The District Table

I realized I’m giving away all my best cooking secrets on this blog. Once people figure out that making delicious food is not actually difficult, I’m gonna be out of a job. The cat will be out of the bag, the beans spilled, my hand shown, and something hits a fan though I can’t recall what. This just happens to be my favorite new chicken recipe (that I would probably serve you if you were coming over for dinner) paired with my new favorite quick and easy salad dressing. Handle this secret with care, friends. Honey chipotle chicken will transform your chicken dinners.

I always appreciate a new way to make the same old same old chicken. This chicken recipe is super packed with flavor, balanced between sweet honey and smoky adobo sauce. I know the title says chipotle but this isn’t a spicy chicken recipe thanks to the honey. Someday maybe I’ll look into how those cute little cans of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce came to be, I really like the history behind mysterious foods if you haven’t figured that out yet. Any leftover adobo sauce and/or chiles in adobo can be frozen for later use.

The longer you let the chicken marinate, the more rewarding and flavorful it will be, of course, and since you only need to cook chicken this makes my list of easy weeknight meals. Wonderful for busy Septembers and Octobers and maybe even Novembers?? Well Septembers, at the least.

All chicken aside, I’m also including my new favorite quick and easy salad dressing recipe! What luck! Olive oil, a little honey, and lime juice – that’s it. Mix those together until it tastes good and BAM it’ll take your chopped salad to the next level, friends. It has not let me down.

Almost all credit for this recipe goes to another blog that I love and follow, How Sweet It Is. I mean, just LOOK at some of her recent recipes. Salty caramel milkshakes. Gnocchi with herb brown butter. This woman speaks my language.

I tweaked the recipe a bit (now that I’ve made it over and over again) and luckily I made the one pictured here the day before our building’s gas was unexpectedly shut off for repairs. I kid you not. We are still waiting for repairs and meanwhile have no hot water, stove, or heat. The week seems to crawl by, except when I have to take a freezing shower. In that case, it is the quickest shower ever! At least I’ve got great food to eat.

The honey chipotle chicken is good on errthang. Have it on salads, on grains, even on pasta, for pete’s sake. Hmm, I will also have to look into the history of this ‘pete.’ Add a grain to this recipe and you can make a grain bowl! Woo so fancy. That only becomes a problem when your colleagues try to steal your lunch.

Chipotle Chicken Chopped Salad

2017-09-13 11:06:23

Serves 2

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For the chicken

1. 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. ½ tsp salt
3. ¼ tsp pepper
4. 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5. 3 tbsp adobo sauce, from a can chipotle chiles in adobo
6. 1 tbsp honey
7. 1 tbsp honey mustard
8. 4 cloves garlic, minced
9. 1 tsp cumin

For the salad

1. 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2. 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
3. 2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
4. 2 tbsp green onions, sliced
5. ½ small red onion, diced
6. 6-8 cups mixed greens

Salad dressing

1. 2 tsp lime juice
2. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3. 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Place the chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag or shallow dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients for the chicken. Pour over the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
2. When ready to assemble, chop and dice all of the salad ingredients and combine them in a large bowl. Stir together the ingredients for the salad dressing, and adjust the measurements to taste. Set aside.
3. Optional step: pound the chicken breasts a little flatter so they cook more evenly.
4. Heat a tiny bit of olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the chicken to the pan, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through. Yes, the marinade will make a mess of your pan, so check on it to make sure it's not burning. It's a happy mess, trust me.
5. Slice up the chicken and add it to the salad. Toss with dressing and enjoy!

Notes

1. You could also grill the chicken after marinating.
2. Add brown rice, couscous, or quinoa to make the chopped salad into a healthy grain bowl!

By The District Table

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

The District Table http://thedistricttable.com/