Enchilada Chicken with Calabacitas

About This Recipe

Grilled chicken thighs coated with a homemade enchilada sauce and served with a side of cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, and calabacitas.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp red onion (diced)
• 1 Tbsp garlic
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 ½ cups cooked rice
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
• Salt to taste
• 4 Roma tomatoes
• ½ medium red onion
• ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
• 1-2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook enough rice to have 2 ½ cups of cooked rice. 1 cup of uncooked rice will yield around 3 cups of cooked rice.
2. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil over the rice and mix in ¼ cup of cilantro, juice of ½ lime, and add salt to taste. Mix thoroughly.
3. Add 1 Tbsp garlic, 2 Tbsp of diced red onion, 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp salt to a blender. Blend until smooth.
4. Poke holes in the chicken to allow the marinade to enter the meat.
5. Put the chicken in a ziplock bag and add ¼ of the enchilada sauce to the bag. Toss the chicken around in the bag to evenly distribute the sauce.
6. Remove all of the air from the bag and allow to marinate for at least a few minutes.
7. Add the remainder of the sauce to a pan and bring to a light boil for 15 minutes.
8. Heat a grill pan or a skillet over medium high heat and cook the chicken in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding. It has finished cooking when the inside is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
9. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to rest for at least a couple of minutes. Once it has rested, add it back to the skillet with the simmering enchilada sauce and toss to coat.
10. Wash and cut your vegetables into a large dice.
11. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Sauté the vegetables until the zucchini has softened.
12. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
13. Cut the tomatoes in half the long way and scoop out the seeds. Dice the tomatoes so they are about ¼ inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
14. Dice ½ of a red onion and add to the the tomatoes.
15. Cut the stems off of the jalapeño pepper. Cut the pepper into a small dice and add to the mixture. NOTE: If you aren’t a fan of heat, then take out the ribs and seeds before chopping up the peppers.
16. Cut the stems off of a small bunch of cilantro and finely chop the leaves until you have ¼ cup, add to the bowl.
17. Cut a lime in half and squeeze its juice into the mixing bowl. Stir all of the ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste.
18. This recipe makes 5 servings. Add ½ cup of the cilantro lime rice to each container and divide the remainder of the ingredients evenly. Store the pico de gallo in a separate, smaller container.