I've been on a bit of a Tex-Mex kick lately. It started with a batch of homemade tamales at Christmas, and then there was a pot of taco soup, followed by last week's enchiladas.
This week, it's a spicy chicken and rice skillet that reminded me a lot of a deconstructed King Ranch Chicken without the cream of everything soups.
The recipe I started with came from America's Test Kitchen. I am rarely disappointed with recipes from America's Test Kitchen. Other than swapping out ingredients I don't like, I generally don't need to make any changes to the recipes. But every once in a while I try one that doesn't quite live up to my expectations.
The chicken and rice dish was one of them. The recipe as written just wasn't quite balanced. For a one-pan meal it was heavy on the protein and refined grain, but lacking in vegetables.
Perhaps my changing tastes are to blame and not the recipe. While I am very much a card-carrying carnivore, I like lots of vegetables with my meat. And grains are good, but not so much that they overwhelm the rest of the dish. And that's what was wrong with this recipe -- so much rice that the little bits of vegetables there were (diced tomatoes, green chiles and beans) got lost.
Even my rice-loving husband noted "this is a lot of rice."
So I reworked it to fit my taste, while not messing around much with the way the dish tastes. The final result is a 30-minute, one-pan dinner that pleases my palate and my pocket book (it takes advantage of the dregs of the tortilla chip bag).
The husband also thought it could use a little more heat, so if you're like him and like it hot, feel free to add some chopped jalapeno and use pepper jack cheese instead of mild Monterey.
Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into uniform size pieces)
Salt and ground black pepper
Cumin seed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil, divided use
3 cups chicken broth, or more as needed
1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (I used Mexican-style with lime and cilantro)
1 (15-ounce) can beans such as black beans or pinto beans, rinsed
6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives OR cilantro
Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and cumin. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch broiler-safe skillet (I used cast iron) until hot. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on 1 side, about 6 minutes. Turn and cook on second side 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet along with the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent. Add the rice, tomatoes and their liquid, the beans and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle the chicken pieces, browned side up, in the skillet -- careful, it will be full! -- making sure the rice is submerged. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Remove chicken pieces to a plate and tent with foil. Stir rice mixture, cover and continue cooking until rice is tender, 5 to 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, adjust broiler rack to 6 inches from heat. Heat broiler.
Stir one-third of the cheese into the rice and season to taste with salt, pepper and cumin. Return chicken to skillet; sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips and remaining cheese. Broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and/or cilantro and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Recipe adapted from One-Pan Wonders: Fuss-Free Meals for Your Sheet Pan, Dutch Oven, Skillet, Roasting Pan, Casserole and Slow Cooker by the editors at America's Test Kitchen
Food on 01/18/2017