Thursday, March 14, 2013

Mojo Chicken, Cilantro Rice, Savory Black Beans

I have been dreaming of mojo chicken since culinary school. One of my chef instructors made it for us, and it was so damn good. But, I can't seem to recreate it the way she made it, nor can I find a recipe/method like hers. It wasn't part of the curriculum, either, so it's not in my (gigantic) recipe binder from that class. 

But, I keep trying. This one I made was not even close, but it was tasty enough. The night I made it, I did not serve it with the rice and beans, but rather just tortillas. I made the rice and beans about a week later to go with bread fish tacos. I found the whole meal from macheesmo.com. But, I tweeked it work for my family.

For the chicken:
-marinade = 1 cup orange juice, juice of 1 lime, garlic, cilantro, ground cumin, salt and pepper.
-I used chicken legs and thighs, which I removed the bones, skin on
-marinate the chicken for at least  1 hour
-drain the marinade, and sear the chicken, skin side down, in a hot skillet with oil. 
-once the skin is browned, flip over the chicken pieces and pop the pan into a hot (450F) oven, or continue to cook on the stove, turning the burner down to medium, until cooked through.

Cilantro Rice: 
-Long grain rice, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.
-Basically, you cook the rice, then add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.

Savory Black Beans: 
-1 can black beans, extra virgin olive oil, diced red onions (or shallots), chopped garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper
-in a skillet, heat the olive oil
-add onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute
-add drained, rinse black beans
-season with paprika, salt and pepper
-cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes

 

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