Grilled taco bar with orange-glazed chicken and steak

Votes: 1

Time: 2 hours.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6 - 8

A taco bar is a fun way to serve Mexican appetizers, featuring corn tortillas and a variety of bowls with different fillings for your guests to build their own tacos. Give them plenty of choice by preparing grilled beef, chicken, and grilled corn salsa, which tastes like the corn you find at Mexican street vendors but is prepared in a taco-friendly form. The remaining toppings are easy to prepare: shredded cheese, sliced avocado, thinly sliced radishes, lime wedges, and pico de gallo salsa. While grilling, the meat and chicken are coated in a delicious sweet-and-spicy marinade with hints of smoke. Its perfectly balanced flavor pairs beautifully with the other taco ingredients.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Taco bar

24 soft corn tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 avocados, diced
2 limes, each cut into 8 wedges
1 cup thinly sliced radish
2 cups fresh pico de gallo or other salsa

Marinade

0.5 kg skinless and boneless chicken thighs (4-5 pcs.)
0.5 kg skirt steak
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce + 1-2 tbsp sauce
0.5 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Corn salsa

4 ears of corn, husked
2 tbsp vegetable oil + extra for greasing grill grates
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp grated lime zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. l. grated parmesan
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

MarinadeIn a mini food processor or blender, pulse the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, dark brown sugar, vegetable oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. Set aside 1/3 cup of the marinade. Place the chicken and steak in separate large zip-lock plastic bags, divide the remaining marinade among the bags, and toss to coat. Seal the bags and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Corn salsaPreheat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill grates. Brush the corn cobs evenly with 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle them with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a small amount of black pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through and crispy with grill marks, 10 to 15 minutes. Set the corn aside to cool slightly; maintain the grill over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, and Parmesan cheese. Remove the corn kernels with a knife and stir into the mayonnaise mixture. Stir in the cilantro.
Taco barPlace the chicken and steak on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Wrap the tortillas in foil and place them on the edge of the grill to keep warm while you cook the meat.
Place the chicken and steak on the grill, brush with the marinade, and grill for 5 minutes. Turn and grill until the chicken is cooked through and the steak is medium-rare, another 5 minutes for thinner cuts and 7-8 minutes for thicker cuts.
Just before removing the chicken and steak from the grill, brush them with the reserved marinade, flip, and cook until the marinade is caramelized, about 1 minute longer. Transfer the chicken and steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces, and slice the steak thinly across the grain. Serve immediately with tortillas, corn salsa, shredded cheese, avocado, lime wedges, radishes, and fresh salsa.

You can fill the flatbreads with more than just pieces of meat, try making taco bar with minced meat, lettuce leaves and sweet pepper.