These Pineapple Al Pastor Tacos Are The Perfect Tailgate Meal
While football is (obviously) a foundational aspect of football season, there's something that I love much more than actually watching the games: snacks. When tailgating finally comes back, it means that the weekends are going to be full of time with friends, sipping on cocktails, and grabbing all kinds of finger foods. These grilled chicken al pastor tacos have both fruits and veggies, and are so fun to make that they'll become your go-to tailgate meal. Although, who are we kidding, everyone around you will want a bite too!
Grilled Chicken Al Pastor Tacos With No Waste Pineapple Salsa
Image via Polina Tankilevitch/Pexels
Ingredients
Chicken Al Pastor
- 3 lbs. boneless chicken breasts or thighs (like fromDo Good Chicken)
- 2 cups pineapple, diced
- 2 plum tomatoes, cored and quartered
- 1⁄4 small yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 1-inch cubes pineapple fresh
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1⁄4 cup flavorless oil, such as avocado
- 1 cup pineapple, cut into small chunks
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- To Serve, tortillas, caramelized pineapple, cotija cheese, fresh jalapeños, no waste salsa (recipe below), sour cream, guac, cilantro, and extra lime juice.
No Waste Pineapple Salsa
- 2 cups pineapple, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1 large lime
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt, to taste
Image via Do Good Chicken
Directions
- Combine tomatoes, white onion, garlic cloves, lime juice, pineapple, chipotle peppers and oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour half of the marinade onto the chicken (reserve the other half for basting) and 1 tablespoon of salt and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before cooking, bring the mixture to room temperature.
- While the chicken is marinating, mix 1 cup pineapple with 2 tablespoons sugar and cook until caramelized, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside to add to your tacos later.
- Make your no waste pineapple salsa. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir to combine. Season with salt, to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled. It will last in your refrigerator for up to three days.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Clean grates and generously grease with high heat cooking oil, such as avocado.
- Once hot, add chicken and grill for 4-5 minutes without moving. Flip chicken over and brush with reserved marinade (that was not used on the raw chicken) and grill the other side for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Flip chicken over, baste again and cover and reduce heat so it maintains 400F with the lid closed. Continue to cook until the chicken reaches 165, flipping every 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing and assembling tacos.
Follow us on Pinterest for more delicious tailgate recipes, and tag us with your own version of these Al Pastor Tacos!
Recipe and lead image via Do Good Chicken.
