Chili-Lime Fried Chicken with Sautéed Peppers and Red Rice
Chili-Lime Fried Chicken with Sautéed Peppers and Red Rice
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Category
Dinner
Cuisine
Tex-Mex / Latin-Inspired
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Technically, it’s a weeknight recipe. Realistically, it looks like you tried harder than you did. The trick is all in the marinade: acid, salt, and fat do most of the work while you do something else.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional, but rounds the spice)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- For the peppers
- 2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or mix), sliced
- ½ small red onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
- For the rice
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- Pinch of salt and squeeze of lime
Directions
- Marinate the chicken.
- Mix the oil, spices, lime, honey, and garlic in a bowl.
- Toss in the chicken and coat well. Let sit at least 20 minutes (up to 6 hours in the fridge).
- Cook the chicken.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high. Add a drizzle of oil and cook the chicken 4–5 minutes per side until crisp and dark at the edges.
- Rest a few minutes before slicing.
- Sauté the peppers.
- In the same pan, add a touch more oil. Toss in peppers and onion.
Cook just until the edges soften and start to blister: about 5 minutes.
- Make the rice.
- Warm the oil and tomato paste in a small pan until the paste deepens in color.
- Stir in the chili powder and cooked rice, coating it evenly. Finish with lime juice and salt.
- Assemble.
- Spoon rice onto plates, top with chicken and peppers, and drizzle with any leftover pan juices.
Recipe Note
The lime isn’t just flavor, it’s functional. Acid breaks down protein so seasoning actually sinks in. Don’t over-crowd the pan; color is flavor.