Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Rice

• Fajita Chicken
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 tbs fajita seasoning
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Cheesy Rice
  • 2 cups uncooked rice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can black beans, drained
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tbs butter
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half, you can substitute milk
  • 1/2 cup processed cheese, Velveeta
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Fajita Chicken

Trim the chicken and then add to a zip top bag with the fajita seasoning and olive oil.  Shake to coat and let sit until ready to grill.

Preheat your grill to medium/high, make sure to set aside a portion of the grill for indirect cooking.

Remove the chicken from the bag and place directly over the heat source on the grill.  Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side.  Then move to an indirect cooking portion of the grill.  Continue to cook until the juices of the chicken run clear. Roughly 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the grill and set aside.

Cheesy Rice

Cook the rice using your favorite method, except substitute 2 cups of the water with chicken broth.  My rice cooker requires about 4 cups of liquid for every 2 cups of rice.  So I used 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water.

While the rice is cooking add 1 tbs of butter to a large skillet or fry pan.  Heat the pan to medium/high and then add the peppers.  Cook for 5 minutes and then add the black beans.  Continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until the peppers start to soften.  Remove them from the pan and set aside.

While the pan is still over medium/high heat, add the remaining 2 tbs of butter to the pan and then add the flour.  Using  a whisk, stir together the flour and butter and create a roux.

Once combined cook while continuing to stir for two minutes.  Cook until the flour/butter mixture turns a light brown.

Add the half and half and stir until thickened.  While stirring add the salt, paprika, chili powder and garlic powder.  Next add the cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted and you have  a smooth sauce.

Stir the cooked rice into the sauce.

Add the peppers and black beans into the sauce.  Then add the chicken.  Make sure to fold everything together so that the chicken does not shred.

Remove from the heat and serve.

This meal was quick and delicious.  The cheese sauce worked perfectly with the rice.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 6 tbs taco seasoning, see recipe below
• 4 cups water, plus 4 tbs for thickening
• 1 tbs corn starch
• 12 flour tortillas or taco shells
• cheese
• lettuce, shredded
• tomato, diced
• sour cream
• guacamole

Taco Seasoning

• 3 tbs paprika
• 2 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp chipoltle pepper ground, optional

Cooking the Chicken

Place the chicken in a deep skillet or dutch oven.  Cover with the 4 cups of water and add 4 tbs of taco seasoning.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Check the chicken to make sure it is fully cooked and tender.

Remove the chicken from the liquid and place on a plate to cool.

While the chicken is cooling, bring the liquid back up to a boil and let it reduce.  Don’t worry if you have a lot of liquid left.  It will reduce.

When the chicken is touchable, shred it with two forks, your fingers, or whatever utensils you have lying around.

Place the chicken back into the liquid.

In a small bowl or cup, add the 4 tbs water, 2 tbs of seasoning and 1 tbs of cornstarch.  Mix thoroughly and then add to the chicken.

Stir until thickened.

Remove from the heat and your taco meat is ready to go.

Layer your favorite ingredients on to a tortilla or taco shell and go to town.  These tacos were delicious.  You can adjust the seasoning for your personal preferences.  I like mine spicy, however, Dana does not.  So I posted the mild recipe.

Guacamole – Adapted from Alton Brown

• 3 avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, optional
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

The first step is to set up your mise-en-place – French for “putting in place”.  Basically before attempting to assemble the dish you need to have all of the ingredients prepared.  Dice the onions, mince the garlic, chop the cilantro and finally seed and dice the tomatoes.  This is an important step, if you do not seed the tomatoes, your guacamole will be runny and unappetizing looking.  Cut the tomatoes in half and then use a spoon or your fingers to remove the seeds and liquid from within the tomatoes.

Next you need the avocados.  Make sure that you pick up ripe avocados at the store. You want them to be soft and not rock hard.  A good indicator is if the skin has a little give when you press your thumb into it.  If you are unable to find ripe avocados you can place unripe avocados in a brown paper bag and they will ripen within two days, usually overnight.

Next you need to core and peel the avocados.

This is simple.  Cut the avocados in half.  On one half, the seed will stick to the avocado.  Using a spoon or a knife pop it out.

Then using a spoon, separate the skin from the fruit of the avocado.  Once you get it going, the fruit will pop right out.

Squeeze the lime juice over the avocados and stir so that the lime juice evenly covers the avocados.  This will prevent them from browning.

Add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash the avocados with a fork, potato masher or whatever clean tool you have lying around that will get the job done.  I have used a pastry blender, nut chopper.  They all work and get the job done.

Next, add the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic.  Fold everything together.

Then let the guacamole sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Simple, delicious and extremely easy.

This is a must for every summer party.

Chicken Burrito Bowl

• Cilantro Lime Rice
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, diced
  • 1 tbs lime zest, roughly 1 lime
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1 tsp salt
• Black beans
  • 1 can ready to eat black beans
  • 2 tsp fajita seasoning
• Chicken
  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • 3 tbs fajita seasoning
  • 2 tbs olive oil
• Fajita Seasoning
  • 3 tbs paprika
  • 2 tbs chili powder
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tbs garlic powder
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp chipoltle pepper ground
• 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup guacamole

Chicken

Trim the chicken of any excess fat.  Then place it into a zip top bag.  Add the olive oil and fajita seasoning.  Mix to coat the chicken and then allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to medium high heat.  Roughly 350 degrees when the lid is closed.  Place the chicken directly over heat and cook for about 6-8 minutes per side.  This will depend on the thickness of the chicken.

When the chicken is cooked all the way through and the juices are running clear, remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before dicing.

Cube the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.  Set aside.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Cook the 2 cups of rice.  I prefer to use a rice cooker.  Takes all of the work out of making rice.

Wash and then finely chop the Cilantro.  The finer the better.

Next zest the limes and then juice the limes.  Make sure to do it in that order.  It is super hard (almost impossible) to zest a lime after it has been juiced.

Pour the rice into a large bowl.  Fluff it with a fork and then add the juice, zest, cilantro and salt.

Mix really well and then set aside.

Black Beans

Pour the black beans into a bowl.  Add the fajita seasoning and stir.  Set aside.

Time to Assemble the Burrito Bowl

In a bowl add 1/2-3/4 cup of the cilantro lime rice.  Then top with 1/4 cup of the black beans.

Next top with 1/4 of the chicken, 1/4 cup of cheese, 1/4 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup of guacamole.

You can also add a dollop of sour cream if you wish.

Serve and enjoy.

This is such a simple concept, but it is amazing.  A burrito without the tortilla.  Who would have guessed it would be so good.

Spicy Shredded Beef Tacos

• 10 flour tortillas
• 4 oz Queso Fresca
• 1/2 head shredded cabbage
• Spicy Beef
  • 2-1/2 pounds beef roast
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 can chipotles in adobo, diced
  • 1 small onion chopped, or 4 tbs dried onion flakes
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tbs garlic powder
  • 1 tbs chili powder
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 3 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground cumin

Trim the beef and place it in your crock pot.  I know this sounds obvious, but make sure to buy a roast that will fit in your crock pot.

Then add the tomato paste, chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, beef broth, onion, garlic, chili powder, honey, salt and cumin.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove the beef from the crock pot and shred it with 2 forks.  Just like you would shred pulled pork.  At this time remove any remaining fat.  Then place the shredded meat back into the crock pot.  Let the meat simmer in the juices.

Serve the shredded beef on a corn tortilla with the fresh cabbage and a little queso fresco.

One of the best meals of the week.  You have to try this one.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce – (Adapted from Tyler Florence)

• 3-4 pounds skirt steak(s)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 jalapenos
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 handful fresh oregano
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Chimichurri Sauce

The first step is to make the chimichurri sauce.  The steaks are going to be marinating in this sauce, so it must be made first.

Place the cloves, jalapenos and red wine vinegar into a food processor.  Process until finely diced.

Next add the parsley, oregano, lime juice and seasoning.  Process until finely chopped.

Turn the processor on and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture.  Once all of the olive oil is incorporated the sauce is ready.

Skirt Steak(s)

Place the skirt steak(s) into a gallon plastic bag.  Then cover the steak with 3/4 of the chimichurri sauce.  Let the steak marinate for 1-4 hours.  The longer it marinates the better the flavor.  However, you do not want this to marinate too long as it contains a lot of acid from the lime juice and it will start cooking the steak.  Reserve the remaining chimichurri sauce to serve over the grilled steak.

Preheat the grill to high.  Remove the steak(s) from the bag and place directly on the grill.

Grill the steaks for about 4-5 minutes per side or until nice grill marks occur.

Once grilled to the desired doneness, remove the steaks from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.  Then slice the meat across the grain and place onto a platter.

Spoon the reserved chimichurri sauce over the meat and enjoy!

This steak was to die for.  It was amazing and juicy.  The perfect fresh dish for the summer.

Side Note – At the store I could not find skirt steaks for the life of me.  So I asked the butcher for some assistance.  I felt like and idiot when I asked the butcher for a skirt steak and he came out and pointed at the black package right underneath me.  Oops.  The store by me only carries skirt steaks that are pre-packaged and vacuumed sealed.  So that is why I could not find them.  Their packaging was totally off from the rest of the steaks.  I guess I passed right over them.  Keep that in mind when you do your shopping.

The cornbread soaks up a lot of the juices so don’t worry if it looks a little runny before you put it in the oven.

Tamale Pie

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained
• 1 15oz can sweet corn, drained
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, liquid and all
  
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 bell pepper, diced
  
• 3 jalapenos, diced
  
• 2 tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbs olive oil
  
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Corn Bread Topping

• 2 eggs
• 1 cups milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt

Easy Chili

In a large pot over medium/high heat add the olive oil, garlic, onions, bell pepper and jalapenos.  Sweat the vegetables until they are softened.  Add the ground beef and cook till the meat is no longer pink, roughly 10 minutes.

Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the mix.  Mix thoroughly and continue cooking for another minute.

Stir in the beans, corn and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low.  Let the chili simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Corn Bread Topping

Mix the eggs, milk, oil and sugar.  Mix the ingredients thoroughly and then add the remaining dry ingredients.  Stir to combine, but try not to over mix the batter.  Lumps are not a bad thing in cornbread.

The Tamale Pie

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a 13×9 casserole dish.  Pour the chili into the dish and level it out.

Don’t worry if it looks too liquid as the cornbread topping with absorb a lot of the liquid.  You need to have a lot of liquid or the end product will be too dry.

Gently pour the corn bread batter over the chili.  Try to pour the batter evenly over the entire dish.  Spreading the batter after the fact is rather difficult so even distribution is key.

Place the casserole dish into the oven and cook for 40-50 minutes.  Cook until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cornbread topping and come out clean.  Remember to only put the toothpick into the topping about 1/2 inch.  If you go too far it will hit the chili and come out sticky.

Serve with sour cream, cheese and a little salsa.

This was an awesome meal.  It is very reminiscent of a tamale.  Plus it only takes a little over an hour, start to finish.

I plated this up family style and let everyone grab what they wanted.

Chicken Fajitas

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbs fajita rub – Recipe below
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 yellow onion
• 8 tortillas
• Optionally add sour cream, cheese, guacamole, salsa, etc…

Chicken Fajita Dry Rub

• 3 tbs paprika
• 2 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp chipoltle pepper ground

Mix up the spice rub by adding all of the ingredients to a small bowl and then using a whisk to combine the ingredients.  I save my old spice containers and then place my various spice mixtures into them.  Then I use the all important sharpie to relabel the containers.  Then I can easily shake the spices onto the meat without getting my hands dirty.  Plus, I am reusing and helping the environment.  I wish this was the first reason, but mainly it is so that I can evenly distribute the spice over the meat.

Next trim any fat from the chicken and then dust the chicken with about 2 tbs of the seasoning.  The amount may vary, but the spice mixture above creates more than enough to cover the variations in chicken size.

Once the chickens are dusted have them rest, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Seed and slice the peppers into long strips. Peel the onion and cut it lengthwise to create long strips.  In a large saucepan, heat 1-2 tbs of vegetable oil along with 1 tbs of the dry fajita spice rub.  Then add the peppers.  Cook over medium heat, covered and stir every once in a while.  For about 15 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium high heat.  Roughly 350 degrees when the lid is closed.  Place the chicken directly over heat and cook for about 6-8 minutes per side.  This will depend on the thickness of the chicken.

When the chicken is cooked all the way through and the juices are running clear, remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Remove the lid from the peppers and onions and turn the heat up to medium/high.  Saute the peppers to evaporate some of the juices and to add a little color to the peppers.

Pour the peppers and onion onto a platter.  Then slice the chicken into 1/4 inch slices and then place them on top of the peppers and onions.

Heat the tortillas either in the microwave or wrapped in foil in the oven and serve them along side the fajitas.

Great additions to the fajitas are sour cream, cheese, guacamole, salsa and a little more of the rub.

This quesadilla is quick, easy, portable and totally delicious.

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

• 2 cups chopped chicken – from a roasted, boiled or grilled chicken
  
• 1 red onion – diced
• 1/2 pound bacon – fried and crumbled
• 1 tomato diced
• 8-10 oz cheese
• 8 flour tortillas
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• sour cream and salsa for serving

Preheat a large skillet that is bigger than your tortillas to medium/high heat.   I have a large round grill pan that I use to make quesadillas.  They make tortillas in many shapes and sizes.  Make sure to purchase tortillas that are sized and shaped to fit into your pans.

Place a tortilla on the preheated skilled.  Cover with a handful of cheese. Then sprinkle on the onions and tomatoes.

Top with 1/4 cup of chicken.  Layer on 1/4 of the bacon.

Drizzle on some bbq sauce.  A little goes a long way here.

Finally sprinkle on another handful of cheese and cover with another tortilla. By adding cheese to both the top and bottom we will be nice and secured.  You don’t want the ingredients to fall out as you eat it.

Check the bottom for doneness.  If you see the bottom is starting to get nice and brown, it is time to flip.  Place a large spatula under the quesadilla, using your hand to steady the top, flip over.  Don’t worry if you loose a little bit.  Flipping a quesadilla takes some skill that can only be learned by flipping a lot of them.

When the cheese if fully melted and the bottom is browned, remove the quesadilla to a cutting board.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla into 6-8 wedges.

Serve with a little sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole for a perfect football Sunday treat.

Nachos

Top with some sour cream and you have a great meal.

Chicken Nachos

• Chicken marinade
  • 1-2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (3-4 chicken breasts)
  • 1 tsp salt (fine sea or kosher preferred)
    
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lime squeezed
• 1/2 cup Salsa – homemade or store bought
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream
• 8 oz jar jalapenos
• 14 oz can black beans
• 2 cups cheddar cheese

Cube the chicken and then place the chicken in a zip top bag and add the marinade ingredients.  Mix it around making sure that the ingredients touch all of the exposed surfaces of the chicken.  Let sit 20 minutes to overnight.  This can be done the day before making it an even quicker meal.

Next heat a skillet to medium/high.  Add 1 tbs of oil to the pan and then add the marinated chicken.  Saute’ until the chicken is fully cooked.  About 6-8 minutes.

Saute' the chicken

Layer a sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Then cover with tortilla chips.  Restaurant style chips are perfect for nachos as they naturally bend up in one direction and all you to fill them easily.  I also find that assembling the nachos one by one makes for the perfect appetizer.  Granted this takes a little more time, but the finished product is awesome!!

Fill each chip up with chicken.  Then coat each chip in a layer of salsa, black beans and a jalapeno or two. Finally cover with cheddar cheese.

Individual chips make for the perfect appetizer

Preheat the broiler to high.  Then place the pan in the broiler about 4 inches from the heat.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Broil until the cheese is melted

Remove from the oven and top with sour cream and serve.

Quick simple and delicious nachos.