Chicken Burrito with Crispy Potatoes
"I made this on Thanksgiving"
- Me, because I was alone
Since this is a whole ass meal, I broke it down into each component for ease (?) of following.
THE CHICKEN
Ingredients
~1.5 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs (best) or breast (fine too)
1 clove garlic, either pressed or run over microplane
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup EVOO
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin *
1 clove *
1 all spice *
1/2 cinnamon stick *
(* For best results you'll want to toast all your seeds and warm spices whole and grind them, trust me, it's worth the effort. If you're too lazy just use a pinch of each spice pre-ground)
Method:
- Once marinated, you can cook the chicken in any way you see fit. This time around I cut it into bite-sized pieces first and cooked it on a wire rack under the broiler, it would be equally delicious grilled. Chef's choice.
- In whatever vessel you plan to marinate your chicken in (I used a plastic bag, but please, don't be like me, use a bowl and cut down on waste) mix together all the ingredients until nice and homogenous. Liberally season your chicken with salt and pepper, and thoroughly coat in your marinade. Pop it in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, but up to overnight, until you're ready to cook.
- Cook via your desired method, set aside til assembly.
THE POTATOES
Ingredients
4-6 medium red potatoes
Pinch of cayenne powder
Pinch of smoked paprika
Enough EVOO to shallow fry
Method:
- Cut your potatoes into roughly 1 inch pieces, rinse well in the pot you're going to cook in under cold water until it runs clear. Drain the pot and fill once more with fresh cold water, and bring to a boil on high heat. Par-cook the potatoes for 4-6 minutes until they are just firmer than fork tender. (You want to get the them slightly softened by still firm enough so that they don't fall apart from stirring them while frying)
- Drain the par-cooked potatoes and set aside to dry while you heat over medium-high heat just enough EVOO to cover all the potatoes. Once the surface is shimmering and a small test potato sizzles immediately when added, add the rest ofyour potatoes to the oil and spread them into a single even layer (if you used too small of a pan, you might need to make them in batches). Fry, stirring often for the first 1-2 minutes to prevent sticking, then occasionally after that, until all of the potatoes are nice golden and crunchy, 8-10 more minutes.
- Once crispy and wonderful, strain potatoes from the oil using a spider or slotted spoon and transfer into a bowl for seasoning. Sprinkle the still-hot potatoes with a little cayenne (it goes a long way), as much paprika as you like, and liberally with salt. The sooner you do this out of the oil the better, and if you've strained them too well, I suggest spooning a small amount of oil back in, to help the seasoning coat evenly. Toss well.
THE REST
I mean, it's a burrito, you can put pretty much whatever you want in there. If my avocados were ripe, they'd be in there, so get creative.
Ingredients
2 bacon strips
2 bell peppers
1 red onion
Pinch dried oregano
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro
1 lime, divided
1/2 cup cooked long grain white rice
2 tbsp Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
Tortilla
Mixed greens
Method:
- Slice the tomatoes in half, put in a bowl, and season liberally with salt. To the bowl add 1/2 the red onion small chopped, the juice of half a lime, and a large pinch of cilantro. Top with a splash of EVOO, stir, and set aside to marinate.
- Cook the bacon, set aside, wipe out pan.
- Thin slice the bell peppers, second half of the red onion, and saute them in the delicious bacon pan over medium heat until soft and browned. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano, set aside.
- In a bowl mix Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lime, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of cilantro.
- Top your mixed greens with the pico we mixed earlier.
- ASSEMBLE THE BURRITO (you know how to do this). Once it's rolled up, grill it shut in the bacon/peppers/delicious pan.
Boner Petit
