Chicken Tacos just got an upgrade with a fabulous bright and tasty colorful fig & plum salsa! Summertime means grilling outdoors – – this summer fruit salsa has gorgeous hues and bright flavors!
Not Your Average Salsa – Naturally Sweet Figs team with 2 Varieties of Fresh Plums:
- Fresh Mission Figs
- Two Plums (Red Plum, red inside and Black Plum, yellow inside)
- Watermelon Radish
- Scallions – I use Japanese Bunching Onions from my garden, which are similar to scallions. They are young onions harvested before they fully develop a bulb and very sweet!
- Vadalia onions
- Garlic
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Pure Cane Sugar
If you love the combination of sweet and spicy flavors – this recipe has it all!
Fruit Salsas are a vibrant delight that pairs beautifully with so many meals.
Generally composed of chopped fruit with aromatics such as onion varieties, possibly some heat, and some fresh herbs like rosemary, parsley, mint or cilantro. Just a pinch of sea salt wakes up the flavors.
I start the recipe with a REDUCED BASE of balsamic vinegar, sugar and a bit of chopped rosemary. This “syrup” carries the salsa with great texture.
An Easy, Delicious and Stunning Salsa!
See the steps:
- Cook some diced figs and diced plums in EVOO, balsamic vinegar, sugar and water until softened and bleeding beautiful color
- Remove to a bowl when cool – add remaining diced figs & plums, Vadalia Onion, Scallions, Grated Garlic, and a pinch of Cayenne Pepper.
- To add more body – I add a pinch more balsamic vinegar and a shot of raw honey
- The important flavoring ingredients are scallions and rosemary.. pairs wonderfully with the salsa!
Olive Oil, Kashmiri ground chilies and ground Chipotle peppers.
The chicken tenderloin – the meat stays juicy and delicate, even after being cooked through.
See more about these spices below
(can use an indoor grill pan too)
Why I love these Chiles:
Kashmiri Chilis:
A variety of red chili pepper, primarily grown in the Kashmir region of India, known for its deep, vibrant red color and moderate heat and slight smokiness.
Karen says: “A widely available chili powder, I use it so often! A substitute would be mixing even amount of paprika with cayenne pepper.”
Chipotle Ground Chiles (also called chipotle pepper):
A wonderful spice made from smoked dried jalapeño peppers that have been ground into a powder. They offer a distinctive smoky, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor with medium heat, adding a rich depth to various dishes like chilis, salsas, marinades, and rubs.
Karen says:”One of my favorite spices for instant smokey flavor. Complex, smokey, and a real spicy kick. Readily available. Chipotle Peppers in Adobe is a wonderful wet ingredient” to use in many recipes; these dried ones are fabulous!”
Salsas I Love:
Another Taco Recipe to Make:
Enjoy these tacos with great sweet and smokey flavors,
Karen
Next Level Grilled Chicken Tacos with Fresh Fig & Plum Salsa
Equipment
- 1 outdoor grill or grill pan (preferably cast iron)
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins, tendons removed
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground kashmiri chiles, (or half paprika; half cayenne pepper)
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper, (ground dried chipotle peppers) more if you like spicy
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh Fig & Plum Salsa:
- 8 medium fresh figs , ripe Mission Figs, or your favorite
- 2 large ripe plums, use on red and one black (for color contrast)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, without caramel color
- 2 teaspoons pure cane sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sweet Vadalia onion, peeled, 1/4" dice
- 1 tablespoon scallions, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, peeled and finely grated or minced
- 2 pinches chipotle pepper, or to taste
Finishing Flavors:
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons raw honey
- 1 pinch sea salt
Taco:
- 6 – 8 inch corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup organic greens
- See optional ingredients below
Instructions
Marinate & Grill Chicken:
- Add chicken to a large bowl, add EVOO, stir to coat. Add Kashmiri chili powder and Chipotle pepper, stir to coat. Set aside covered in the refrigerator as you make the salsa. (Can refrigerate up to overnight.)
- Heat grill to medium high – brush grated with a neutral oil. Grill chicken at 400 degrees until undersides are very well bronzed, turn over with tongs. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook until just firm, and juicy, not dry; about 8 minutes total. Test with a meat thermometer – 165 degrees and remove to a clean plate. Season with 1/4 t. sea salt.
Fresh Fig & Plum Salsa:
- Cut away fig stems, wash and dry them, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Wash and dry plums, cut in half, discard the pits. Cut plums into 1/2 inch pieces.
- In a 10" skillet add 1 t. EVOO, 2 t. balsamic vinegar, 2 t. sugar and 3/4 t. rosemary. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, one minute. Add HALF of the figs and plums and toss through. Remove to a to a medium sized bowl and cool to room temperature, 3 minutes.
- Add remaining figs and plums, with vadalia onions, scallions and chipotle pepper. Add remaining 2 t. balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 t. honey and sea salt to taste, stir well. Store in a clean glass container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Tacos:
- Warm Corn Tortillas (can blacken edges a bit holding carefully over a gas flame.)
- Cut the grilled chicken into 1/2 inch slices on the diagonal. Add a tortilla to each plate. Add organic greens on the bottom. Add optional thinly sliced watermelon radish; 2 on each tortilla.
- Top with a portion of warm chicken. Spoon a good portion of Salsa down the center. Fold and eat! Optional toppings: thinly sliced scallions and small parsley sprigs. Serve extra Salsa on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
