Foodie Friday Fav - Cilantro Lime Butter and Chicken

Southwestern Chicken with Cilantro Lime Butter
Adapted from mccormick.com, here

Side note: mccormick.com has a fairly good recipe search feature, allowing you to search by ingredients or type of dish.

This recipe has long been a favorite of ours. We were skeptical at first, because, really, cocoa powder on chicken? However, the flavors work very well together, the smokey savory, slightly caramelized chicken marinade is countered nicely by the slightly spicy citrusy butter sauce. Yum. We usually serve it with grilled red bell peppers and onions and rice.

   

 

 

Chicken:

1 T chili powder
1 T cinnamon (recommend saigon)
1 T brown sugar
1 t unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
fresh ground black pepper
3 T Olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
Chicken - the original recipe calls for 3 1/2 lb bone-in chicken parts. We have made it with bone-in, with chicken breasts, and with salmon. It works well on all of them.

Combine all ingredients in a large zip-lock bag or large bowl.   Marinate for a little while. Brush marinade over chicken prior to grilling. Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked through. It works best to cook the chicken with the grill closed. You can brush more marinade on about halfway through the cooking process, but not too much after that to make sure the chicken bacteria get killed.

Sauce:
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (fresh is extremely important, recipe will not work with dried)
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted (if you use salted butter, omit salt later in recipe)
1 serrano chile, minced (can have spicy oils, use gloves if sensitive, and make sure to wash your hands very well after handling. Avoid touching your eyes.)
2 T minced white onion
fresh lime juice from 1/2 a lime, or more to taste
few grinds of fresh ground pepper
sprinkle of salt
Combine all ingredients in bowl or something that has a spout (we use our 1-cup pyrex measure cup). Serve alongside the chicken, and drizzle on chicken and rice.