You know those taco salad bowls made of fried tortillas that you can get at Mexican restaurants? The ones that make kids and adults alike think, “a bowl I can eat? How fun!” That’s what I had in mind when I came up with the idea of taco cones. You can fill them with whatever taco filling you like—I’m excited to try a vegan version with beans—but for this summer freezer meal, I went with Hawaiian chicken, complete with juicy, fresh pineapple and bell pepper, plus a spicy lime coleslaw you can make on the day you plan to serve it all up. Surprisingly sturdy, whimsical and very pretty, I could see serving these outdoors for a summertime dinner party (just chips, guac and margaritas), or for an extra-fun weeknight dinner.
This meal can be made into a freezer meal (see “Make it a freezer meal” instructions below.) To make freezer meal prep easier, I suggest investing in baggy stands to hold your freezer bags upright, and reusable freezer bags to cut down on single use plastics.
Please note: This post includes affiliate links to featured products for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of the links, I may receive a small commission, at zero extra cost to you. Win-win!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup (about 1/2 pound) fresh pineapple, chopped
- ½ bell pepper, diced (any bell pepper you like will do)
- ½ of a 4 ounce can of diced green chiles (I like to use mild, but you can use medium or hot for more heat)
- ½ small red onion, minced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp agave nectar or honey
- 1 tbsp soy-free, gluten-free hot sauce (I used Siete)
Spicy Lime Slaw (for day of):
- 12 ounces coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
- ½ cup pineapple, chopped small
- ½ cup soy-free, vegan mayonnaise, such as Chosen Vegan Mayo
- juice and zest of two limes
- 1 tsp soy-free, gluten-free hot sauce (I used Siete)
- splash of white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Taco Cones:
- 6 gluten-free, nut-free tortillas, such as Siete's Chickpea Tortillas
- soy-free olive oil (preferrably spray)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs, chopped pineapple, bell pepper, green chiles, red onion and garlic into your slow cooker.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, salt, coconut aminos, red wine vinegar, agave nectar and hot sauce. Stir to combine ingredients.
- Pour sauce all over chicken thighs and mix until the thighs are well coated.
- Cover and set slow cooker to low for four hours.
Make the Spicy Lime Slaw:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine coleslaw mix, pineapple, vegan mayo, juice and zest of two limes, hot sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir until mayonnaise coats slaw.
- Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the tacos, up to two days.
Make the Taco Cones:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly spray or brush large muffin tin with soy-free olive oil.
- Place a gluten-free tortilla on a cutting board and cut out a small triangle shape.
- Shape the remaining tortilla into a cone shape and place into muffin tin.
- Repeat with five more tortillas.
- Spray or brush cones again with a bit of olive oil.
- Bake for approximately 11 minutes or until tortillas are crisp and slightly brown.
- Fill tortilla cones with desired amount of chicken mixture, top with coleslaw and serve.
Make it a freezer meal:
- Place chicken thighs, chopped pineapple, bell pepper, green chiles, red onion and garlic into a freezer-safe bag. In a small mixing bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, salt, coconut aminos, red wine vinegar, agave nectar and hot sauce. Stir to combine ingredients. Pour sauce over chicken thighs, remove as much air as possible from the bag, seal and move ingredients around until thighs are well coated. Label your bag and freeze for up to three months. When you’re ready to serve, defrost the meal in your refrigerator, then follow steps 4 under "INSTRUCTIONS" and all of the steps under "Make the Spicy Lime Slaw" and "Make the Taco Cones."
