11 Mexican Recipes to Spice Up Your Spring

Susannah Chen
Updated

11 Mexican Recipes to Spice Up Your Spring

Springtime means flowers blooming and picnics galore, right? Not always. Lingering snowstorms and April showers can be the toughest reality of spring. Need some perking up? We’ve got just the thing: vibrant recipes, inspired by the flavors of Mexico, to spice up your meals–and your mood.

1. Mexican BBQ Chicken

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Barbecued chicken takes a south-of-the-border turn with a marinade made from chopped cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, lime, orange juice, and the spice mixture known as achiote paste. Get our Mexican BBQ Chicken recipe.

2. Mexican Baked Tilapia

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This easy baked tilapia dish–fish fillets made with onions, peppers, garlic, chile powder, tomatoes, olives, capers, and cilantro–is a variation of a traditional Mexican dish, huachinango a la Veracruzana. Get our Mexican Baked Tilapia recipe.

3. Mexican Adobo Sauce

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It’s worth it to make your own Mexican adobo sauce, because you can add it to just about anything. Drop a dollop into tortilla soup for a smoky infusion, add it to a batch of carnitas, or use it as the base of a deeply flavorful enchiladas sauce. Get our Mexican Adobo Sauce recipe.

4. Mexican Grilled Steak Salad

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Put a spin on the usual steak salad by swapping mixed greens, blue cheese, and balsamic for cherry tomatoes, avocado, queso fresco, and a cool avocado-yogurt dressing. Get our Mexican Grilled Steak Salad recipe.

5. Mexican Fried Chicken

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Southern-fried chicken gets all the fame, but this juicy battered recipe, made with oregano, garlic, chili powder, and cumin, sings with even more flavor. Get our Mexican Fried Chicken recipe.

6. Mexican Chicken Salad

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Keep chicken salad on the healthy side by using Greek yogurt in lieu of mayonnaise. Add cilantro, jalapeño, and a generous squeeze of lime, and your chicken salad sandwich will be demure no more. Get our Mexican Chicken Salad recipe.

7. Easy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

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Between the filled, rolled tortillas and complex sauce, enchiladas can seem like a lengthy dinner proposition. But thanks to our make-ahead tomatillo sauce and a store-bought rotisserie chicken, this dish can be on the dinner table any night of the week. Get our Easy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes recipe.

8. Mezcal Salsa Borracha

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Salsa borracha, which translates to “drunk” salsa, is a great all-purpose salsa. It usually contains beer or tequila, but here mezcal adds a lingering smokiness. Get our Mezcal Salsa Borracha recipe.

9. Quick Chicken Tacos

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You’ve probably already got garlic, oil, chiles, and spices at home. Just pick up a rotisserie chicken, salsa (our favorite is the borracha, above), and fresh corn tortillas, and you’re set for the world’s easiest chicken taco dinner. Get our Quick Chicken Tacos recipe.

10. Mexican Churros

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A deep-fry thermometer and a heavy pot are all the equipment you really need to make churros, the sweetest possible finish to any Mexican meal. Get our Mexican Churros recipe.

11. Mexican Hot Chocolate

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Pair the sugar-dusted churros with cinnamon-y Mexican hot chocolate for dunking. Be sure to make a large batch–the drink is even better when reheated for breakfast the next day. Get our Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe.

Susannah Chen is a San Francisco–based freelance writer. When she's not cooking or writing, she's on the hunt to find the world's best chilaquiles. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.