Chipotle Orange Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice

Mmmm...The sweet tangy citrusy taste of orange, and the spicy smoky flavor of chipotle in adobo. Mix the two together, and its like....like....like magic. Like quite possibly fireworks like magic. Hold onto your hats folks, because this one is for the books.

Believe me, this chicken recipe is a stunner, and perfect for a QUICK and EASY weeknight dinner. Listen up all you single men out there...this one's for you! Luckily for me, T likes to prove his prowess not only at work, but also in the kitchen. He took the reigns and made this delicious recipe all by himself. I am so proud. Not only did I not have to cook, but this recipe was simple enough for him to follow and turned out quite impressive.

Step One: Gather the ingredients.

Step Two: Saute the chicken, remove to a plate and tent with foil. Make the sauce and add chicken back to skillet, turning to coat.

Recipe adapted from Clean Eating Mag and SkinnyTaste

CHIPOTLE ORANGE CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO LIME RICE | Yield: 4 servings | Total Time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 tsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry, pounded 1/2-inch thick
2 oranges, juiced
4 Tbsp pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, chopped
2 tsp adobo sauce (from can of chipotle chilis)
2 tsp orange zest

CILANTRO LIME RICE
1 C extra long grain or jasmine rice
1/2 lime, juiced
2 C water
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
3 tsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp salt. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with chili-cumin mixture, and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until it is no longer pink in the middle. Remove from to a plate and tent with foil while preparing the orange-chipotle glaze.

Add maple syrup and the juice from 2 oranges to the bits left in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in chipotle chilis, adobo sauce and orange zest. Add chicken back to the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes, turning constantly to coat.

Serve chicken over cilantro-lime rice.

CILANTRO LIME RICE

In a small pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered an additional 5 minutes before serving.