
The pics aren't anything to drool over, but as is often the case, I was much more concerned with getting the food on the table than documenting it with my camera. So I did the best I could in about 45 seconds and rushed out to the patio to enjoy tacos, paper plates, and a summer evening. If it is hot where you are - it is the middle of July so I expect that takes care of most of us - shut down the oven, fire up the grill and enjoy!

Adapted from carlsbadcravings.com
- 1 Recipe All Purpose Chili Lime Chicken (see below)
- 1 Recipe Grilled Pineapple Salsa (see below)
- 8-10 fajita flour tortillas
- Cotija cheese, shredded
Avocado Crema
- 1 medium avocado
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Prepare Chili Lime Chicken And Grilled Pineapple Salsa according to directions below.
- To make the Avocado Crema, add all the Crema ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth; scrape sides as needed. Make up to 4 hours ahead of time and refrigerate in an airtight container.*
- To assemble tacos, warm tortillas (we used a thicker Mexican tortilla and followed package instructions - delish but regular taco aisle tortillas work too). Top with Chili Lime Chicken, Pineapple Salsa and dollops of Avocado Crema.
All Purpose Chili Lime Chicken Rub
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts (pound to 1/2 inch thickness if desired)
- Chili Lime Rub below
Chili Lime Rub
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional if more spice is desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- fresh-squeezed lime juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- Lime zest from 1 lime
In Ziplock bag, mix chili lime rub ingredients together. Add chicken breasts and coat thoroughly. Refrigerate up to 8-12 hours.*
Let chicken sit at room temperature while preparing and preheating the grill to medium heat, 375-450°F.
Grill chicken 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 165 degrees F.) Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Slice or chop to desired size/thickness.
Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 1/2 ripe pineapple, trimmed and sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
- 1/2 small red onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1 whole jalapeno
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
- Prepare and preheat to medium high heat.**
- In a plastic bag, drizzle red onions, red bell pepper quarters, and jalapeno with olive oil to lightly coat. Transfer to grill basket along with pineapple. (If you don't have a grill basket you can skewer the veggies and drizzle with olive oil.
- Grill pineapple and vegetables until tender and lightly charred all over, about 12 minutes for the onions, turning occasionally, about 8-10 minutes for the pineapple, or until caramelized, flipping once, 6 minutes for the red bell peppers, flipping once, and jalapeno for 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Once cool enough to handle, dab off any excess oil with paper towels from vegetables and chop pineapple, red bell peppers, and onions. Devein and deseed jalapeno and dice, reserving some of the seeds if desired for more heat.
- Toss pineapple, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, ginger, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl.
- Can be served immediately or even better chilled.***
NOTES
* The Avocado Crema holds its pale green color well, but over time, it will begin to brown due to the avocado. This recipe makes plenty for the tacos, and you probably will have some leftover (good uses include: crudite dip, tortilla chip dip, sandwich spread)
** The chicken and salsa ingredients can be grilled at the same time.
***To make this dish come together quickly, make the pineapple salsa ahead of time so you just have to grill and slice the chicken at dinner time.
****The salsa yields a plentiful amount. If you have leftovers, it is delicious with pork or simply with tortilla chips.
*****If you don't have a grill, this salsa can be made with the fresh ingredients sans grilling!
Chili Lime Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa (printable recipe)