Garlic Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Squirrels.

They are quite funny creatures, right? You'd be hard pressed to find a college campus (at least the ones that I have been to) that is not crawling with the little guys. Somehow squirrels are afraid of people yet seem to long to be around them.

We used to have this one squirrel on Hope College's campus that didn't have a tail. We called him squabbit because he looked almost like a rabbit. The squirrels on Duke's campus were not quite as noticeable to me-- probably because I didn't walk through the quad often. But since I've been back to the midwest, I've been observing quite interesting behavior from the squirrels. One of my first times through the quad, a squirrel was sitting on this girl's lap. No joke, she was sitting on a bench feeding a squirrel while her friend took a picture. Crazy. Today I was walking between buildings and a squirrel noticed me walking by and became as still as a statue while giving me the stink-eye. Why do the squirrels love campuses so much?

Maybe it is the food. There is always someone eating something while walking through campus. Plus there are lots of garbage cans for them to play around with... 

Anyway, I'm not sure how the squirrels will feel about these garlic chipotle chicken tacos but I'm guessing you will like them. They make a great summer night meal-- charred peppers and onions on top of flavorful grilled chicken. 

Garlic Chipotle Chicken Tacos (adapted from Cooking Light June 2012)
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or you can use chicken breasts)
freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 small red onion, sliced
6 corn tortillas
shredded lettuce

Directions:
Combine garlic, chipotle pepper and 1/2 tbsp oil in a small bowl. Rub evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Preheat indoor or outdoor grill. Grill chicken for about 6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until cooked through. Remove from grill and keep warm.

Combine 1/2 tbsp oil, chili powder and freshly ground pepper in another bowl. Toss with the bell pepper and onion to coat. Place the vegetables on the grill and cook for about 5-6 minutes until soft and charred.

Thinly slice the chicken. Serve the tortillas topped with chicken, vegetables and shredded lettuce.

Serves 2.