Market fresh tomatoes and basil make up the topping for Bruschetta Chicken Tacos. The Tuscan seasoned thighs and marinated Mozzarella add layers of delicious flavor you’ll love!
It’s #FarmersMarketWeek! Yes. It’s another week-long event. And I have another one next week, too. I’m insane. I know. But they’re so much fun! I love having a theme to inspire me in the kitchen. Even when there’s no theme, I usually came up with one on my own. Don’t ask my why.
Anyway, this week we’re cooking up recipes that you can make using ingredients from your farmer’s market. For some, that’s a fill pantry of ingredients! For me, it’s not only fruits and vegetables, but I have several types of meat, cheeses, and spices at my disposal. Heck, I even used a bottle of dressing in one recipe I’ll share this week.
But today is all about tomatoes. Deliciously ripe red tomatoes.
You know the kind I’m talking about, right? You want to just bite them like an apple straight off the vine. They have an intoxicating aroma and a flavor unlike any other. They’re perfect for tomato sandwiches, tuna salad in tomatoes, and caprese. Oh, and you can get fresh basil and Mozzarella at the farmer’s market, too. Just saying.
I’ve had this recipe in the works that’s bruschetta chicken with pasta pomodoro. It’s grilled chicken breast topped with a tomato basil salad sitting on top of a large garlic crostini. The juice from the chicken and tomato get soaked up in the crostini and you can use it to clean the plate of all that delicious tomato goodness.
This isn’t that recipe. But it inspired this recipe. That recipe and some Italian sausage fajitas a made a few years ago. I know. You’re a bit confused about how all this can add up to bruschetta chicken tacos.
I get in these ruts. I spend a week making everything into a sandwich or a taco. I had the bruschetta chicken on the menu but didn’t get around to making it. The pasta pomodoro part was throwing me off. I need something quick and easy. And the pasta part just didn’t strike me as quick and easy that day. Which doesn’t make sense because pomodoro is pretty darned easy. But it was additional time spent in the kitchen.
That was one of the weeks I turned everything into a taco. I put leftover ribs on a taco, London broil on a taco, and some scrambled eggs on a taco. They’re so delicious and perfectly portable. Tacos are one of my favorite foods. And not just your typical carne asada or pollo guisado.
I’ve made pancake tacos twice, ham tacos, polish sausage tacos, and even cheeseburger tacos. I told you it’s not always the traditional Latin American style tacos. And I’ve really put anything I can on a taco. I’m even thinking of doing some hot dog tacos and Brussels sprouts tacos. Stay tuned. In the meantime, you can check out my other taco recipes here.
But these tacos are insanely delicious.
And I’m not just saying that because I made them. I actually made them twice. Once, on a whim. But they were so good, I had to make them again and share them with you. And I may just make them a few more times because they are THAT GOOD!! Even the hubs devoured the chicken and bruschetta topping. He’s not a huge taco fan unless it’s that famous fast food place.
No, I’m not kidding. He thinks that is a great taco and loves it. I, on the other hand, appreciate the more authentic taco places that are around here. There is a rather large Latin American population here and they have restaurants all over the area. Granted some of them are just mediocre, but there are a few that serve awesome Latin food.
I used a myriad of balsamic flavors in my first attempt. The hubs isn’t a huge vinegar fan, so I knew it had to be a aged balsamic or one that wasn’t overly strong in vinegar flavor. But I had this balsamic glaze bottle in the pantry. I used half that and half a maple honey balsamic vinegar. Yes, I can get both olive oil and vinegar at my farmer’s market. They set up a booth at the farmer’s market every Saturday.
Along with the olive oil store, there’s a frozen seafood company, a craft peanut butter stand, a beef and pork stand, a sausage stand, and various other fruits and vegetables stands. There’s a salsa and guac stand, at least one food truck, and the required kettle corn stand. I told you there is a myriad of things I can purchase at my local farmer’s market.
But today I’m highlighting the delicious cherry tomatoes and fresh basil I can get there.
Originally, I had lemon basil. Oh, my word. That made for a delicious bruschetta. But I didn’t see the lemon basil again. If you can find it, by all means feel free to use that. It is an elevated flavor experience in your bruschetta you will thoroughly love. At least I did.
There are hundreds or maybe thousands of different types of basil. However, the most common are sweet, lemon, purple, and Thai. But there’s also a lettuce leaf, lime, cinnamon, and Greek basil. Yes, the lettuce leaf basil has large leaves like lettuce. I can’t imagine seeing that. But I can imagine wrapping fish or chicken in a leaf and grilling or steaming it.
Whatever basil you chose to use, make sure you thinly slice it right before serving. You want that fresh, vibrant flavor to hit your nose first. If you add it too early the balsamic and tomatoes might diminish the intoxicating aroma of the basil. I’d even save a little for garnish on top. But that’s just me.
Just look at that hearty goodness! The Mozzarella picks up the color and flavors of the balsamic vinegar. At least mine did. I let it marinate overnight before serving. The tomatoes absorbed the balsamic flavor, too.
Now, I pounded the chicken thighs to make sure they cooked evenly and quickly. Sometimes the boneless thighs are thicker on one side than the other. Pounding them thinner in the thick end ensures it cooks evenly. And the thinner they are the quicker they cook.
This dinner can easily come together in under 30. Especially if you use some of those 90 minutes rice mixes that you can reheat and serve the rice. The bruschetta mix takes minutes. The chicken takes minutes to grill. And then reheat rice? Dinner in under 30.
A delicious dinner in under 30!
I mean, just look at that!! You can’t tell me you’re not drooling right now. A bite of that with the sweet tomato and basil flavor, the creamy Mozzarella, and the kicked up juicy thighs. I can’t tell enough how amazingly delicious these bruchetta chicken tacos are.
I put some lettuce on the bottom when I had them for dinner. You can top it with more Mozzarella cheese or Parmesan on top. An extra drizzle of balsamic glaze on top would be great, too.
Bruschetta chicken tacos really does highlight the flavors of tomatoes and basil which are in season right now. You can get farm fresh tomatoes and basil at markets, road side stands, CSA boxes; you name it! And since this is a quick and easy meal, it’s one that your family will love to have and you’ll love to eat.
This is just one of many recipes I’m sharing this week and one of many the group is sharing this week. Make sure you see what the rest of the group shared today. Follow #FarmersMarketWeek to see all the delicious goodness this week!
Bruschetta Chicken Tacos
Market fresh tomatoes and basil make up the topping for Bruschetta Chicken Tacos. The Tuscan seasoned thighs and marinated Mozzarella add layers of delicious flavor you'll love!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces marinated fresh Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used the oil from the marinated mozzarella)
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons Tuscan spice mix
- 4 flour tortillas (taco sized)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
- Lettuce, onions, additional toppings of choice
Instructions
- Preheat grill on high heat.
- Cut the mozzarella pearls into bite sized pieces.
- Combine the tomatoes with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the tacos.
- Remove any additional pieces of skin or fat from the chicken thighs. Place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound the thighs until they’re relatively even in thickness.
- Sprinkle the thighs with the Tuscan spice mix. Drizzle the thighs with a little oil from the marinated mozzarella. Grill on high 4 to 5 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165.
- Remove the thighs from the grill and allow to rest 5 minutes.
- Heat the tortillas while the grill is still hot being careful not to burn them. 30 to 60 seconds per side should be enough.
- Slice the chicken thighs into strips. Place on a tortilla.
- Stir the basil into the tomato mixture and spoon the mixture on top of the chicken strips.
- Serve with rice pilaf and cannellini beans to mimic the Mexican rice and beans served with tacos.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 620Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 227mgSodium 780mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 52g
Thanks Ellen from Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting our Farmer’s Market Event!
Monday’s Farmer’s Market Week Recipes
- Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) by Books n’Cooks
- Banana Spice Waffles with Peanut Butter Syrup by Family Around the Table
- Black Bean and Corn Salad by Palatable Pastime
- Blaukraut by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Bruschetta Chicken Tacos by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Dandelion Jelly by Daily Dish Recipes
- Farmers Market Chicken Pasta Salad by The Redhead Baker
- Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Lamb Burger with Purslane Aioli by The Spiffy Cookie
- Lemon Garlic Scape White Bean Dip by Savory Moments
- Lemony Summer Roasted Green Beans by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Mexican Street Corn by Our Good Life
- Open-Faced Tomato Sandwiches by Cookaholic Wife
- Southern Corn Relish by The Freshman Cook
- Spinach Ricotta Pierogies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Liz @ Books n' Cooks says
I need these tacos in my life. My tomato plants are going nuts, and I need some new recipes to keep things interesting. Definitely going to give these a shot!
Chris says
These were SO GOOD! I’m adding them to our regular summer rotation good.
The Freshman Cook says
I could eat these tacos right off the page1 They look amazing, and your photos are beautiful!
Chris says
Thank you! I made them twice they were so good.
Wendy Klik says
Perfect for our next Taco Tuesday, especially now when the tomatoes are so abundant and delicious.
Chris says
It’s a great twist on traditional tacos.
Jolene says
Tomatoes are just getting started here and my kid will eat just about anything wrapped in a tortilla, so definitely have to put these on the menu!
Chris says
I’m totally the same way. Put it in a tortilla and I’ll chow it down.
Amy (Savory Moments) says
What a creative idea for a taco! They look delicious. I think my garden will be having a tomato explosion here very soon.
Chris says
Perfect! You’ll have plenty of them for these tacos.
Wendy Klik says
Summer tomatoes are the very best thing in the world. I wait all year long to get good tomatoes. I will forego tomatoes during the winter when they are mealy and tasteless. During those months I stick to grape tomatoes, they seem to fare the best.
Chris says
We do the same thing. I rarely do sliced tomatoes during the winter months.
Terri Steffes says
It has been a long while since I had a delicious tomato, but this year I was able to find tomatoes that are so good. I would love to make this bruschetta with them.
Chris says
I hope the tomatoes and good and you make these tacos.
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck says
Ummm yes!!! Is it time for dinner yet? I need this in my life!
Chris says
Thank you!