Leave the Food Truck Behind: Make Korean Tacos at Home

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Today: Ditch the long lines for tacos. 

Transport yourself to Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles. It’s the first Friday of the month, and the gourmet food trucks have come out to play. In this land of fusion food, the best Korean tacos are worthy of a two-hour wait. But while this moment is great, it’s time to liberate yourself from the food truck lines and make a new friend in this recipe for Not Your Traditional Korean Tacos.

Unlike the Korean tacos before it, this non-traditional recipe has a unique mix of caramelized onions, chicken, and crunchy slaw, plus subtle heat from salsa verde, all wrapped in an earthy tortilla. It's a bit of a rule-breaker. With that in mind, here are a few things to consider:

• Although the ingredient list may seem daunting, you can make as many or as few toppings for the tacos as you like -- they're flexible that way.
• Double the recipe to host a margarita night or give your desk lunch a pick-me-up. 
• Serve the taco fixings on top of a bowl of rice, beans, and guacamole instead to create a hearty taco bowl.

Not Your Traditional Korean Taco by gabsimonelouise

Serves 6

The chicken:

4 to 5 chicken thighs
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon flour
Pinch black pepper 
2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
5 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon white or rice vinegar
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup Thai coconut milk
Pinch salt

Toppings and assembly:

1 cup shredded cabbage, red or green
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, cut in half, then sliced thinly
12 corn tortillas

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by James Ransom

Is there an undiscovered Food52 chicken recipe you love? Send us a paragraph or two at [email protected] about why you love it, and it could be next week's Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.