Chile Lime Chicken

My husband is a Crossfit trainer, and firm believer in the Zone Diet. I'm still trying to figure out how to fine tune it to my personal likes and preferences, but I try to come as close to it as best I can when cooking for him. When he came across this recipe in the Crossfit Journal, I was more than happy to test it out. Chili Lime Chicken is one of my favorite things to order on the rare occasion we make it to an Applebee's, and I love finding recipes to make things at home.

The journal features a brief summary of the video which can be viewed by anyone, but the video, which includes great tips and a thorough demonstration of how to prepare this meal, is only available for subscribers. There is another recipe for a stir fry to serve with this meal, but I tried this Cilantro rice recipe instead. It wasn't much more work than making plain rice. The picture shows a yellow rice, but mine came out a greenish color. My rice loving boy almost wouldn't eat it because he thinks green is not an appetizing color unless it's on broccoli or lettuce.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe! Let me know how yours turns out and what kinds of sides were successful with it. This is one of my husbands new favorites, so I'm sure I'll be making it quite often. I also encourage you to check out the journal for some of Massie's other recipes!

Chili Lime Chicken

Recipe from Cooking with Nick Massie feautured on the Crossfit Journal

Salt

Pepper

Finely Ground Red Pepper Flakes

Chili powder

1/3 cup Olive oil

Zest of 3 limes

1/2 bunch of cilantro, stems removed and finely chopped

1/2 head of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 whole chickens, halved (or 4 chicken halves)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by seasoning both sides of the chicken halves with salt, pepper, ground pepper flakes, and chili powder. Pour olive oil over both sides of the chicken halves. Next sprinkle the zest, cilantro, and garlic over both sides of the chickens. It may be necessary to redistribute these ingredients with your hands for an even distribution. Add more chili powder on top to lightly coat.

Heat a few tablespoon of olive oil in two large saute pans over medium high heat. Add two chicken halves to each pan, breasts down.  Cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Some of the toppings may slightly char, and is normal. Flip the chicken halves over and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Place a cooling rack in a wide roasting pan. Transfer the chicken to the cooling rack. This allows additional fat and juices to drip away from the chicken. Cook the chicken in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Using a meat thermometer, check that a proper temperature of 165 degrees has been reached in the thickest part of one of the halves. If the proper temperature has been reached, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve whole halves, or cut into smaller portions if desired.