These grilled chicken tacos are a treat with a bit of exotic flavor for our area. This recipe features a seasoning mix known as Sazon. Fill warm tortillas with sauteed chicken and serve with your choice of garnishes and black bean and corn salad.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs

• canola oil cooking spray

• 1 (10 ounce) package corn tortillas, or as needed

Directions

1. Combine cumin, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Add lime juice and olive oil and stir to make the marinade. Add chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 12 hours.

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Grill marinated chicken until no longer pink at the bone and juices run clear, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and shred chicken with forks.

3. Spray canola oil onto the tortillas and heat on the grill approximately 45 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with a paper towel to keep warm. Serve with shredded chicken.

Sazon Seasoning

Sazon, the spice mixture above, is like the magic spice blend in many of my Latin dishes. It’s commonly found in the supermarket in small envelopes that you add to stews, beans, rice, etc. It gives yellow rice that yellow color and basically makes anything taste good! Goya is the most popular brand, , but it’s not easy to find in our region so I make my own which I keep stored in a small spice jar, so instead of using a packet of sazon, I use one and a half teaspoons of this in it’s place.

The key ingredient in this spice mix is ground annatto, the spice that gives yellow rice that yellow color. Annatto is derived from the seeds of achiote tree. In India it’s referred to as sindoor, and in the Philippines, it is called atsuete. You can find it in hispanic markets, but if you can’t find this, turmeric would be a good substitute. Annatto is also used to artificially color many cheeses.