Super Cilantro-Lime Chicken Tacos

When my kids were home from college a couple of weeks ago for a visit, we decided to try out a yummy looking fish taco recipe I'd found in a magazine. The only problem? I don't really like fish very much. So we decided to adapt the recipe for chicken tacos instead, and came up with something so scrumptious that we made it twice in one week! After my son returned home, he experimented some more and found a way to use ground turkey to make another version that he said was equally as delicious and faster to prepare. Here are both versions of our Cilantro-Lime Tacos.

CHICKEN TACOS WITH CILANTRO-LIME MARINADE

Serves Four People.

Marinade Ingredients:

2 limes - juice and zest
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

To Make Chicken Tacos:

Wash and pat dry:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin slices.
Put chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade into bag.
Put in refrigerator to marinate for approx. 1 hour.

While chicken is marinating, get your outdoor grill ready (or chicken can be prepared in the oven if you prefer.)
Use large sheet of non-stick foil; remove chicken from marinade and discard all but 1 Tbsp. Put chicken pieces in the center of foil sheet; pour 1 Tbsp. reserved marinade over it. Add 1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced, on top of the chicken. Take a second sheet of foil, cover the chicken and onion, and fold all the edges together to form a packet. Put chicken filled packet on the grill, and cook for approx. 20 minutes, or until chicken slices are done. Be careful when opening the packet - let the steam escape out one end first.
Oven version - Bake at 375 degrees for approx. 20 min., or until chicken slices are done.

TO SERVE:

Heat four taco size flour tortillas on the grill, or on stove top.
Fill with 1/4 of the cooked chicken, plus the following toppings:

Thinly sliced red cabbage
Homemade or fresh store bought salsa (not the jarred kind)
Thinly sliced green onion, whites and tops
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour Cream (if desired)

The combination of topping ingredients with the cilantro-lime marinade is divine!

CILANTRO-LIME SKILLET TURKEY TACOS

Ingredients:
Cilantro-lime marinade (above)
1 lb. ground turkey

Put turkey and marinade together in ziplock bag; marinate in refrigerator for approx. 1 hour.

Heat skillet to med-high heat; add marinated turkey and cook until done.
Add cooked turkey to heated tortillas; top with the same ingredients above.

The turkey version is quicker to make because you do not need to slice the chicken or grill it. My son said he had enough turkey for more than one meal.

Enjoy!