With this street taco recipe, we are making the cutest little handheld tacos. These chicken tacos look small but they pack a big flavorful punch. Even Nathan, who historically hates cilantro, absolutely loved this recipe. If you are craving a taco night – and honestly, I’m always craving a taco night – you have to try this recipe. I know it will be a huge hit with your whole family.
A good marinade will break down the outer layer of the meat. It should have something acidic in it that will break down just the outside of the meat and let the flavor penetrate it. In this case our marinade has both orange juice and lime juice. Salt also helps break it down.Marinate for at least two hours. This is a good length of time for the marinade to work it’s magic, break down the meat, and let the flavor get in.Do not marinate for more than 24 hours. Given that a good marinade will break down the meat, you don’t want to give it so much time with your meat that it overly breaks it down. This will result in meat that isn’t tender, but is gummy.
That being said, I would urge you to still try this recipe even if you have a cilantro hater in your house. As I mentioned above, even though there is 1/4 cup of cilantro in the marinade, Nathan loved this recipe. Perhaps there is something about the other ingredients in the marinade that neutralize that effect. When you get the cilantro home, I like to gently dry it with paper towels if the leaves and stems are wet. Then cut off the bottom inch of the stems. Place the bunch in a cup of water and cover the cup with a plastic bag. Cilantro can be stored like this in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Truthfully, one of the reasons we love taco night so much is because each of my kids is able to put together their own tacos exactly the way they want. It is what has made this dinner the easiest to serve our family for literally more than a decade.
