Chicken Carne Asada Tacos with Pickled Onion

Ever since I saw this in the April issue of Cooking Light, I wanted to make it.  Something about those pickled onions drew me to this recipe.  

I love tacos. They're just so simple and easy to make; just a few ingredients can really take them to the next level.  If you've never had cotija cheese, I think it is most compared to parmegiano reggiano.  I'm not sure I entirely agree with this comparison because I think it reminds me of another salty cheese, I just can't put my finger on it.  Wegman's and Whole foods carry cotija.  Don't even bother with Giant, their cheese selection is terrible (yes I've been to MULTIPLE Giants).  I think if you didn't want to spend money on the cheese, you could probably sub it out for something else. However, I think it imparts a delicious salty bite to these tacos so I wouldn't skip it.  

Other than using flour tortillas instead of corn (we are not fans of the corn tortillas), I'm not really sure what other modifications were made.  My fiance actually made the recipe for me on Tuesdays which are my marathon gym days.  I know we don't have any cumin seeds and I know we used chicken breast meat instead of thigh meat.

I hope you enjoy!  My next recipe will also feature tacos but with more of our delicious seafood friends!

Recipe by Adeena Sussman, Cooking Light, April 2010

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
• 1/3  cup  fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  cumin seeds
• 1  medium red onion, thinly vertically sliced
• 1 1/2  pounds  skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into thin strips
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 8  (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1  cup  diced peeled avocado (about 1 avocado)
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled Cotija cheese
• Lime wedges (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place onion in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; drain and plunge onion in ice water. Drain onion; add to juice mixture. Chill until ready to serve.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned and done, stirring occasionally.
3. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas. Drain onion; divide evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons avocado and 1 tablespoon cheese; fold over. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 413

Fat: 17.1g (sat 5.2g,mono 7.1g,poly 2.7g)

Protein: 33.4g

Carbohydrate: 33.6g

Fiber: 4.9g

Cholesterol: 123mg

Iron: 3.2mg

Sodium: 825mg

Calcium: 237mg