Thai Peanut Chicken Tacos
 
 
Yield: 4 servings, 8 mini tacos
Ingredients
for the peanut sauce
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  • 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1½ teaspoons sesame oil
for the pickled red onions
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1½ teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
for the tacos
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon chili powder (depending on spice tolerance)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Zest from ½ lime
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 8 6-inch tortillas, warmed
  • ½ cup sliced red cabbage
  • ½ cup matchstick cut cucumber (see note)
  • ½ cup shredded carrot
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
  • ¼ cup chopped peanuts
Directions
for the peanut sauce
  1. Combine the lime juice, peanut butter, soy sauce, water and sesame oil in a small bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds and stir until smooth.
for the pickled red onions
  1. Combine the water, apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves then remove from the heat.
  2. Place the sliced red onions in a bowl then pour the vinegar mixture over top. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
for the tacos
  1. In a container or bowl large enough to hold the marinating chicken, combine the minced garlic, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, chili powder, salt, black pepper and lime zest. Add the chicken thighs and toss until they’re fully coated. Marinate the chicken for at least one hour (it is safe to marinate for as long as overnight if you would prefer).
  2. You can grill or bake the chicken. See the recipe note for grilling instructions. To bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil then place the chicken in a single layer. Bake the chicken for 18-20 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Let the chicken rest for a couple minutes then slice.
  3. Top each warmed tortilla with the sliced chicken, red cabbage, cucumber, carrot, parsley and peanuts, dividing between the 8 tacos. Top each taco with some pickled red onions then drizzle each taco with the peanut sauce.
Notes
To cut the cucumber into matchsticks, first cut off the ends of your cucumber. Then, cut your cucumber in half or thirds if it’s really long so you have two (or three) pieces of cucumber. Then cut each piece into ¼” thick slabs. Stack the slabs and cut them into ¼” thick matchsticks.
To grill the chicken: Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If you want to make sure you don’t overcook your chicken, you could grill them until they reach just over 160 degrees F and then allow for some carryover cooking. This is when the chicken continues to cook after it’s been removed from the grill. Temp it after a few minutes and make sure it has risen to 165 degrees F.
Recipe by Lemon & Mocha at http://www.lemonandmocha.com/2018/10/03/thai-peanut-chicken-tacos/