Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Garlic-Lime Chicken and Cilantro Rice made by a FANTASTIC husband!

First off, I'm the luckiest girl EVER! Alex made me dinner tonight! The icing on the cake is that he took pictures of the food he made! When I got home he let me take over camera duties. :) Can you tell where I took over?

This is the MOST flavorful meal I have had in a very long time. Serious. The rice was amazing! TRULY amazing! Blending the cilantro and Serrano into the chicken stock is the best idea that ever happened. I am going to do my rice this way all the time! I am looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Garlic-Lime Chicken with Olives:
Courtesy of Robin Miller
Cooking spray
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves (Alex used chicken tenders because they cook fast and they aren't big chunks of meat - because I hate big chunks of meat)
1 cup diced onion
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup pitted and sliced Greek olives, such as kalamata
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion, garlic, lime juice, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat. Transfer chicken to prepared pan and pour over any remaining marinade. Arrange olives over and around chicken in pan.Roast 30 to 35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Cilantro Rice:
Courtesy Aida Mollenkamp
3 1/2 cups packed cilantro leaves (about 3 ounces)
3 medium garlic cloves
1 medium Serrano chile, halved lengthwise and seeded (who really takes the seeds out?)
3 1/3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
2 cups long-grain white rice (Alex used regular minute rice)
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Combine cilantro, garlic, chile, and 2 cups broth in a blender and process until smooth;
set aside.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add rice and salt stir to coat in oil and cook until rice becomes opaque, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour the cilantro mixture and the remaining 1 1/3 cups broth into the rice and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low so rice is at a simmer.Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice rest covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

The chicken was good and flavorful, but I would cut back on the cumin next time. Cumin can overpower a recipe fast. The chicken went really well with the rice...I think ANYTHING would go well with this rice. I seriously can't say enough about this stuff. The funny thing about this rice is that it is an Aida Mollenkamp recipe...I can't stand that chick...who would have known she would know something about KILLER food!

1 comment:

Meg said...

I love anything with lime and cilantro...YUM!