Cheater Chicken and Spanish Rice

Yum

Hit play now.... before you go any further....

....wonderful....

You are no longer in your kitchen.
Imagine the smells of chilies roasting on an open flame.
Beautiful colors dancing in front of you as the sun sets and the parties begin.
That amazing feeling of carelessness and infinite happiness.

Welcome back to your kitchen, sorry. But I hope I have inspired some Fiesta in you!


This recipe came about because I already had some day old rice ready for frying, and I was trying to get over the same old fried-rice-grilled-chicken combo.... and my chicken was frozen at the time too. Last minute planning always a muse, what can I say.

I have a family recipe for slow cooked Chops and Spanish rice, so I just adapted it a bit.
This one is called "Cheater" because it's all thrown together using left overs or whatever is on hand.


You will need:

• 5 chicken thighs, or leftover roasted chicken.... any parts will do as you will be shredding it.
• day old cooked rice

For the chicken boil:

• 3 cloves garlic
• chili powder
• salt
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
  

For the rice:

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 Serrano pepper, sliced
  
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 3-4 green onions, sliced
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• salt/pepper

Let's get started.
Throw the chicken boil mix together, cover and ignite the flame. Get that chicken boiled.
If it is frozen, probably about 20-30 minutes on high will do
If it is left over chicken, just 5-10 minutes to rehydrate it and marinate it all will be fine.
{boiling chicken shots... ho hum

{the chicken boil, smells great!}
{ugly boiled chicken, remove skin please!


You're going to shred this, and remove any bones if they are present, so you can leave the chicken in the boil, or start shredding it whenever.
{the easy way to shred chicken, 2 forks and 2 arms

Now the rice. Get a large skillet nice and hot with the oil, onion, serrano, and some splashes of lime juice, save the rest for later.
{spices ready for the rice mix

Add the rice, and break up, getting it warmed through out.
{breaking up cold rice is my least favorite cooking task

Next is the tomato sauce and the beans. Mix well, and get it all to a smooth consistency.
{homogeneous rice, check

Now add the shredded chicken bits..... look at that, it's almost done.
{incorporating the mix

Wait, there's a Bonus!

Because I usually make my recipes spicier, I decided to add a cool cuke salad to mix up the textures and compliment the flavor. It turned out better than I thought:

• 2 cucumbers
• lime, lemon juice
• salt
• green onion, sliced

Peel the cucumbers, or if they are from your garden, you can skip that. Cut off both ends and slice into 8ths long ways.
{slice the cukes!
You may remove the seeds, but I believe I kept them this time for the added cooling affect. Chop to desired sizes.
Just toss with juices, onion, and salt to get the right tang ratio for your taste. It is a great salad!
{cuke salad fin