Saturday night I had a group of friends over to watch the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team take on Kentucky in the Final four of the NCAA tournament. I kept the gathering simple… picked up a few pizzas, a couple bags of tortilla chips, a few jars of salsa, a block or two of cheese and some crackers – nothing fancy. Well, I clearly overestimated the eating capacity of my closest friends as I was left with more chips and salsa than I knew what to do with. So, my dear boyfriend basically challenged me to my own personal version of the Food Network’s “Chopped” in our kitchen. Now, I freely admit that I did not, in fact, have all of the ingredients used below in my pantry as the rules of “Chopped” state. A quick run to the market across the street allowed me to finish this dish.
All that being said, my hypothetical basket included:
- Chicken breasts (Shaun found it in the freezer and told me we had to use it before I was allowed to restock with newer meats),
- A jar of tomato salsa,
- A bag of tortilla chips,
- Half a block of pepper-jack cheese, and
- White rice
Well, this just screamed MEXICAN at me! While not my usual forte, I accepted this challenge with a sound determination to show these leftover ingredients who was boss, hangover and all! The menu: Tortilla and Adobo crusted chicken breasts with a mango and peach salsa and “Mexican” rice. Call it a Mexican version of chicken parmesan!
Chicken:
- 4 chicken breasts
- ½ cup flour
- 1 egg, light beaten
- 4 cups tortilla chips, crushed
- 2 tbsp of Adobo seasoning (more or less to taste)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- Salsa (see below)
- Shredded pepper-jack cheese
Rice:
- 4 cups cooked rice
- Salsa
- 1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
Salsa:
- 1 jar of tomato salsa
- 1 mango, chopped
- 1 peach, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Combine the jar of salsa, chopped mango, chopped peach and chopped red pepper in a bowl. Spread ½ cup of the salsa in the bottom of a baking dish.
**As a note, I personally love my stoneware deep covered baking dish from Pampered Chef. I find baking chicken in stoneware keeps it extra moist and juicy. Any baking dish will do, though.**
Place the flour and egg each in their own wide, shallow bowl. In a third bowl, add the tortilla chips and the adobo. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour and then egg, and lastly in the tortilla chips being sure to pat the chips on to the chicken breasts so they stick. Place each chicken breast in the skillet just long enough to get the coating to crust and stick to the chicken, about 30 seconds per side. Once done, place the chicken in a baking dish. Bake until cooked through, approximately 40 minutes.
Once the chicken is done baking, remove from the oven and top each piece with 2-3 generous spoonfuls of the salsa, about ¼ cup on each breast, then sprinkle lightly with shredded cheese.
Stir the remaining salsa and shredded cheese into your rice, along with the cilantro to make a kicked up rice with a Mexican flare. For garnish, I threw a few fresh steamed green beans and carrots around the plate and drizzled them with a bit of the salsa from the bottom of the pan I baked the chicken in. It adds color to the plate, extra flavor and healthy serving of vegetables for all you health-nuts out there! Then, to instantly make it less healthy, grab a nice Pacifico or Corona and enjoy!
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| Tortilla and Adobo Chicken with "Mexican" Rice |
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