Lime Chicken

The first time I had Lime Chicken was as a child living in New York.  My mother got this recipe from a cookbook entitled Keep It Simple: 30-Minute Meals by Marian Burros.  That's right folks!  The 30-minute meal phenomenon was a hit long before Rachael Ray was even a glimmer in Food Network's eye.  This recipe was a constant staple in my mom's cooking repertoire for quite a while because both dad and I liked it so much.  At some point though, it fell out of rotation.  Mom recently stumbled upon it while going through her cookbooks, so I decided it deserved a resurrection.

In true Noelle's Noms fashion, I tweaked the recipe.  I kept all the ingredients the same, but I altered the procedure.  The original recipe calls for all of the spices to be added after the chicken is cooking.  I decided to use all the spices as a marinade prior to cooking.  Flavor is good, right?!?  As it turns out, this was a very serendipitous decision as I undertook a pantry reorganization that ended up taking about four hours.  :o/

Lime Chicken
6-8 chicken thighs or 3 large breast halves
2 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t. red pepper flake
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. crushed coriander seeds
1/4 t. turmeric
2 T soy sauce
2 limes, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim extra fat off chicken thighs and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a large Ziplock bag place 1T of the EVOO, the next seven ingredients and the juice from one lime.  Place the chicken thighs in the bag, seal and then give the bag a good shake to coat all the meat with the marinade.  You can cook the meat immediately, or refrigerate for several hours.  (Throw this together before you leave for work in the morning, maybe?)

Heat 1T of EVOO in a large non-stick skillet.  Add all contents of the bag to the pan and cook over medium heat, flipping once so both sides get a nice brown color.  Reduce heat, cover, and cook 15-20 minutes. Serve with steamed rice and a lime wedge.

I added a bunch of chopped cilantro and the juice of one lime to my steamed rice.  I also sauteed bell peppers (not green ones though... barf!) with a little bit of garlic, green onion and Cavender's Greek Seasoning (can also use Lawry's Season Salt).

I love cooking with color!!!