Prep time: 1 hr Cook time: 30 min Rest time: 0 mins Total time: 1 hr 30 min
Makes: 4 bowls
Make it Keto and Sugar-Free: Serve without the Pineapple Pico De Gallo Salsa
Inspired by my favorite ‘Special Diets’ tacos at Picnik Austin, these taco bowls have a savory chicken thigh-bacon base, and are topped with crunchy purple cabbage, onion-free + tomato-free Pineapple Pico De Gallo Salsa, and Onion-Free Guacamole.
What you need to make Tropical Taco Bowls
Ingredients:
Pineapple Pico De Gallo Salsa:
- Fresh pineapple chunks
- Apples
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Sea salt (ASHLEYR for 15% off)
For the Tropical Taco Bowls:
- Chicken thighs
- Bacon
- Purple cabbage
Equipment:
How to make Tropical Taco Bowls
To start – make the Onion-Free Guacamole.
Use this recipe. Store the guacamole in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Next – make the Pineapple Pico De Gallo Salsa.
Use this recipe. Store the salsa in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Next – chop the purple cabbage.
Finely chop the purple cabbage into small, thin pieces. Store the chopped cabbage in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Chop the raw bacon into bite-sized pieces (no more than 1 in x 1 in).
Throw the bacon pieces into a pan and cook on medium heat until the pieces start to brown. They should not be crispy yet.
While the bacon is cooking, cut the raw chicken thighs into long, thin pieces (about 2 in x 1/2 in) – think slivers.
The pan should be filled with bacon fat by now and the bacon should be almost done. Add the raw chicken thighs to the pan and cook on low-medium heat. The chicken thighs will fry in the bacon fat and the bacon will begin to crisp. This can take up to 15-20 minutes.
Once the chicken thighs are browned and the bacon is crispy, salt to taste, then the base is done. Set it aside to cool.
Now – put it all together!
To each bowl, add the chicken-thigh-bacon base, pineapple salsa, guacamole, and chopped cabbage.
Serve and enjoy! This dish is best served fresh. Tastes great with Honey Mustard drizzled over the top!
Tips to make the best Tropical Taco Bowls
For the Onion-Free Guacamole:
- Make sure you get soft, ripe avocados. If your avocados are too hard, it will be challenging to mash them into guacamole.
- If you are going for the texture of standard guacamole, make sure you finely chop the cucumber and cilantro into very tiny pieces. If the pieces are too big, your guacamole will be chunky.
For the Pineapple Pico De Gallo Salsa:
- If you are going for the texture of standard pico de gallo make sure you finely chop the pineapple, apple, and cilantro accordingly. If the pieces are too big or small, your mixture may resemble a bowl of fruit instead of salsa.
Some more of my favorite dinner ideas:
Cobb ‘Salad’ with Duck Fat Ranch Dressing
Tropical Taco Bowls
Tropical Taco Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Onion-Free Guacamole:
- 6 avocados
- 1 cucumber
- 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- juice from 2-3 limes (to taste)
- sea salt, to taste (ASHLEYR for 15% off)
For the Pineapple Pico De Gallo Salsa:
- 16 oz fresh pineapple
- 2 medium apples
- 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- juice of 2 limes
- sea salt, to taste (ASHLEYR for 15% off)
For the Tropical Taco Bowls:
- 3 lbs chicken thighs
- 12 strips bacon
- 1/2 head purple cabbage
Instructions
- If you’re interested solely in the recipe, skip this bullet point and keep on reading. For those interested in sourcing nutrient-dense food, low-toxic household products, and discounts on brands that may support your AB journey, you may find value in my product guides. Head over to this page if you’d like to check them out. All are free (and always will be).
Make the Onion-Free Guacamole.
- Use this recipe. Store the guacamole in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Make the Pineapple Pico De Gallo Salsa.
- Use this recipe. Store the salsa in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Chop the purple cabbage.
- Finely chop the purple cabbage into small, thin pieces. Store the chopped cabbage in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Make the base (chicken thighs + bacon).
- Chop the raw bacon into bite-sized pieces (no more than 1 in x 1 in).
- Throw the bacon pieces into a pan and cook on medium heat until the pieces start to brown. They should not be crispy yet.
- While the bacon is cooking, cut the raw chicken thighs into long, thin pieces (about 2 in x 1/2 in) - think slivers.
- The pan should be filled with bacon fat by now and the bacon should be almost done. Add the raw chicken thighs to the pan and cook on low-medium heat. The chicken thighs will fry in the bacon fat and the bacon will begin to crisp. This can take up to 15-20 minutes.
- Once the chicken thighs are browned and the bacon is crispy, salt to taste, then the base is done. Set it aside to cool.
- Note: if you go through tons of salt in your household like we do, check out this salt purchasing hack that will save you money + make things more efficient. We started this last year, and I'm so happy we did!
Put it all together.
- To each bowl, add the chicken-thigh-bacon base, pineapple salsa, guacamole, and chopped cabbage.
- Serve and enjoy! This dish is best served fresh. Tastes great with Honey Mustard drizzled over the top!
What I used for this recipe:
Looking for other dinner ideas? Try one of these:
Cobb ‘Salad’ with Duck Fat Ranch Dressing
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Ashley Rothstein develops tasty, whole food, animal-based recipes that include a moderate amount of “minimally toxic” plant foods. To fix her own health issues, she bounced around between the carnivore, keto, and paleo diets for a few years. After experiencing and studying each diet philosophy, she learned she feels her best by merging the three and following an animal-based diet. As a glut at heart, she likes to channel her creativity and create meals that are healthy but also satisfy her inner gluttonous spirits.
