Roasted Bell Pepper Tacos. Oven roasted bell peppers are flavored beautifully with onions and spices and complimented with Chipotle seasoned black beans and orange honey glazed chicken. A healthy taco recipe that you’ll will wow your crowd and one you’ll want to make over and over. One of the best taco recipes I’ve ever made.
If you’re looking for a unique taco recipe, one that will wow, one that’s lean in calories and mean with flavor, I hope you’ll give this roasted bell pepper taco recipe a try. I served it to guests a couple of weeks ago and it was a big hit.
Taco recipes are known for being an easy dinner option. I wouldn’t place this particular recipe in that category. These tacos have several steps that create a beautiful layer of flavors. I would’t call this a hard recipe, but it is a somewhat time consuming. Don’t let that stop you, it’s worth every single step. Let’s take a look.
There are three components of this roasted bell pepper taco recipe, so let’s take a look at the layers that make up this delicious taco.
The Black Beans
The black beans can be made in a saucepan on the stove top and then kept warm until you’re ready to build the tacos. This process is simple, using two cans of black beans, drained and one can of chopped tomatoes, undrained. chipotle chile powder, garlic, Mexican oregano and cumin are all you need to season. Heat them up and keep them warm.
The Chicken for these Roasted Bell Pepper Tacos
Simply stir together a mixture of honey, chipotle chile powder and orange juice. Place boneless skinless chicken breasts in an oven-proof pan and roast for about thirty minutes at 350 degrees, or until juices run clear. Baste the chicken with the glaze twice during the baking time. Let the chicken breasts cool and then shred the meat. Tent with foil and keep warm.
For the Roasted Bell Peppers
Use three bell peppers. One red, one yellow and one green. After cutting off the tops and the bottom, trim the inside of the peppers of the thick veins and then thin slice them. Slice one large onion. Raise that oven temperature to 400 degrees. Using a sheet pan, toss the peppers and sliced onion with olive oil. Season with sage, smoked sweet paprika, thyme and salt. Toss again to distribute seasonings. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until peppers are starting to brown. Stir the peppers with tongs a few times during the roasting process.
For the Cumin Salt
This cumin, lime flavored salt is the crowning glory for these roasted bell pepper tacos, so I beg you not to skip this simple process. Just grate one lime for it’s zest and place it in a small bowl. Add salt and cumin and bam = done. You’ll pass this at the table for guests to sprinkle on top of those roasted bell pepper tacos.
How To Heat Corn Tortillas So They Don’t Break
You simply can’t just take soft corn tortillas out of the package and make tacos. They need to be reheated to make them soft so you can roll them, or fold them. My method of choice comes from a recommendation from Rick Bayless. Take a clean dish towel and moisten it with water. Place eight or more corn tortillas on the towel and wrap the towel around the them. Place the package of tortillas into a gallon sized zip-lock bag. Don’t seal the bag. Place the bag of wrapped tortillas in the microwave. Microwave for four minutes at 50% power. Then let the them steam inside the bag for at least four minutes. They’ll stay nice and warm for longer.
The Cheese
Shred Medium Cheddar Cheese, White Cheddar Cheese or crumble Queso Fresco to top these glorious Roasted Bell Pepper Tacos. Even though my photos show grated Medium Cheddar Cheese, which I already had on hand, I would recommend using a white cheese or white Mexican crumbling cheese for appearance. The white cheese will showcase those beautiful tricolored roasted bell peppers.
That there you have it. No salsa needed, but don’t forget those chopped avocados.
Recipe for Roasted Bell Pepper Black Bean Chicken Tacos
I hope you give these Roasted Bell Pepper tacos a try. The Hubs think this is the best taco recipe I’ve ever made. And if you do, please come back and give this recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite oven roasted peppers recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
Serve these tacos with a side of Spanish Rice, or a tossed salad like this Baby Kale and Apple Salad with Cider Vinaigrette.
More Taco Recipes
- Saucy Chicken Soft Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos with Lime Dressing and Crunchy Vegetables
- Crockpot Roast Beef Tacos
- Chicken Barbacoa Tacos
Roasted Bell Pepper and Black Bean Tacos with Orange Chipotle Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Glaze for chicken:
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- For the Roasted Peppers:
- 3 medium bell peppers thinly sliced, one red, one yellow and one green
- 1 medium yellow onion thin sliced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- For the Black Beans:
- 2 14-16 ounce cans black beans drained
- 1 can diced tomatoes with their liquid
- 1/2 teaspoon Good quality Chipotle Chile Powder
- 2 large garlic cloves finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- For the Cumin Salt
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- Corn tortillas
- 1 lime
- Sliced avocado for serving
- Crumbled queso fresco or grated Cheddar for serving (optional)
- Chopped cilantro leaves for serving
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the chile powder, honey and orange juice. Mix well. Place the chicken breasts in a greased baking pan. Coat the chicken with half the glaze. Bake 30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Basting with remaining glaze half way through the cooking process. Remove chicken and tent to keep warm.
- Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. On a rimmed sheet pan, toss together peppers, onion, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt sage, paprika and thyme. Spread vegetables out in an even layer. Roast until tender and lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes or so.
- In a sauce pan, toss together beans, tomatoes, chipotle chile and sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain beans of liquid before serving.
- To make the cumin salt, grate the zest from the lime. In a small bowl, stir together lime zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Cut naked lime into wedges.
- To warm corn tortillas, place tortillas in a damp clean dish towel. Wrap the towel around the tortillas and place the tortillas and towel in a gallon sized plastic bag. Don’t seal the bag. Cook in microwave for 4 minutes at 50% power. Let rest at least 4 minutes before using. .
- Dice or slice avocado
- To serve, top tortillas with beans, peppers, avocado and cheese. Add a squeeze of lime from the wedges. Let people sprinkle on lime-cumin salt to taste.
