Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos
Fire up the grill! These Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos are an easy and flavorful way to enjoy dinner outside!
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One of the things I enjoy about upstate New York is the fact that we have 4 distinct seasons. Each season has its’ own advantages, but I have to admit that spring is one of my favorites! A couple of weekends ago, we got outside and did a spring cleanup. We filled a couple wheelbarrows (yes, multiple wheelbarrows) with sticks that fell over the winter. We raked up a few piles of rogue leaves. We stopped and admired the tulips that we planted last Autumn. And my favorite…we got out the grill!
The day when the grill comes out of winter storage is practically a holiday around our house. We love grilling, and I would guess that we fire up that grill at least 4-5 times a week during the warmer months. Heck, we fire up the grill in the colder months, too. The only thing that eventually stops me is when I have to shovel a path through the snow to get to the grill. (Although I’ve been known to do that in the past!)
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos
To kick off grilling season this year, I’m sharing this tasty recipe for Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos. Not only are these tacos delicious, but they are quite easy to make, too. This meal is packed with outdoor flavor, and it’s simple enough to make on a busy weeknight!
The key to the flavor of these tacos is the spicy bbq basting sauce that gets brushed onto the chicken and pineapple. It’s quite simple – barbecue sauce, water and De La Viuda Original Hot Sauce. The combination is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy and 100% delicious!
Have you heard of De La Viuda Hot Sauce? We recently had the opportunity to try this hot sauce, and we love it! We typically enjoy hot sauce as a way to finish tacos, nachos, soups and all sorts of other dishes (like scrambled eggs!). However, this time we used De La Viuda’s Original Hot Sauce in the grilling sauce for the chicken and pineapples. Let me tell ya – these Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos will be a staple on our summer grilling menu this year!
De La Viuda Original Hot Sauce is a traditional Mexican hot sauce made with chile de árbol peppers combined with a variety of authentic spices and flavors. If you love hot sauce, then keep an eye out for De La Viuda! We used the Original Hot Sauce for these Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos, but De La Viuda also makes a Green Pepper Hot Sauce made from poblano and habanero peppers. My plan is to make these chicken tacos again but use that Green Pepper Hot Sauce instead. Yum!
Aside from the taste, one of the most unique features of De La Viuda’s sauces is the bottle art. It’s bright, colorful and hard to miss! We recently did some spring cleaning in our pantry as well, and now those bottles of hot sauce are sitting front and center. The art on the bottles was inspired by the life of Señora Sanchez, a widowed mother of four from Jalisco, Mexico. As a tribute to her late husband, Señora Sanchez opened a street cart to sell the hot sauce that her husband loved. As noted above, the taste of De La Viuda’s sauces are top notch, but I also enjoy the story behind their creation!
If you’re looking for an easy and tasty summer grilling recipe, then put these Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos on the list! The grilled pineapples brushed with that grilling sauce are absolutely delicious. True story – I almost ate all of the grilled pineapple before it made it onto the tacos. I hope you enjoy these tacos as much as we do – and cheers to the return of grilling season!
De La Viuda’s Hot Sauces are available for online purchase – and for a limited time, there’s a $5 off introductory offer AND free shipping on their 4-packs!
Did you make these Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) and De La Viuda (@delaviudahotsauce) on Instagram – we’d love to see your version!
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 2-3 Tbsp De La Viuda Original Hot Sauce plus more for finishing
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
- 1 pineapple cut into 1” cubes
- 2 avocados cut into ½” cubes
- {for serving} small flour tortillas
Instructions
- If using bamboo skewers, soak skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat (~375°F-400°F).
- Using a small bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, water and hot sauce.
- Thread chicken and pineapple cubes onto skewers.
- Once grill is hot, place chicken skewers on grill; brush tops with sauce mixture.
- Grill for 5-7 minutes, flip and brush with more sauce. Add pineapple skewers to the grill and brush with sauce. (Note: Discard any excess sauce at this point as it touched raw chicken.)
- Continue grilling for 5-7 more minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove skewers from grill.
- Fill tortillas with grilled chicken, pineapple and avocado. Serve with additional De La Viuda Original Hot Sauce.
Looking for more tasty summer grilling recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs
Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
Hickory Smoked Peanuts
Will be making this soon can i use mushrooms inatead as am a vegan can i skip pineapple as am not a big fan of it also can i use nando lemon herb sauce instead as i have it in study room you posted the recipe early as soon as i unlock my phone you tweet this on twitter will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hey Ramya! Grilled mushrooms are delicious, so I think you could totally use those here. I haven’t tried it myself, but it sounds tasty. Also, I’m not familiar with that lemon herb sauce, but I would bet it tastes great on grilled food. Let me know if you try this recipe!
Lemon herb sauce is amazing with anything i put it on my food it tastes better with it also my snacks Thanks Ramya
I love spring season too! Love all things starting to bloom and grow, the smells and the fact that grilling season has officially begun! These chicken tacos are a great way to start. Love that you’ve combined the BBQ and hot sauces together! Talk about flavor!!!
Yes! As soon as I see the flowers blooming, I know it’s time to get the grill out. I do enjoy the colors of fall, but the spring (i.e. grilling season!!) is my favorite time of the year. Thanks, Kathy!
Half of my refrigerator is hot sauce, but I’ve never heard of this brand! Can’t wait to get some. Great recipe.
Thanks so much, Mimi! This recipe is simple, but it’s still packed with flavor. And, yes, do check out De La Viuda…both Laura and I are very pleased with the taste!
I love the sweet and spicy combination. I bet the pineapple adds just right amount of sweetness and make these tacos refreshingly tasty. I have a a few bottles of hot sauce and I better try on my chicken tacos next time.
Yes! Fire up that grill and make some chicken tacos, Holly. 🙂 This recipe is simple, but it brings so much flavor!
What a fun and tropical spin on chicken tacos! These look delicious! And that hot sauce — mmm, the spicier, the better!
The tropical spin on the grilled food is so tasty, Michelle! We can’t get enough of grilled pineapple lately. And the hot sauce + BBQ sauce on top? So good!!
David, that’s one saucy-sounding taco, my friend. Does De La Viuda ship to Sweden?
I’ve never thought of using pineapple in a taco, but it makes sense when spicing it up a bit. Well, our BBQ was in operation most of the winter (it has its own covered area) except when it was so cold I could sear a piece of meat. But, now it’s in full service as is the smoker, Muurika, and fire pit. Spring is indeed glorious…
You know, I think it’s worth investigating whether De La Viuda ships to Sweden. It’s quite a tasty hot sauce!
Like you, I’ve been known to fire up the grill in the winter – but the below freezing temps usually make me think twice. (Or three or four times…haha.) Either way, grilling season is back in full force! Try putting some pineapple on the grill and then use it in tacos. This recipe is simple, but it’s so good! Thanks, Ron!
David, My mouth is watering over these tacos! Chicken, the pineapple, that wonderful sounding sauce! Im definitely on board for grilling season and this recipe looks like the way to welcome the season! Love this recipe!
Definitely put this recipe on the list of things to grill, Laura! It’s simple, but it’s still packed with so much flavor. Thanks so much!
I am a huge fan of sweet&savoury combinations, so these tacos are calling my name! Well, believe it or not, we still haven’t gotten a grill (There’s just so many things that needed to be bought for the house and land maintenance, and the grill wasn’t our priority. Maybe next season!) Luckily, it’s easy to make a skillet version of this deliciousness. And I don’t blame you for eating almost all of the grilled pinapples; that’s a seriously good stuff. Next time you should grill even more pinapple to enjoy the leftovers with some grilled pound cake for dessert!
Ah, I totally get it about the grill, Ben. Home ownership is a whole new level of needing stuff! I’m always shocked when I go out to our shed and see how full it is – but I look around and realize that I use 90% of the stuff in there. Either way, put a grill on the list for when it makes sense! We seriously grill out 4 or 5 nights of the week during the summer…and the remaining nights are usually just grilling leftovers. Haha! These tacos are quite tasty, and I bet you could do a skillet version. Maybe a tiny bit of liquid smoke in there to mimic the grill flavor? (Tiny though…that stuff is potent!!)
nothing better than grilled pineapple. we are lucky to live here where fresh pineapples grow up the road. well a wee bit up the road – 80 klm’s or so. your dish is making me veeeerrrry hungry david!
Wait, fresh pineapples grow up the road from you!? You’re lucky indeed, Sherry! I love grilled pineapple, and we’ve already grilled several even though warmer temps are just beginning to arrive here. These tacos are a fantastic use of those grilled pineapples, too.
If you can believe it, I have chicken, a fresh pineapple, and plenty of hot sauce in the house … but no grill. Not until I pack it up and head up north for the summer. So I’ll keep this in my back pocket until then. (The recipe, I mean … not the chicken and the pineapple … although who knows, maybe that’s a new way to cook them that has not yet been discovered.) Love the new look of your blog, David!
No grill!? The horror! Haha. I assume you’ll be heading north here pretty soon? I always love hearing about your adventures up at the cabin. And, yes, keep this recipe in mind for when you get that grill up and running. It’s simple, but still packed with flavor. Thanks, Jeff!
Grilled pineapple brushed with BBQ sauce does sound over the top good for these tacos.
It’s simple, but the grill pineapple with BBQ sauce + hot sauce is amazing! It really brings so much flavor to these tacos. Thanks, Karen!
Funnily enough I did fire up the BBQ last night and we enjoyed a dinner of grilled veggie wraps. The selection of veggies having being cooked on skewers. As long as the rain stays away the BBQ is a feature throughout our summer and I’m always looking for new recipes to do. These sweet and spicy chicken tacos look just the ticket! Thanks and hope you guys are well!!
Ah, very good! I’m glad you got the grill up and running, Neil. 🙂 I do highly recommend these tacos. The grilled pineapple with the BBQ + hot sauces is quite fantastic. Oh, and we are indeed doing well…especially now that the weather is getting warmer outside!
These tacos look so juicy and delicious, David! They are literally making my mouth water!
LOVE the look of your new site – beautiful!
Thanks so much, Marissa! These tacos are so simple and easy, but still packed with grilled flavor. Perfect for these warmer days. 🙂 And thanks for the comment on the site design, too – It’s a work in progress, but it’s getting there!
We too have our four seasons here in Auckland New Zealand, sometimes in a year sometimes in a day :p I clearly see a lot of advantages specially in the different produce depending on the season. Those tacos may not be perfect for our cold autumn season now but theres no way stopping me not to have those specially if its as beautiful as that, I love that you grilled the pineapples which will give out more flavours to it.
Hah – I totally get what you mean about 4 seasons in a day. Texas (and other areas of the South) can be like that here in the US.
I know you’re heading into the colder part of the year down there, but do keep these tacos in mind. They’re so easy to make, but they’re also packed with flavor! Thanks, Raymund!