Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

As the countdown to Spring begins - I'm already looking forward to warmer temps and grilling season thus my taste buds were craving something light, fresh and tropical this past week.  The secret to a great taco in my opinion is three fold:

1) a super flavorful marinade or spice rub
2) a buttery-toasty warm tortilla
3) lots of texture in the toppings

In this case I concocted a chile-garlic-citrus marinade, slicing the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to maximize the flavor and to reduce marinading time.  I warmed delicious organic corn tortillas in a buttered skillet just before filling them and I topped the tacos with a crunchy pineapple salsa and creamy avocado slices... so in my opinion they met all requirements.

Serves 4

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Organic!), halved lengthwise so they are half their original thickness
10-12 small Corn or flour tortillas
2 ripe avocados, sliced and spritzed with lime juice to avoid browning
Fresh lime for garnish

Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, grated
zest and juice of 1 lime
juice of half an orange
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Pour the marinade over the chicken in a ziplock bag.  Seal the bag well and massage the chicken so that it is evenly coated with the marinade.  Place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour, up to 3 hours.  (This would also be great with shrimp!  Reduce the marinade time to 30-45 minutes max to avoid making ceviche out of them.)

Grill the chicken or as I did here- cook the chicken in a skillet over medium high heat until browned and cooked through- approx 3 minutes per side.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

Salsa:
2/3 cup fresh pineapple, diced
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 a fresh jalepeno pepper, minced (more if you like it hot!)
2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
juice of half a lime
pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl- cover and chill until ready to use.  Can be made a day before.

Using a griddle or a large skillet- melt some butter or vegetable oil over medium heat.  Toast the tortillas on one side for 1-2 minutes.  If using corn tortillas (my preference) the fat softens them, making them less likely to split apart when you pick them up.  If they are thin, I also recommend doubling them up to avoid breakage.

Fill the tortillas with a few strips of chicken, a tablespoon or so of salsa and a few slices of avocado.  Serve with additional lime wedges and hot sauce.  I like to serve black beans and rice on the side.  This time I actually made brown rice and lentils spiced with cumin and topped with caramelized onions which was a yummy (and healthy) compliment.