Chipotle Lime Chicken over Salsa and Corn Risotto

Have you ever done a dance in your kitchen after creating a meal that you’re just way too excited about? Yes? Of course you have… we all have.

Have you ever done a dance for your dog while you sang “You put the lime in the coconut, and drink it all up…” (Baha Men) to her/him, after creating that meal? Yeah. I did.

Poor Sophie.. sometimes she just doesn’t know what to make of me, and watched me with this pathetic look in her eyes… but honestly, that’s the first song that came to mind after I finished this meal…  And the dance?  Ok, yeah…it was pathetic..

My friend Seana (Cottage Grove House) has been on a spicy Mexican food kick lately, and her wonderful recipes have pulled me right in on her kick! If you haven’t visited her blog, you should take some time to visit. You will love the sophistication of her photos, and her recipes are definitely to salivate over. I met Seana back in October right here on my blog…she was the very first person to comment on my my very first post,  rustic tomato tartlet, and we became fast friends with so much in common outside of our blogs… I adore her, and know you will too.

I can’t seem to get enough of the spicy deliciousness that Mexican food tends to bring to the table. It’s festive. It’s colorful. It’s happy.

So it’s no surprise to me that I decided to try a salsa risotto today, by starting with a jar of salsa as the very first cup of liquid added to the arborio rice. I cooked it with a couple cups of chicken stock, and a generous cup of wine that I found in the fridge. At first, I thought that I wanted to add peas to the risotto, but the green peppers from the salsa, combined with the peas, in my mind, would have been too much green. The peas would have been delicious, but I decided to add corn instead. Beautiful. It gave the risotto a wonderfully sweet and fresh flavor! Finished with a couple tablespoons of butter, and about a half cup of romano cheese, made this a creamy goodness that I was pleased to serve with my chipotle lime chicken.

I thought that a roasted pepper, tomato, black bean salad would be the perfect accompaniment with this meal. …And…it was.

Life is good….
Life is “dancing in front of your dog while she looks at you pathetically…but you don’t care….because she can’t talk and tell everyone how dumb you looked”….kind of good…

Chipotle Lime Chicken over Salsa and Corn Risotto

Roasted Pepper, Tomato, and Black Bean Salad
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the peppers into 1” squares. Mix with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and roast at 400 degrees until tender and browned. Remove from oven and in a small bowl, mix with (until combined):

1 large beefsteak tomato
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lime
1/2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Salsa and Corn Risotto

1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 to 3 cups chicken stock
1 16 oz jar salsa (I used medium heat, you choose your desired heat)
1 cup white wine
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
2 tbsp butter

Bring the chicken stock to a boil, and reduce to simmer during the cooking time of the risotto.

In a large frying pan or sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic in the three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, until translucent. Add the rice to the onion and garlic mixture, and sauté for about two or three minutes (you don’t want the rice to brown).

Add the jar of salsa to the rice, and begin stirring frequently until the liquid is absorbed. Add one cup of wine, stirring until it has been absorbed into the rice.

Continue to add the chicken stock, one cup at a time, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked al dente. Right before you add the last cup of chicken stock, add the corn. Continue to stir until the liquid has been absorbed.  Add the butter and Romano cheese, stir until creamy.

Chipotle Lime Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika

Mix the chile powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl. Rub all over the chicken breasts. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the chicken breasts to the oil. Cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is no longer pink, or reaches 165 degrees internally. Remove the chicken from the pan, reserving the drippings right in the pan. Slice on the diagonal and serve over the salsa and corn risotto. Drizzle chipotle lime sauce over chicken. Serve with roasted pepper, tomato, and black bean salad. Garnish with lime slices and chopped cilantro.

Chipotle Lime Sauce
Drippings from cooked chicken
1/2 stick butter
Juice of one lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chipotle chile powder

Heat the drippings in the pan over medium heat. Add the butter, lime juice, garlic and chile powder. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and drizzle over cooked chicken.

Enjoy!