Blackened Chicken with Cilantro Lime Couscous

This time of year, it's typical for one to find me with my face buried in a mountain of papers and books. My life becomes engulfed by the copious amounts of rough drafts, papers, and reading that sometimes I enjoy, sometimes I do not (I'm looking at you Ford Maddox Ford...) 

Either way, I eventually have to come up for air... which usually means a quick pop over to Pinterest. It was during one of these interludes that I found a recipe that made me very very hungry. 

I know I can only speak for myself, but I love me some cilantro. Really, I could eat this stuff just as it is. I love the smell, the taste, how it looks. Yeah, I have a slightly obsessive nature. 

Blackened Chicken with Cilantro Lime Couscous

4 servings

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, defrosted

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 tsp curry

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne (if you really like spicy food, you can up this to 1/4 tsp)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup lime juice

1 box couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can chicken stock

1 avocado

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Combine all of the dry seasonings in a bowl; sprinkle over both sides of the chicken, rubbing the mixture into the chicken breasts. Heat olive oil over medium heat for a minute and add the chicken. Cook covered for 7 minutes on each side.

In a pan, heat the can of chicken stock until it's just begun to boil. Immediately remove from heat, stir in the couscous, cover and let sit for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Add chopped cilantro and lime juice. Stir to combine. 

In a blender/food processor, add the flesh of the avocado and the Greek yogurt. Blend until it's your desired thickness level. 

Slice chicken and serve on a bed of couscous with the cream sauce dolloped on top. Voila! 

Pretty easy right? Other things to love about this meal: it's low in sodium and the chicken is great lean protein. Do yourself a favor: have another serving.

Garlic Parmesan Crusted Chicken

I am seriously picky when it comes to eating meat. I literally expect perfection; if there is any grissle or fat on the piece I'm eating, I loose my appetite. Ironically, I married someone who always wants meat somehow included with dinner, so I've had to learn to make the perfect piece of chicken (I will be tackling beef shortly...). Luis loves chicken, and recently, while on Pinterest, I found a website that had 50 recipes for chicken breasts. It was there that I found this incredible recipe, that has now made its way into my dinner staples. I wanted to share it with you, because everything about it is a good idea! Crusty breadcrumbs, savory, melted Parmesan cheese, tender chicken: get ready for your new favorite chicken meal!

Garlic Parmesan Crusted Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 3/4 inch thickness

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup ranch dressing

3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp pepper

Parmesan Crumb Topping
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoons garlic salt,
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
2 tablespoons melted butter

Ranch spread
Ranch dressing


Directions:
Combine ingredients for marinade and pour over completely defrosted chicken.  Let marinate in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.  Pour the marinade into skillet and cook chicken about 15 minutes, until chicken is done.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare parmesan crumb topping. Mix all the ingredients together, making sure that the crumbs are evenly covered with butter and moist. Set aside.

Position rack in center of oven. Preheat broiler.

Place each piece of chicken on a baking sheet. Squeeze enough ranch dressing to  lightly cover the top of the chicken. Spoon enough crumb topping to cover the entire chicken breast. Repeat for each piece.

Place chicken in the broiler for about a minute. Depending on the size and heat levels of your oven, make sure you watch it carefully. Using a broiler means that the heat is concentrated at the top of the oven at a very high heat (usually 550 degrees). It will burn quickly if gone unwatched. Leave it in long enough for the cheese to melt and for the crumbs to turn light brown and crispy.

Serve immediately :)

I served my chicken with honey roasted red potatoes and grilled mixed vegetables. It was a perfect mixture, and my hubby has already asked me to make it again. We both loved it!

I also made the chicken dinner for my parents earlier this week. Here's my dad, proudly displaying my handiwork. ;-)

Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken on Wilted Spinach

Chicken and I don't always get along. I'm incredibly finicky about eating meat; I guess I just expect them to be perfect cuts of meat. If there's any fat, grissle, or weirdness, I lose my appetite.
But then I married someone who ALWAYS prefers to have meat for dinner and had to start whipping up meat recipes. 

Since then, I've mastered the art of cooking a moist, flavorful piece of chicken breast and have now garnered the ability to improvise sans recipes. 

 

I learned (by experimentation) that adding salt and pepper to the defrosted chicken breasts seals in moisture while the chicken cooks. No matter what recipe I'm making, I always always start with this first step. 

Pouring olive oil over the pieces also increases moisture threshold. Also, when it's mixed in with the lemon juice, it formed a sort of glaze that you can use to cook the chicken.

 

I opened up my fridge and found an overabundance of garlic and lemon juice. I incorporated plenty of both!

Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken on Wilted Spinach recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, defrosted

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

A spoonful of minced garlic

1/3 cup of lemon juice

Rub defrosted chicken with salt and pepper and place in dish. Pour the olive oil over the chicken. Add the spoonful of garlic; make sure that some garlic sits on each piece. Pour the lemon juice over the chicken. Place lid on dish, or cover, and let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours. 

Once marinated, place chicken in saute pan, pour remaining liquid in pan, and cook for about 10-15 minutes. 

Serve on a bed of spinach that has been dipped in olive oil. (It softens the spinach). 

Enjoy!