Yaki Tacos // Islands Copycat

You guys, my family and I just moved back to socal. I am so happy to be back in the golden state amongst some of my favorite restaurants!  Islands Restaurant is something I have loved since my college days.  I’m a sucker for a good blue cheese burger.  But my husband always gets an entree called the yaki tacos – as in teriyaki tacos. They have grilled chicken drizzled with teriyaki sauce, shredded lettuce, cheese, and pineapple salsa.  Sounds pretty delicious huh?  It’s also incredibly easy to re-create.  So today, I’m bringing you my Islands copycat Yaki Tacos recipe!

Asian/Mexican Fusion

You can start with some simple grilled chicken, or for a short cut – try rotiserrie chicken, or pre-cooked chicken from the deli section.  Toss your chicken in your favorite store bough teriyaki sauce, or use the easy recipe below.  This is where all of your flavor is going to come from.  That asian/mexican fusion is the perfect combo of my former home (Seattle) and my new home (San Diego).

Taco Taco Taco

You may have noticed that we have quite a few taco recipes here on the blog.  We take taco Tuesday very seriously, and it would be a shame if that tradition were to grow old.  So be sure to check out all of our taco recipes to keep your menu vibrant and tasty.

The finishing touch to these teriyaki chicken tacos is the pineapple salsa.  I used Des’s recipe and it’s fabulous.  I’ve included the recipes here as well for easy taco making.  Also – if you’re like me and you’re always on the look out for some cute kitchen items, I’ve included some of the items I used in my post right here:

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Yaki Tacos // Islands Copycat

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Kadee

Ingredients

Yaki Tacos

• 8 small flour tortillas
• 2 chicken breasts grilled and cubed
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce recipe below
• 1 cup pineapple salsa recipe below

Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Pineapple Salsa

• 1/2 of a fresh pineapple diced. (about 2+ cups.)
• 1/2 of a small red bell pepper
• 1/2 of a jalapeño seeded and stemmed
• 1 mango
• 1 garlic glove
• 1/2 of a small purple onion
• juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Yaki Tacos

1. In a medium bowl combine chicken and teriyaki sauce. Toss to coat.
2. In a flour tortilla layer chicken, cheese, lettuce, and pineapple salsa.

Teriyaki Sauce

1. In a small saucepan combine soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic, and honey. Bring to a simmer.
2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water. Whisk until combined.
3. Add to sauce pan and whisk until thickened.

Pineapple Salsa

1. Dice all ingredients (you can use your food processor or blender, depending on how crunchy/minced you like your salsa)
2. Combine together, let sit at room temperature for a few hours so the flavors can merry.
3. Add salt to taste