Mexican Roast Chicken

To me, cold wintery Sundays are perfect for comfort food, and today was no exception.  The first time I made this recipe for Mexican Roast Chicken was for our Cinco de Mayo feast last year.  For only a few basic ingredients and five minutes of prep time, you’re rewarded an hour later with one of the juiciest roast chickens you’ll ever eat (and hey, it’s healthy to boot!).  Adding a side dish of Mexican Rice, and you’d got dinner in a flash.   I had all the ingredients already on hand, except for the whole chicken, so for $6, I managed to eek out dinner for three, with leftovers for tomorrow.  My kind of plan.  If you haven’t tried this one yet, do.  You won’t be disappointed.

Mexican Roast Chicken with Olive Salsa
Recipe courtesy of Lindsay Olive Company

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
1 (5 to 6 lb.) roasting chicken
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 cup sliced Lindsay Black Ripe Pitted Olives or Lindsay Stuffed Manzanilla Olives, or a combination
1 cup chunky salsa
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or green onions

Heat oven to 400F. Rub oil over chicken; sprinkle chili powder, cumin and garlic salt evenly over chicken. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast in oven 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until internal temperature of thigh reaches 160F and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, for olive salsa, combine olives, salsa and cilantro. Transfer chicken to carving board. Tent with foil; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Carve chicken into pieces. Transfer 4 servings (4 pieces) to serving plates; serve with 1 cup of the olive mixture. Refrigerate remaining chicken and olive salsa mixture up to 4 days. Makes 4 servings plus leftovers.

Mexican Rice III
Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes

“This is an excellent authentic Mexican rice recipe (not to be confused with Spanish rice) that I make as a side dish with all of my Mexican dishes. The key is cooking the rice properly and using good quality chicken broth or stock.”

6 servings

1 cup long grain white rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups chicken broth (I used a little more; I have also used beef broth instead, and it works just as well)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped (I skipped)
1 tomato, seeded and chopped (I have subbed half a can of diced tomatoes in the past)
1 cube chicken bouillon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, halved

In a medium sauce pan, cook rice in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomato. Season with bouillon cube, salt and pepper, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.