Tonight was definitely a night to cook. Something about the icy weather and my recent decision to cancel my cable television service put me in the proper mood to roll up my sleeves and try something new. Lately I've been in this improvisational kick where I'll start with a bare bones recipe and take it in a different route. I have this recipe that is great in the summer for steaks that involves a mildly spicy dry rub and a cilantro lime butter on top. In lieu of the weather and my limited diet, I decided to try these flavors through a slightly different approach. What followed was pretty successful for a first attempt.
I basically started with a boneless skinless chicken breast and seasoned it heavily with grill seasoning, paprika, a little cumin, and some chili powder. I then seared it on both sides on a hot cast iron grill pan. After it was nearly blackened on both sides, I transferred the pan to the oven to finish cooking throughout.
In the meantime, I decided to make a vinaigrette instead of a heavy butter topping. In a bowl I combined fresh garlic, fresh ginger, minced jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, honey, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.
After the chicken was finished cooking, I drizzled the vinaigrette over top and paired it all with some jasmine rice and black beans.
What I liked:
The spice rub created a crusty outside to the chicken while the inside stayed nice and juicy. The contrast of texture made the experience much more enjoyable!
The vinaigrette was by far the star of the dish. The combination of all the flavors (while each separately very strong) somehow blended uniquely to create a light, yet potent topping for the chicken.
What I didn't:
While the spice rub made the chicken crusty, it was a little too much and it clashed with the vinaigrette. In the future, I will probably find a better way to get the same effect without going overkill with flavor.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Please share.
