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Roasted Chipotle Chicken With Cilantro Lime Rice Stuffing

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Roasted chicken is the perfect dinner for fall. A perfectly browned bird covered in Mexican spices and rice loaded with fresh confetti touches is a nice change from the typical herbed chicken. A cozy and easy-to-make combination. So easy, in fact, you can cook it while taking a much-needed nap. Not that I would know this first hand or anything.

Preheat oven to 350F. Rinse chicken off well before using. Dry a bit by patting with a couple of paper towels. Prepare roasting pan by placing a rack inside. A shallow roasting pan works best so that the chicken can crisp up rather than be surrounded by pan which will create too much moisture for a crispy skin.

Prepare chipotle spice rub for chicken. Place these ingredients in a small bowl and stir together very well.

  • 1/2 teaspoon Chile de Arbol Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (for more heat, add more)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 3 teaspoon oregano molido
  • 2 teaspoons  Rio Grande Chili Blend
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 5 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Bring 1 3/4 cup of chicken broth to a boil. Add one cup of long grain white basmati rice. Stirring once & awhile, cook on low with a lid until rice has almost completely soaked up rice (about 10-15 minutes). Although rice will not be completely cooked yet, add salt and give it a stir. Try it for taste. It is best to add salt a little at a time until you reach the right amount than to put too much in and regret it afterward. When you feel good about the amount of salt used, place rice into chicken where it will finish cooking. Stuff it as tightly as possible. You can tie the chicken legs together with cooking twine to help it stay in better if you like.

Coat chicken with olive oil and then rub chipotle mix all over chicken and inside as well.

Typically chicken legs will be up when roasting, that is, unless you are not being mindful because you’re over-tired. Not that I would know.

Place chicken in oven. Turn on the Home & Garden TV. Try to force yourself to stay awake to watch an amazing room make-over; but, sadly, fall asleep. Miss approximately 3 more room make-overs. Wake up to family telling you that they think blog is done. Open your eyes when he confirms the temp of the chicken has reached 165 and declares it perfectly cooked. See? Nothing to it.

Bake chicken for about 2 hours and then check the temperature using a meat thermometer. The temp in the middle of the thigh should be at least 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to set for about 20 minutes so it will be at its juiciest when you enjoy it.

To finish off the rice (while chicken sets) add a 1/2 a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro leaves, the juice of one lime and a bit of finely diced red onion and a small, diced tomato. If desired, perhaps some cumin and more salt if needed.

Spicy, crispy skin. Edible confetti. So satisfying and comforting one might even need another nap.

Trophy Cupcake Give-Away ends tonight September 8th at 8pm. Comment on this blackberry pie post to enter.

Girl Scout Cookie Give-Away ends on September 12th at noon. Comment on this Puyallup Fair post to win.

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Mushroom Risotto Recipe

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She is not always familiar, for she is foreign. She is not rice, for she is frumpy. She is not pasta, for she is temperamental.

INGREDIENTS:

  •  1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup sliced or diced fresh mushrooms
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2-3 tablespoons beef Better than Bouillon
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated (plus more for top if desired for garnish)
  • One small handful fresh chives, finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Pepper

To prepare for all that is holy and lovely, pull all ingredients together ahead of time. Cut onion and mushroom and heat olive oil on medium-high in a somewhat deep frying pan.

Saute mushrooms until softened and a beautiful brown. Using a straining utensil, remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

While cooking the mushrooms in the frying pan, heat the chicken broth in a separate saucepan until warm in a saucepan. Keep warm (but don’t allow it to reduce).

Place chopped onions into oil. Cook until translucent and caramelized. Add minced garlic. Then add Arborio rice and stir until rice is translucent around the edges yet white in the center.

Finally, the finicky side of risotto… the babysitting.

Pour white wine into risotto. Stir and cook on medium heat until wine is nearly all absorbed by the rice.

Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of broth and stir and cook until broth is nearly all absorbed.

Continue to cook and add broth in this same fashion until broth is gone but, more importantly, until risotto is al dente (not mushy and not crunchy). The dish should be a little creamy. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons beef Better than Bouillon to your liking.

Stir in cooked mushrooms, butter, parmesan cheese and chives. Add salt & pepper last since you can’t be sure how much salt you will need until after the parmesan has been added.  If desired, sprinkled freshly grated parmesan over the top and perhaps some freshly chopped chives.

Serve hot and serve often for she is warm and gorgeous and comforting. For she is risotto.

To make this into a main dish, you can stir in pieces of  cooked chicken. 

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Simple Salmon and Cheesy Rice Recipe

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I’m not a big seafood fan but I do love salmon. I also love that salmon is so easy to cook and can be enhanced with so many various simple recipes. Sweet, lemony or this simple salmon…

A tip when it comes to shopping for salmon is to buy the wild salmon. Farm fed salmon is often mushy and nearly flavorless. Always wait for the wild salmon! I purchased this awhile back and just froze it for another time – still a hundred times better than the farm fed salmon.

First, line a baking sheet with at least one inch sides with foil. Salmon skin tends to stick to the foil (instead of the baking sheet), making clean up easier.

Cut 6-8 thin squares of butter. I heart little squares of butter.

Place salmon pieces on foil and place butter squares on top of salmon as pictured above. Season to your liking. A house seasoning such as Spike or Johnny’s will work great along with some salt & pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees for about a half an hour or until salmon reaches 145 degrees in the middle of the thickest area of the salmon. When fully cooked, you can drizzle fresh lemon juice over the salmon for added flavor if you like.

Oh momma.

Now for the easy cheesy rice. Place two cups of long grain basmati or jasmine rice into rice cooker.

Pour 2 cups of water over rice.

While rice is cooking in rice cooker, place a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Place about a half of a chopped yellow onion and a couple of tablespoons of crushed or minced garlic into oil to cook. Heat until onions look somewhat clear.

Add 1 1/2 – 2 cups of chicken broth or milk to the saucepan.

Add the cooked rice into the saucepan and stir.

Stir in about 1 1/2 cups of your favorite cheese. This recipe would be especially wonderful with sharp cheddar or even a few different kinds of cheeses.

Finally, toss in about 1/2 cup of chopped celery and salt & pepper to taste.  Stir for the finish.

Scoop cheesy rice up with a measuring cup or some other fun shaped container and plate with the oh so lovely simple salmon. If you like, use a decorating bag to swirl some sour cream on top of the rice and add some chopped green onions for flavor and beauty.

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