Honey-Lime Chicken Tacos with Pico & Peppercorn Sauce

There's lime in everything!!! And no, we're not overdoing it.

Ok, so picture this: tender, juicy chicken thighs, marinated in lime juice and honey, sprinkled with pico de gallo and slathered in a limey peppercorn sauce. These tacos are truly sublime.

The tacos aren’t pictured with black beans because originally, I wasn’t going to put beans in. But I got to thinking, maybe your kiddo will be weird about the chicken or something and they’ll need a second protein option. Or they’ll be weird about the tortilla and need a second carb option. Plus, I like a REALLY FULL taco, and black beans help with that.

Aren’t they so pretty? And DELISH.

This recipe comes from a (slightly-edited) combo of two recipes: the cilantro lime chicken from the Modern Proper and the creamy cilantro sauce from Gimme Delicious’ chicken taco recipe. But I felt like there was already enough cilantro in the pico de gallo, so I left it out of the sauce, then added extra cracked pepper because I thought it might taste amazing… which it does! So now it’s a peppercorn sauce, which might sound strange for a taco, but it’s actually really amazing. I hope you like these tacos as much as we did!

Limey Chicken Tacos
Serves: 4
Cook time: 30 minutes

For Dietary Restrictions

• Gluten free: use corn tortillas

• Dairy free: use all mayo instead of sour cream for the peppercorn sauce

Kids Can Help

wash produce, peel garlic, measure ingredients, and mix sauce and marinade

Ingredients

For the chicken + marinade:

• 5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (approx. 2 lb)

• 2 limes, juiced and zested (reserve 1 Tbsp juice for the peppercorn sauce)

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided

• 1 Tbsp honey

• 1 Tbsp chili powder

• 1.5 tsp salt

• 4 garlic cloves

For the limey peppercorn sauce:

• ¼ cup sour cream

• ¼ cup mayo

• 1 - 1.5 Tbsp lime juice

• ¼ tsp salt

• ½ tsp fresh cracked pepper

• A teaspoon or two of water to thin, if needed

For 8 tacos:

• 1 tsp olive oil (for frying the chicken)

• 8 flour tortillas or 16 corn

• 1 15 oz can of black beans

• A fistful of fresh cilantro (about ¼ of a bunch)

• 3 roma tomatoes

• ½ small red onion

Tools

• Citrus juicer

• Citrus zester

• Cutting board

• Chef knife

• Garlic press

• Large (5.5 L or similar) sautee pan with a lid

• Long wooden spoon, spatula, or tongs

• 2 small mixing bowls or glass measuring cups (2-cup size)

• Fork or whisk

• Measuring cups and spoons

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Directions

Step 1

Make the marinade: Zest and then juice the limes, reserving 1 Tbsp of juice for the peppercorn sauce. Crush the garlic using a garlic press (if you don’t have a garlic press, just mince the garlic very fine). Mix the lime zest, lime juice, and garlic with 1 Tbsp each of honey, olive oil, and chili powder. Add 1.5 tsp salt and mix well until ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Step 2

Add the chicken thighs to the marinade and stir to coat. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes on the counter or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Step 3

While the chicken is marinating, make the pico de gallo: wash and chop the tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro and mix all together with a pinch of salt. (If your family is iffy about pico de gallo, you can leave the ingredients separate so they can be added individually.)

Step 4

Make the peppercorn sauce: combine ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayo, 1 - 1.5 Tbsp lime juice, ¼ tsp salt, and ½ tsp fresh cracked pepper. Add a little bit (1-2 tsp) of water if you want to drizzle rather than dollop.  

Step 5

Rinse and drain the black beans with warm water, then heat for 1 minute in the microwave; set aside.

Step 6

Cook the chicken: heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a skillet (cast-iron works well here) over medium-high heat. Using tongs, pull each chicken thigh out of the marinade and allow the marinade to run off before placing the chicken in the skillet– this will allow the thighs to brown. (Do not discard the marinade– you’ll add it later). Brown the chicken for 4-5 minutes, then flip and allow to brown 2-3 minute on the opposite side.

Step 7

Add the marinade to the pan and lower heat to a gentle simmer; continue to cook until the chicken reaches 165 degrees in the center. Stir the marinade and flip the chicken often to avoid burning– add water and/or cover if needed while cooking to avoid the marinade reducing too much. 

Step 8

Once the chicken is cooked, quickly shred it in the pan with two forks and mix it together so the pieces are evenly coated. Serve immediately topped with the black beans, peppercorn sauce, & pico de gallo.

Note: for little eaters, you can serve a deconstructed taco with chicken, pico or plain tomatoes, black beans, and part of a tortilla.