Thursday, July 19, 2012

Chipotle herb chicken

I DID IT!!! I'm a chef! OK, well, maybe not a chef but I feel safe in saying I'm a really good cook. Tonight's meal I made from my own head and based it on recipes I've made before. I just grabbed ingredients from the shelf and started cooking. The end result was a fantastic meal that I most definitely will cook again.


Review: Tonight's meal was thought of on the fly and I just kept putting in flavors I remembered from previous recipes. The result: a great meal that was HEALTHY, flavorful, moist and mouthwatering (at least in my opinion). I will say I didn't use any exact measurements other than 1 cup of chicken broth but when I put the recipe below I will try to approximate how much of each ingredient I used, but really it doesn't matter. You can just pour in the ingredients as you see fit. I also added chipotle/chili powder to the meal but you couldn't really taste it. I put in cornstarch to make the "sauce" a little thicker but if you don't like that kind of thing (as my dad apparently doesn't) then you can leave out the cornstarch and just let the liquid be. If you make the green beans with it the timing for both the green beans and chicken should work out to where they are finished at the same time, roughly 15-20 minutes. I have made the green beans before and you can find that recipe in a different post but I'll go through the steps to make it below as well. I also would say that even though I poured in the ingredients as they were cooking it might be easier to mix the chicken broth and the corn starch in a separate bowl before pouring them in the pan. It'll be easier to mix that way for sure.  I also marinaded the chicken for about 20 minutes or so but next time I make this meal I might marinade them a little longer as well as add in some basil and parsley during the marinating process. It doesn't have to marinate at all though. Other than those few comments this meal was simply wonderful and I'm extremely proud of myself for making my FIRST "own" recipe. I can't wait to do it again!

Recipe:

  • 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons chipotle or chili powder (I actually used chili powder)
  • 4 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons basil
  • 2 tablespoons parsley
  • 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch (add more if the sauce doesn't thicken to your liking)
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
  • Fresh ground pepper for taste
  • 1 pound of fresh green beans

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil, chipotle or chili powder, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder and the chicken in a bowl. Set aside while you prepare the green beans (if you choose to make them).

To prepare the green beans, rinse and snap the ends off them. In a bowl mix 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, green beans, garlic and 2 teaspoons garlic powder in a bowl (I add the garlic powder to make it extra garlic tasting but you don't have to add that ingredient). Once everything is mixed together, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil then pour the green beans from the bowl onto the foil. Spread the green beans out so they form a flat layer on the pan and then stick them in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are soft to your liking. Serve immediately.

While the green beans are cooking, put 2 teaspoons olive oil in a pan and heat. Place the chicken you set aside in the pan and cook until each side is done, about 3-5 minutes. Once both sides of the chicken look finished, pour in the chicken broth. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Mix in the cornstarch to thicken the broth (this is where it might actually be easier to mix the chicken broth and cornstarch in a separate bowl then pour into the pan). After about another 5 minutes of cooking, put in the basil and parsley (I put 1 tablespoon of basil and parsley on one side of the chicken, let it cook for a minute or two then flipped the chicken and poured in the other tablespoon). Let cook for a couple more minutes then serve immediately. The "thickened" sauce in the pan is meant to be scooped on the chicken, but it doesn't have to be.

***TIP: You want to make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Cooking time for this meal varies depending on how long it takes your chicken to cook but it shouldn't really be longer than 15-20 minutes. Mine was that long and it was still very moist. Any longer and you might overcook the chicken. Any less and it might be undercooked.

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