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One of the Best Ever Grilled Chicken Recipes
Americans hardly have a monopoly on meat and potatoes. Though potatoes originated in South America, they have spread all over the globe and are a popular vegetable nearly everywhere. While there are plenty of recipes for meat of various kinds served with potatoes in some form or another from nearly every culinary tradition you could think of, you will find many such combinations in Latin American cuisine, including Mexican cooking.
The potato spread as far north as parts of what is now the United States long before the arrival of the Spanish colonists and was already popular with the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The same is true of poultry; though the Spanish introduced the familiar domestic variety of chicken to the New World, wild chicken, and turkey were widely eaten by the native peoples of Mexico and South America.
This chicken and potato recipe is a classic-style preparation of these two popular ingredients which will be largely familiar to cooks and diners north of the Rio Grande, but with enough south of the border flair to set it apart. The chicken is prepared in the a la plancha method (grilled on a metal plate or alternately, a skillet) and the potatoes are oven roasted with herbs and spices for a truly hearty, satisfying meal.
Pollo a la Plancha con Papas al Horno
Ingredients -
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 small potatoes, skins on
2 tsp oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Preparation:
The potatoes will take a bit longer than the chicken, so begin preheating your oven to 425 degrees and slice each of the potatoes in half (not lengthwise) and placing them in a 9" baking dish. Add ½ of the minced garlic, cilantro, oregano, and olive oil and toss to coat. Bake the potatoes for 35 minutes, remove from the oven, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and black pepper. After the potatoes have been in the oven for about 20 minutes, it is time to start cooking the chicken. Heat the remainder of the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and cook the chicken breasts along with the remainder of the garlic and oregano. Cook for a few minutes on each side until lightly browned and thoroughly cooked. The chicken and potatoes should be done at roughly the same time, so once both are done, put together your plates and sprinkle the chicken with a little salt and pepper and the remaining cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and the salsa of your choice and enjoy!
(Serves 4)
Photo Description:
As almost universally popular ingredients, chicken and potatoes appear in a great many different dishes, including many Mexican recipes. This authentic Mexican-style preparation of grilled chicken and oven roasted potatoes is a wonderful one which is familiar enough to appeal to less adventurous eaters yet has enough Mexican flavors to it to introduce diners to the wonders of Mexican food.
You can change things around a bit with this recipe, adjusting the types and amounts of spices to your liking and serving this classic chicken and potatoes dinner along with various sauces, both Mexican in origin and from other types of cuisine entirely. Along with a green salad, some crusty bread, or warm corn tortillas, this is a meal which everyone can definitely appreciate.
Photo by:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pablovenegas/2468133482
