Chipotle chicken thighs
Smoky, charred chipotle chicken like the burrito bowl place makes, over cilantro lime rice with all the fixings.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.79 a serving
- 540 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo, peppers and sauce, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs, about 6 thighs
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice
- 1 lime, juiced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 can black beans, drained and warmed (optional)
- 1 cup pico de gallo (optional)
- ½ cup guacamole (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 2¼ cups water
Each serving has about 540 calories, 39 g protein, 59 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $1.79 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No pico de gallo? Salsa works.
- No guacamole? Avocados work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chipotle, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and 1 tablespoon of oil in a bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover, and in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Marinate. Marinating means letting food sit in a flavorful liquid, called a marinade, before you cook it. Always marinate in the fridge, and never reuse marinade from raw meat unless you boil it first.
How you’ll know: The food is coated all over, sealed in a bag or covered dish, and chilling in the fridge.
Timer: 15 min
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
While the chicken marinates, the rice and bring it with the water and ½ teaspoon of salt in a medium over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 18 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a large over medium-high. Cook the chicken 5 to 6 minutes, until underneath.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Char. Charring means cooking over very high heat until some spots turn black. Those dark spots add a smoky, slightly bitter flavor that balances sweet or rich food.
How you’ll know: You see black spots and blisters in places, while most of the surface keeps its own color.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Chipotle darkens quickly. Deep brown is good. If it’s blackening, turn the heat down.Flip and cook 4 to 6 minutes more, until the thickest thigh reads 165°F.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Let it 5 minutes on a board, then it into small pieces.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Timer: 5 min
Fluff the rice with the lime juice and cilantro.
Build bowls with the rice, chicken, black beans, pico de gallo and guacamole.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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