Grilled Chicken Tacos with Green Apple Salsa

Every March, it happens. No matter how mild the winter was, I’m done with it. I’m ready for spring. I’m ready for flowers, sunshine, evenings spent entirely outdoors, and fresh fruits and vegetables. And the grill. I am very, very ready for dinner cooked on the grill.

One day a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly got it in my head that I wanted to make a Mexican-flavored grilled chicken with an apple salsa on top. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and even as I put it on our weekly menu, it was still coming together in my head. The results were absolutely amazing. The spicy, flavorful marinade made the chicken so tender, and the crisp apple salsa on top was the perfect textural contrast. The salsa itself had a great balance of spicy and sweet elements and was just incredible when paired with the chicken. At the last minute, I decided to slice the chicken and serve it in tacos. It was delicious that way, but would have been incredible all by itself too.

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Green Apple Salsa

For the chicken:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or 1 store-bought envelope)
1 teaspoon sugar

For the salsa:

3 Granny Smith apples, diced
Juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt

Flour tortillas

1. In a large bowl, combine oil, lime juice, vinegar, taco seasoning, and sugar. Add chicken, coating all sides evenly with the marinade. Cover and marinate for one hour, up to overnight. I marinated mine for about 26 hours (due to a last-minute change of dinner plans the night I’d planned to make this) and it was perfect.

2. When ready to eat, preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Add chicken and cook until cooked through.

3. While the chicken is cooking, combine all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Slice chicken and portion into flour tortillas. Top with salsa.