Spicy Peruvian Chicken

Spicy indeed! Whoa! Sooo good and spicy. 

I've not had Peruvian food before so I really can't tell you if this is true "Peruvian", but I can tell you it was tasty. 

I took some liberties with this recipe. I didn't really follow it with regards to the tomato and jalapeno. Instead, I made a pica de gallo with the tomato, lime juice, jalapeno and the green sides of the onions. 

I made the rice as it was written. Although, it was not as fluffy as I like. A little mushy to me. I was only going to use 1 c water to the 1 c rice, and against my better judgment I used the 1 1/4 c water.

I'd order this again for sure. 

Spicy Peruvian Chicken with Bacon with Loaded Rice, Pickled Jalapeño & Creamy Salsa Verde

Recipe from Hello Fresh

Serves 2

• 2 Scallions
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Jalapeño
• 1 Lime
• 1 Tomato
• 1 tablespoon Fajita Spice Blend
• 1Chicken Stock Concentrate
• ¾ c Jasmine Rice
• 12 ounce Chicken Cutlets
• 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
• 1.5 tablespoon Sour Cream
• 4 ounce Bacon

Peel and mince or grate garlic; place a pinch of garlic in a small bowl and reserve later.

Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens 

Thinly slice jalapeño into rounds, removing ribs and seeds for less heat.

Zest and quarter lime.

Dice tomato into ½-inch pieces.

Melt 1 TBSP butter in a small pot over medium heat; add scallion whites, remaining garlic, and 1 tsp Fajita Spice Blend. Cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

Stir in rice, stock concentrate, 1 ¼ cups water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

In a second small microwave-safe bowl, combine jalapeño, juice from half the lime, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally.

Heat a medium dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season all over with remaining Fajita Spice Blend, salt, and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board to rest.

While chicken cooks, remove jalapeño from pickling liquid (reserve liquid). Reserve a few rounds for garnishing; mince remaining. To bowl with reserved garlic, add mayonnaise, sour cream, a squeeze of lime juice, a big pinch of lime zest, and a pinch of minced jalapeño to taste. (TIP: If you like zesty heat, add a small splash of jalapeño pickling liquid in place of, or in addition to, lime juice.) Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Fluff rice with a fork. Stir in tomato, half the scallion greens, remaining lime zest, a squeeze of lime juice, and as much remaining minced jalapeño as you like. Season with salt and pepper. • Thinly slice chicken crosswise.

Divide rice between bowls and top with chicken. Squeeze juice from remaining lime over chicken. Drizzle everything with creamy salsa verde; garnish with bacon, remaining scallion greens, and as many reserved jalapeño rounds as you like. Serve.