also did an extra skewer of just red onion for Kris because he asked nicely! The protein went into tacos, corn went into a summer corn salad, and the zucchini + shallots went into a rice side dish. I’m going to re-do shrimp tacos another time to give them their moment and the rice dish still needs a bit of work (salt probably) so here are recipe details for the chicken tacos and summer corn salad!

Chicken Tacos

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The following is for about 3 pounds of chicken thighs (two packages, a total of 12 thighs)

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup avocado oil (neutral flavor, high smoke point)

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• juice from 1 lime

• 1-2 tablespoons chile powder

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard

• 2 teaspoons each of black pepper and onion salt (regular salt is fine)

Add chicken thighs and all marinade ingredients to a bowl, stir and cover to marinate for at least 15 minutes. They’re best when marinated for several hours!

For grilling:

1. Preheat your grill and let it get to about 500°F then turn the burners down to about medium. All grills heat differently but I try to keep mine around 400-425°F for chicken.

2. Add chicken thighs over direct heat (the burners you have turned on). Close the lid and let them cook for 7 minutes. Flip and cook with the lid closed for another 7 minutes. Remove and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. If you’re using a thermometer, chicken is safe at 165°F but thighs are best when cooked to 175-180°F because they have dark meat.

3. Tip: as the chicken rests it will release a bit of liquid. Let them rest in a dish or a tray with sides so that liquid doesn’t go to waste! After you cut the chicken, toss it in that liquid for extra juiciness and flavor.

4. Cut the chicken thighs into thin strips and toss in the extra liquid!

5. Once you’ve removed and cut the chicken, turn the burners down to low heat and toss your tortillas on the grill. Let them heat for about 15-30 seconds on each side. Once you flip them, they should start to puff up a little bit! Remove and cover with a towel to keep them warm.

6. Assemble your tacos! We eat family style so everyone makes their own. Top with Summer Corn Salad (below) and Jalapeño Ranch!

Summer Corn Salad

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Make this while you’re making the chicken!

• 1/4 of a red onion

• lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

• 3 ears of corn (husk on is fine!!)

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• juice from 1/2 of a lime

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice your onion on a mandolin or with a very sharp knife. Put it in a bowl and cover with water, add in 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let this sit while you prep everything else! It will lightly pickle the red onion and remove the harsh bite.

2. If you corn still has the husk on, remove a few of the outer pieces and cut the hairs that extend past the husk. Put them directly on the grill as is! If the corn husks have been removed, rub each ear of corn with a little bit of avocado oil.

3. Grill your corn for 20 minutes while the chicken is cooking (will be around 425°F). Rotate it every 5-7 minutes!

4. Remove and let it sit to cool down. If they’re still in the husk, remove the husk. The hairs should come off really easily!

5. Place you corn horizontally on a cutting board and slice the kernels off the cob. Chop the cilantro into small pieces. Drain the red onion. Add everything into a small bowl, squeeze in lime juice and add a pinch of salt!

6. Add a couple spoon fulls of this to each taco!

This is also great with breakfast tacos, steak, quesadillas…

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Grocery checklist for easy shopping:

• 3 lbs chicken thighs

• tortillas

• 1 red onion

• 1 bunch of cilantro

• 2 limes

• 3 ears of corn

• Pantry items: honey, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, chile powder, soy sauce, dijon mustard, salt + pepper

Too keep things simple, I’ve put the Jalapeño Ranch recipe on it’s own page!

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My key takeaways from this dinner:

Tacos are great for hosting! Everyone can assemble their own tacos w/ whichever toppings they want, it’s easy to make a couple of different protein options, and its relatively few ingredients. Taco marinades are forgiving, especially on the grill.

Prep-work is my best friend. Making a side and a sauce several hours in advance freed up a lot of time and headspace for me. Especially when grilling, it’s hard to grill and have rice on the stove inside at the same time.

I can’t do everything all at once. I love cute videos of hosting dinner parties but cooking and hosting and filming all at the same time is not my strong suit! and it makes me feel less present. Perhaps eventually I’ll find a balance.

I hope you love these tacos, I hope they earn a spot in your rotation of meals this summer! Please let me know if they do.

If you have questions, dazzling reviews, or more grilling ideas, drop them in the comments!

xoxo,

Anna