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With all of the grilled corn we’ve been eating lately, it’s not surprising to find an ear or two leftover in the refrigerator. It was a couple of those ears and some of last year’s roasted chile that inspired this Green Chile Corn Relish. I was originally just going to use it as a side dish, but then I got a craving for tacos. That craving resulted in these quick & easy Chicken Tacos. Adding the relish to the chicken yielded a delightfully delicious taco with a smoky and spicy flavor.

For the tacos, the chicken is a thinly sliced chicken breast, pan fried quickly. The chile for the relish is a mix of medium roasted green and hot roasted red. The hot red chile give these tacos a bit of a bite, leaving a mild and pleasant burn in the mouth. If you aren’t a spicy food eater, just replace the chile with roasted sweet peppers. Regardless of the type of pepper, the flavor of roasted peppers with corn is hard to beat.

Below you will find a recipe for the Green Chile Corn Relish, followed by the recipe for the Chicken Tacos. The recipes are separated because the relish also makes a simple side dish or a nice lunch, thus deserving its own space.

Green Chile Corn Relish

Print or Save Recipe Green Chile Corn Relish Recipe Prep 15 mins Total Time 15 mins A tasty and simple relish of corn and roasted New Mexico chile. This relish can be used for tacos, a simple side dish or a light lunch.



"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.

Course: Condiments, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian Cuisine: New Mexico, Southwestern Yields : 2 - 3 cups Recipe Author : MJ of MJ's Kitchen Ingredients The amounts below do not have to be exact. ¼ cup sweet onion, diced

½ cup roasted green/red chile, chopped*

1 cup corn, cooked or grilled (corn from 1 large ear)*

¼ cup green olives, minced

2 Tbsp. olive brine from jar of olives

1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped* Instructions Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made a day in advance. Kitchen Notes Roasted Chile – About any roasted chile or pepper would work in this recipe. It can be hot, medium, mild or just sweet – whatever you prefer and have available. I prefer to roast them because roasting brings out the flavor, but you could also just chop them raw, adding a bit of a crunch to the relish. A mix of roasted and raw works quite well. Cooked Corn – For this particular batch of relish I used one large ear of leftover grilled corn. Leftover corn from any source would work. If you don’t have leftover corn, use canned or frozen. Just cook the frozen corn before adding it to the relish and then refrigerate. This relish is best served cold. Cilantro or Parsley – I know there are a lot of people that taste soap when they eat cilantro, so don’t hesitate to substitute it with parsley. I have made this relish with both parsley and cilantro and both batches were great!

Chicken Tacos with Green Chile Corn Relish

Print or Save Recipe Chicken Tacos with Green Chile Relish Recipe Prep 20 mins Cook 10 mins Total Time 30 mins Scrumptious chicken tacos topped with a green chile corn relish, a little sour cream or yogurt, cheese and lettuce. Make Taco Tuesday a special day with these tacos.

"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.

Course: Chicken, Main Course Cuisine: New Mexico, Southwestern Yields : 6 tacos Recipe Author : MJ of MJ's Kitchen Ingredients 1 large chicken breast, sliced into ¼” strips*

1 Tbsp. Bacon drippings or olive oil*

Salt and pepper Other taco ingredients Green Chile Corn Relish (recipe above)

Grated cheddar cheese

Greek yogurt or sour cream

Shredded lettuce Corn tortillas, warm Instructions Salt and pepper the chicken and toss to coat. Heat the bacon drippings or oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the chicken, laying each piece flat. Cook 1 minute a side. (These small pieces cook very quickly). Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the other half of the chicken pieces. Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet. Place some of the cheese down the middle of a tortilla. Top with 2 to 3 pieces of chicken. Tear the chicken into smaller pieces if pieces are too big. Place tortilla with cheese and chicken on the hot griddle until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla softens. Remove from griddle, top with yogurt, green chile corn relish and lettuce. Serve with a side of beans, if desired. Enjoy!

Kitchen Notes Chicken Breast – As I mentioned earlier, any leftover chicken (light or dark meat) works. If you don't have leftover chicken then slice a large chicken breast into thin slices (about 1/4 inch thick). Fry in bacon drips for extra flavor or oil. These thin pieces do fry up quickly. Bacon Drippings – I know this isn’t the healthiest fat to use, but it adds such a great flavor to the chicken. The frying of the chicken pieces is hot and quick so they really don’t absorb much of the fat, but do pick up a bit of bacon flavor. (Nice rationalization for the bacon drippings don’t you think? :)) If you have an aversion to using bacon dripping, then any fat will do. Avocado or olive oil would be a healthier choice. Other topping for tacos – Chopped tomatoes or avocados would work nicely with these tacos, but don’t add them to the relish just in case you have some relish leftover for another meal or another batch of tacos.

Be prepared to make yummy noises while eating these Chicken Tacos with a Green Chile Corn Relish. They are spicy, flavorful, and make a delightful meal.

Since one can never get enough tacos, here are some more for you to try.

Tacos Al Pastor from Cooking on the Ranch

Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos from Kitchen Riffs

Cabbage and Carrot Tinga Tacos from Mexican Made Meatless (one of my favorite vegetarian tacos)