Grilled Chicken and Sweet Potato Street Tacos with Radish, Pickled Red Cabbage, and Black Beans
The sweet and savory tacos in this recipe are filled with smoky slices of dry-rubbed, dark meat chicken, thinly sliced sweet potatoes, cold and creamy black beans, fresh herbs, Garlicky Pickled Red Cabbage, crunchy sliced radishes, and salty, crumbly cotija cheese.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total)
- 1 medium sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided plus more for the grill
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus fresh cilantro sprigs for serving
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime zest
- 8 to 16 small corn tortillas
- 1 cup Garlicky Pickled Red Cabbage
- 8 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese for serving
- Lime wedges for serving (optional)
Garlicky Pickled Red Cabbage:
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 medium head of cabbage)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a large baking dish and the sweet potatoes in another. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, paprika, chile powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, the coriander, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- Sprinkle half of the spice mixture onto the chicken and the other half onto the sweet potatoes. Drizzle each with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss each to coat in the spice mixture. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the black beans with the ½ cup cilantro, the lime zest, remaining ½ teaspoon cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and oil the grates of the grill. Place the sweet potatoes on the grill (in batches, if necessary) and cook, flipping once halfway through, until tender and grill marks have formed on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook, flipping once halfway through, until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF and grill marks have formed, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice across the grain into strips.
- Warm up the tortillas by putting them directly on the gas burner of a stove or on the grill pan with the heat on medium. Use tongs to turn and flip them until soft and pliable and slightly charred in parts, about 1 minute per tortilla.
- Divide the tortillas among 4 plates. Top each with chicken, sweet potatoes, beans, pickled cabbage, radishes, and cotija cheese. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and a squeeze of lime, if desired.
Garlicky Pickled Red Cabbage:
- Place the cabbage in a large nonreactive bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and massage the salt into the cabbage. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, stir together the vinegar, coriander seeds, garlic, and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the cabbage and stir to combine. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until the pickles are room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, until ready to use.
Notes
Excerpted from Eat Cool: Good Food for Hot Days by Vanessa Seder (Rizzoli New York; 2021) Photo Credit: Stacey Cramp