I wrote this post a couple of days ago, and it may be the last one until sometime next week.  I’m currently working like crazy to get decent working devices for the International Conference of Nitride Semiconductors deadline.  The original deadline was early April, but it was extended until May 1st.  They’re trying to get as many abstracts in as possible, so they extended the deadline until Friday.  I should be able to get some light out of these LEDs by then, but it means I don’t have any time to cook until the weekend.  Anyway, here’s the post:

I’m always in search of solid recipes to cook during the week. I want something that can be made in under an hour, make a few nights worth of leftovers, and has a lot of flavor. I was looking through Rick Bayless’s Everyday Mexican, and one recipe in particular jumped out at me. It was a chicken recipe with relatively few ingredients. Even though I grew up in Texas, I know relatively few Mexican dishes. Hoping to make up for this embarrassment, I thought I would make Red Chile Chicken with Rice and Black Beans, or in Spanish, Arroz Rojo con Pollo y Frijoles Negros. I was fairly happy with how this recipe turned out. It is essentially a rice pilaf with chicken and black beans. Nothing fancy, and not something you’ll impress your friends with, but a good weeknight meal nonetheless.

Red Chile Chicken with Rice and Black Beans (adapted from Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless)

The “Mise”

 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 onion, cut into a 1/4″ dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tablespoons ground Ancho Chile pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (ideally you’d use homemade stock, but if you don’t have broth on hand you can probably use water)

1-2 tablespoons peanut, vegetable, or olive oil

Salt and Pepper

10″ saute pan with a lid

 

The Method

 

1. Rinse off the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Making sure the chicken is dry will help with browning and reduce spattering while cooking. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of the chile powder.
2. Heat a 10″ saute pan over medium high heat. Add enough oil to the pan so that it coats the bottom. Add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan to a cutting board to cool.



3. If the pan looks low on oil, add some more until it looks like there’s about a tablespoon in the pan. Add the onions and cook until they’re soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Make sure to move the onions around the pan to make sure they don’t brown. Add the rice and garlic and cook until the rice is translucent. Don’t let the rice stick to bottom of the pan. Burnt rice doesn’t tase good.



4. Add the remaining ancho chile powder. Or, if you’re like me and didn’t season the chicken with it, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of ancho chile powder. Stir the rice mixture until everything is coated the the chile powder and cook for a minute or two.
5. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and lower the heat to low. Cook the rice for about 10 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, cut up the chicken into whatever size chunks you want. I aimed for 1 inch cubes. Also, if you didn’t season the chicken with the chile powder, now would be a good time to do so.
6. Uncover the pan and add the chicken and black beans. Mix everything together, then cover the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and check the chicken for doneness. Add the cilantro and stir everything until combined.