Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine.
Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!
Versatile preparations for protein such as this ancho chipotle chicken, allow for it to be served in many different ways similar to a create-your-own-ending storybook. For this dish, the chicken is given a marinade in Mexican spices ideally overnight to absorb all of the savory sauce. Marinades are a wonderful way to ensure that your chicken doesn’t turn out dry and flavorless. A long marinade time in a sauce or rub that contains salt or an acid, like lime juice, is what helps to break down the muscle fibers in meats creating a tender tasty bite.
Ancho chipotle chicken can be grilled for that familiar char that is so common in Mexican street tacos. Alternately, you can sauté the chicken in a grill pan or even cook it in a slow cooker. Diced or sliced, this pepped up poultry can be tossed into tacos, burritos, lettuce wraps, or served over salads, cilantro-lime rice, or quinoa.
Ancho Chipotle Chicken
Calories 156, Protein 26g, Carbs 1g, Fat 5g
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 chipotle chili (from canned chipotles in adobo)
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup water
Preparation Instructions:
- In a blender, combine everything except the chicken breasts and blend until smooth.
- Place chicken in a bowl or zip top bag and pour sauce over chicken.
- Let marinate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
- Heat a sauté pan with a small amount of coconut oil or olive oil. Alternately, heat a grill to medium high heat.
- Cook chicken until cooked through about 8-10 minutes per side.
- Dice chicken to serve on its own, in tacos, burritos, lettuce wraps, salads, or in bowls with rice or quinoa.
Note: You can cook this in a slow cooker as well. Marinating time is not needed when doing it this way, just put the chicken in the slow cooker with the sauce. Slow cook 4-6 hours until chicken is cooked through. Dice or shred to serve.
