One of the things I enjoy the most in the kitchen is to create new dishes with whatever ingredients I have at hand. I like not having an idea what I am going to end up preparing. I just go down to the kitchen, choose random ingredients and make dinner with them. Many times I end up with crazy dishes that I decide not to even mention again, though I never regret the experience. But other times I like the final result and write it down, take pictures and blog about it.
One of those creations I really wanted to blog about is last Saturday’s dinner. We had just gone to the grocery store the day before and I had plenty of ingredients to choose from. I also had a bottle of tequila (the one I used to make these Margarita cupcakes) that had been calling my name from a kitchen cabinet every night. So I took it out along with other ingredients in my cabinets and fridge and this “tequila chicken over lemon pepper rice” was born.
Tequila chicken over lemon pepper rice
Printable version
Makes 6 servings
Prep time: 0
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Method: fry, boil, bake
For this recipe you will need:
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 3 TSP olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup tequila
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp basil
- salt
- pepper
- 6 slices Colby and Monterey Jack cheese
Preparation:
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- In a large heavy skillet sauté onion and garlic until translucent.
- Add chicken to the skillet and fry until it starts turning golden brown.
- Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C)
- In a saucepan bring to a boil tomatoes and tequila with oregano and basil over medium heat. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for about 10 minutes.
- Put chicken in a baking dish. Add tomato sauce over chicken and top with cheese slices.
- Bake for about 25 minutes.
- Serve over pepper lemon rice and enjoy!
Pepper lemon rice
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1½ cups rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
- salt
Preparation:
- In a medium sized pot fry rice in butter until it begins to turn golden.
- Add water, lemon pepper and salt to taste. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Cover and reduce heat. Stir sporadically.
- Cook until the liquid has evaporated and the rice grains are tender.
About this recipe:
I really liked the combination of these ingredients. My only complain is that I used a little bit too much salt, but it was still edible.
If I make this dish again I will use chicken breasts or pork instead of chicken thighs. I like them, but I think their texture is not the right one for this dish.
If you make this dish as is or with any modifications please let me know. I’ll gladly add those modifications to this recipe and give you credit for it.
Buen provecho!
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Joy
You got me at Tequila! Haha. This looks absolutely marvelous.
I’m like you, I “invent”/cook with whatever we have in the kitchen.
Peter
I love the heartiness of this dish Ben…and the tequila of course! bonito amigo!
Peter
Ben, this dish looks so vibrant and I’m curious to try tequila in a dish. OLE!
Bellini Valli
Darn I should have this for the Taste & Create ben…you are just making it 2 hard with all these tempting dishes. I love tghis dish and have bookmarked it for future use
courtney
Yummm. Cooking with Tequila!
Pam Hoffman
My talents obviously lie elsewhere.
If go to my kitchen and “…create new dishes with whatever ingredients I have at hand” I get stuff like “Sawdust Chicken” – almost every time!
I WILL however, take a recipe and fuss with it. I might even take two recipes and blend parts of them together in a synthesis.
I don’t EVER open my cupboards and think ‘hhmmm, what would Tequila and pudding taste like together?’
See what I mean. I just don’t have quite enough sense to put the correct things together.
I’ll HAPPILY try some of this – the rice sounds especially nice.
Thanks for your continued, entertaining blog posts, I added you to my EC favorites!
Pam Hoffman
http://seminarlist.blogspot.com
kate
The star of this dish would have to be the tequila. Sounds wonderful and i’m sure it tasted gr8 as well !
Jill@SimpleDailyRecipes.com
(mouth watering) I had to Stumble this recipe and print it off!
How much salt was too much? Just so I don’t over do it, too.
Jen of a2eatwrite
I also love to make things up by using what’s on hand. And as you say, there are some delights and some total clunkers! This looks lovely. I’d already thought I’d try breasts, though. Yum.
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Fruity
Great rice recipe! Mama mia …. whatever that means?
Deborah
I’m always jealous of people who can just throw things together and make a meal. I’m a recipe girl, but I am learning to branch out a little. This sounds delicious!
núria
Que bueno Ben!!! Plus I like the slide show too!!! Plus the option of printing the post!!! You are right there amigo!!!
When I first moved to my first appartment I loved experimenting like this… but most of the times nobody could eat what I cooked awwwwhhhh… just horrible. Thank god I improved my skills a bit
Great dish Ben!
FlaNboyantEats
see… making up as you go totally works, right! That’s my philosophy a lot of times. Unlike many bloggers out there, I only own 2 cookbooks: one Cuban bible and another in support of
a soul food chef well known in NC…
Esto luce riquisimo! Cool slide show too… I love trying other Latin food! Gracias!
Heather
My favorite taqueria has a sweet tequila chicken burrito that I LOVE. It’s spicy, sweet, and has that wonderful tequila flavor. It’s like tequila barbecue sauce.
I love experimenting too. The thing that bums me out, though, is whenever I strike creative gold I find out that someone’s already done it.
Also, why aren’t one of your foodie friends?
kellypea
That cheese oozing over that chicken is killing me! I’ve done tequilla lime chicken and the menfolk inhale it and then lick their plates. I can imagine they would do the same to this — Yum, Ben. And that video thingy you have featuring the piece about Mexican food is really well done…