Picture tender chicken pieces, marinated in lime, sugar, salt, a touch of coriander and a kiss of garlic, grilled to perfection and presented on top of a creamy cheesy green chile rice, all surrounded by grilled vegetables. I'm talkin' about last night's dinner.
It comes to us courtesy of Taste of the Territory, a wonderful cookbook put out by the Service League of Bartlesville Oklahoma and all I gotta' say is thank goodness for ingenuity. I only wish I'd taken a video because while all of this was coming together we were experiencing an unbelievable monsoon thunder storm which resulted in over 2 inches of rain in about a 2 hour time frame. Of course true to Murphy's Law, the storm hit right at the time we were supposed to be grilling our dinner in the outside kitchen, but no matter. We switched to grill pans and the Big Guy came through once again.
The result - gloriously tender kabobs of sweet, salty, lime flavored bird that really taste like a margarita sans the tequila although I'm not quite sure that the addition of a shot or two wouldn't be a good idea. The chicken would be wonderful on its own with the grilled vegetables but we went a step beyond and whipped up a casserole style rice dish, loaded with creamy ricotta, sour cream, cheese and roasted Hatch green chiles just because ya' gotta' have starch ya' know.
Grilled Margarita Chicken (Adapted from Taste of the Territory)
1 pound chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut lengthwise into 3 pieces
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Whisk together lime juice, sugar, salt, coriander, garlic and vegetable oil. Place chicken pieces into a zip bag and pour marinade over top. Seal and refrigerate for a minimum 1 hour. Thread onto skewers and grill until done. Serve with grilled zucchini, onions and tomatoes. Serves 4 Download Grilled Margarita Chicken
Green Chile Rice Gratin (Inspired by Taste of the Territory)
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 large roasted green chiles, skinned, seeded and chopped (or 1-6 ounce can)
Salt and pepper to taste
1-1/4 cups grated 4 cheese blend (or Monterey jack)
Spray a gratin dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350. Combine cooked rice, sour cream, ricotta and green chiles. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Place half the mixture into prepared gratin dish. Top with half the grated cheese. Repeat. Place casserole into preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Serves 6. Download Green Chile Rice Gratin
What a lovely looking meal! I adore a grilled meal. That rice dish looks fascinating - in a good way, mind you - I just never considered a cheesy rice casserole without meat in it - as a side dish. hmmmmmmm I think my sweet William would like something like that...
I also love a good Monsoon - 2 inches - nice!
Posted by: Lea | 09/11/2011 at 07:49 AM
Lea - yup 2 inches of rain and the back yard needs some major cleanup. Big Guy's in the kitchen getting rub ready for 5 pork bellies (3 side bacon and 2 pancetta) and a huge loin for back bacon then he'll be starting the clean up. I'm so darn lucky!
Posted by: June | 09/11/2011 at 08:01 AM
Just getting back to the kitchen after a few days away. Picked up TH at the airport, and had a work thing out of town. I see you and the big guy have been hard at work. This chicken looks like perfect grill food. I have made something simular with shrimp (tequila adds great flavor, just so you know) and the creamy, chili rice a nice comfort food side.
Posted by: Lorraine | 09/11/2011 at 08:17 AM
Lorraine - so glad TH is home again. I don't know how you do it! Tequila is going into this next time I make it.
Posted by: June | 09/11/2011 at 11:13 AM
Both the chicken & rice sound to die for! Love your chef descriptions (kiss of garlic!) Hugs, Mary L.
Posted by: Mary from Apron Strings & Wedding Rings | 09/12/2011 at 06:54 PM
They're both pretty tasty but the rice is absolutely a keeper.
Posted by: June | 09/13/2011 at 06:54 AM
The grilled margarita chicken looks absolutely amazing. I think I may try this out at my next dinner with friends.
Posted by: julia | 09/14/2011 at 05:31 AM
Thanks Julia. It was quite good and the leftovers fabulous in a salad. Thanks for visiting and for leaving a comment. Hope to see you back soon!
Posted by: June | 09/14/2011 at 06:52 AM