Tequila Lime Chicken (and perfecting stove top rice)

We got some interesting peppers in our last CSA, Anaheim Chiles and pretty purple peppers. I sliced them up with a red onion and sauteed them in some oil. I like my peppers and onions a little charred, so I start them on higher heat, then reduce to get them all soft and flavorful.

Meanwhile, I started a pot of white rice. I finally found my perfect rice making process..

1. Start off a with a pot that you know has a corresponding, tight fitting lid.
2. Fill it with double the amount of water that you want to make rice. For two of us, I usually do 1 cup of rice (which leaves a bit for leftovers). So, that’s two cups of water.
3. Bring the water to a boil, but don’t let it boil too long, or else you evaporate too much water, and your water to rice ratio gets off balance!
4. Add your rice, stir it up, otherwise you get clumpy uneven cooking. Put the lid on, and turn the heat waaaaay down. As you cook the rice, it should not bubble over at any point.
5. Stir periodically, I stir about twice in the cooking process. About 20 minutes. Turn the heat off when you can’t see any more water, but the rice still looks “wet”. If you waited to long and the rice is beginning to stick to the bottom, don’t worry. This is when you can season it or add butter or herbs or what have you. Tonight, I liberally added Adobe seasoning, lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro.
6. Now that the heat is off, put the lid back on, and don’t touch! This is the secret. Just let the rice sit and steam and get delicious. I start my rice first thing, then let it sit and steam while I cook right up til it’s time to plate up. I should also mention, I mostly use Jasmine rice, so cooking times may vary with different types of rice.

Back to the chicken. I sliced up some chicken breasts and added them to my half cooked peppers and onions. When the chicken was almost cooked through, I added salt, pepper, cumin. Then juice of a whole lime and a healthy douse of tequila. Let it simmer.

I also opened a can of black beans, drained them and put them in a put on low heat, just to warm them. I added some chicken pan juice and pureed them for the side.

This pretty much comes out like Fajitas without the tortillas, so enjoy however you please. The beans make a nice dipper for mouthful of chicken and veggies. Or, mix everything up together, like my male counterpart. Either way, it’s got good textures and tangy lime and tequila flavors.