Lo Cal Mex Chx

Lo Cal Mex Chx

Ok, so you don’t understand the concept of “chx?” I spent 10 years in the grocery business, and when you’re ordering chicken “anything,” it’s always abbreviated as “chx.” So, when you choose 2 cases of Swanson’s Chicken Dinners, you’d probably see something like “2cs Swan Chx Din.” Information you truly needed, right?

 

Tonight’s dinner had a Mexican flair to it. Risa’s on a diet (and I should be), and brown rice is her starch du jour. I made my usual daily call and asked her what she wanted for dinner, and she said, “I’d eat chicken.” Fine.

 

So, I have “chicken” and brown rice as a base. Thus begat: Chicken breasts Mexicano, spicy brown rice, pinto beans, and a simple salad. 

 

The chicken:
One large “halved” boneless, skinless chicken breast. Tonight’s was organic, but any good chicken will work.
Marinate with salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, cumin, dried oregano leaves

The chicken needs about 40 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees. 175 degrees on your instant read thermometer
The rice takes about 45 minutes (brown rice always takes longer than white, and wild takes even longer). The pinto beans are a “warm-em-up” thing

 

Salad consisted of romaine lettuce, radishes, celery, a chopped scallion, a couple crumpled tortilla chips, sweet cherry tomatoes, a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, and (ok,ok, so I cheated) El Torito salad dressing.

 

To serve … Slice the chicken into strips, spoon the rice in a corner of the plate and place the chicken in a cascade down the front of the rice. Streak your favorite salsa over the top of the chicken, down onto the plate over the rice. I used a tequila lime salsa, and it was great. Beans in a corner, salad cascading across the bottom of the plate. Garnish with cilantro and a couple strategically placed tortilla chips.