Foodie Friday: The best chicken tacos ever. Seriously!

 Photo courtesy of Michelle Loy. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

I've decided to start sharing more recipes and food/cooking info on my blog. So I am going to start what I will call "Foodie Friday" for which I will contribute nutritious and tasty recipes or discuss the health benefits of specific nutritious foods and practical ways to incorporate more of them into your diet.  To send you off into Fourth of July weekend with a bang, I thought I would leave you with one of my all time favorite grilled chicken recipes ever!  For one, I know you're going to be grilling this weekend, right?  If so, you should try it. Seriously!  It will not disappoint.  Secondly, so many people tell me that they don't like chicken or that they get bored with it, and let me tell you, this will not be boring at all. It will only tantalize your taste buds and the aromas it delivers will be amazing!  Oh yeah, and it's easy! 

Let me give you a little bit of background on this recipe.  I am possibly obsessed with the Food Network and cooking shows, and one of my favorite chefs is Bobby Flay.  After watching an episode of Grill It! with Bobby Flay about two years ago, I just had to try this recipe. It sounded so delicious, and it is delicious!  Keep in mind that I have made a few modifications from the original to enhance the nutrition profile.

Spice-rubbed Chicken Breast  Tacos with Grilled Poblanos and BBQ Onions
Adapted from: Grill It! with Bobby Flay - Food Network

{Print this recipe}
Ingredients:
Grilled poblanos:
3 large poblanos
Canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

BBQ Onions:
2 sweet onions, leave skin on and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick sliced rings
Canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Chicken tacos:
2 Tbsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Canola oil
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (or you could use 16 corn tortillas for ~2 per person)
2 grilled, sliced poblanos (from recipe above)
Barbecued onions (from recipe above)
Shredded Romaine lettuce (Bobby has a coleslaw recipe that he uses with the tacos, but I'm not a coleslaw fan. I used broccoli slaw in photo above, and it worked great for some added crunch.)
Diced tomatoes (about 2 tomatoes)
Guacamole (Bobby Flay's recipe is phenomenal. Everyone we serve this to raves about it.) 

Directions:
1. Preheat your grill to high.
2. Brush the poblanos with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until lightly blackened on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill, place in a bowl and cover with plastic for 10 minutes. Remove the skin, seeds and stem and cut into thin slices. Set aside.
3. Brush the onions with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until lightly golden brown and just cooked through, about 4 minutes each side. Brush with some of the barbecue sauce during the last few minutes. Remove the skin when the onions come off the grill.  Set aside. 
4.   Mix the chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, brown sugar, salt and black pepper together in a small bowl.  Rub each side of the chicken with the rub mixture.  Drizzle with oil and grill each side for about 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
5.  Grill the tortillas very quickly (about 5-10 seconds max) to warm before serving. Make tacos by filling each tortilla with some of the chicken, poblanos, onions, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole.
6.  Serve with a side of grilled corn on the cob or other grilled vegetable (or fruit) and you have a nice well-rounded meal! 

Serves: 8
(The Food Network website suggests 4 servings; however, I think that one taco paired with some sizzlin' grilled vegetables would still satisfy most. We use the leftovers in a variety of other ways, such as in salads, sandwiches, or in wraps.)
Nutritional Info:  
Calories: 346     Carbohydate: 26.5 g     Fat: 8.5 g     Saturated fat: 1.6 g     Monounsaturated fat: 4 g     Protein: 40 g     Cholesterol: 96 mg     Fiber: 12 g     Sugar: 6.5 g     *Sodium:  600 mg
High in:  niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin A, and vitamin c
*Consider going easy on the salt to further reduce the sodium content, if you are moderating your sodium intake.

HAPPY 4TH!