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When you diversify your taco game, it just means that there are even more ways to fit tacos into your life and that is very good news. These Teriyaki Chicken Tacos are in no way traditional but they are entirely delicious, filled with slices of moist, teriyaki-glazed chicken, a creamy cilantro-cabbage slaw, and a sweet and zesty pineapple salsa that you’ll want to put on everything you can. They’re good, real good, and they’re done in just about twenty minutes.
You can use whatever teriyaki sauce you happen to love the most, but giving the chicken a chance to marinate for at least a half-hour helps the flavor along considerably. You can easily make both the coleslaw and the salsa in the time the chicken is hanging out, so while this has a few components, it’s not at all time-consuming or difficult. The slaw is just green cabbage, red onion, cilantro, honey, sour cream, lime juice, and a touch of hot sauce. The salsa mimics a few of those ingredients but incorporates fresh pineapple and jalapeño for a sweet and spicy kick.
They both are ideal companions for the chicken, and all you have to do with that is sear it up quickly in a pan before slicing it. Grilling is a great option too, but either way, the chicken takes just about ten minutes and you’re ready to assemble and eat. Such an easy dinner! (And delicious too.)
You might have a hard time deciding if these are more Mexican-inspired or Asian-inspired, but it really doesn’t matter at all. All you need to know is that they’re super tasty and simple to make!
Teriyaki Chicken Tacos
Yield(s): Serves 4
5m prep time
15m cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups teriyaki sauce
For the cabbage slaw:
- 1 cup cabbage, finely shredded
- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
For the pineapple salsa:
- 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Ingredients
- 8-10 taco sized flour tortillas
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Sour cream, for serving
For the chicken:
- Combine chicken and 1 cup of the teriyaki sauce in a zip top bag. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Let chicken sit at room temperature 15-30 minutes before cooking.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken and cook until nicely browned, 3-5 minutes. Flip, and reduce heat to medium. Let cook until chicken is cooked through, 5-7 more minutes. Remove and let rest.
- For the salsa:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the pineapple, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and cumin. Season with salt, stir and chill until ready to use.
- For the slaw:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, honey, sriracha, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Add cabbage, red onion, and cilantro and stir to combine. Set aside.
- To assemble:
- Slice chicken into thin strips and toss in remaining teriyaki sauce.
- Place some cabbage slaw in each tortilla, top with chicken, followed by pineapple salsa. Top with sour cream/crema if desired, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Carlsbad Cravings.