Shameless?
Indeed!
So what?
I went for seconds. And on top of that, I took a shot at this lovely, memorable slice of roasted chicken sitting cozily on a messy dinner plate. It’s my plate, so what? The white meat was super moist, super tender. The crispy skin had an interesting savory bits of spices to it. The creamy, citrusy pesto that I whipped up was like the ultimate key lime icing on a buttery cupcake!
Here’s the green “icing.” I mean, the creamy, savory kind that comes with a kick and a bite. My very version of cilantro-jalapéno-lime pesto. It’s simple and easy to make. In a food processor, I placed 10 sprigs of fresh cilantro (stalks and leaves washed and pat dried), 2 pips of fresh garlic, 1 jalapéno, 3 tablespoonful of pine nuts, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of almond milk (yes, I omitted grated parmesan cheese, so what?), 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and juice from 1 lime. Blend until it’s nice and creamy but not too overly creamy. Refrigerate the pesto.
Back to the delectable roasted chicken. This spectacular dish was made right here in Mr. Chi-Town’s Great Plains bachelor’s mess kitchen. (If you know Mr. Chi-Town, you’ll know that he’s actually a very good cook himself. WEBER-driven, he’s the kind of person who fights the elements and find creative ways to cook and feed the ones he loves and cares for.)
It all began with this chicken. A nice and fluffy one. (No, no black chicken. You know what I’m talking about, yea?)
First, Mr. Chi-Town drizzled some extra-virgin olive oil on the chicken. As you can see, this Bell & Evans chicken is not oozing with fat. It’s petite yet compact. I call it “Tiny.”
Next, Mr. Chi-Town sprinkles the usual suspects: A generous amount of garlic salt, garlic powder, and lemon pepper on the chicken. The aromas of the olive oil and the spices…I tell ya, it’s already making me hungry. This time, Mr. Chi-Town was eager to put a twist to his original recipe.
He added a touch of new seasoning. The last time Route 66 led us to Trader Joe’s, Mr. Chi-Town spotted a fire-engine red bottle of Chili Lime Seasoning Blend. Take a look at the reddish mix of spices.
“Just the right amount of salt and heat,” so says the label.
The ingredient list? Sea salt, chili pepper, red bell pepper, lime juice powder (What? Wait. Powder made out of lime juice? Yikes!) citric acid, and rice concentrate. What do you think? Does it sound interesting to you?
Back to Tiny. Mr. Chi-Town then sprinkled some Trader Joe’s Chili-Lime Seasoning Blend on the chicken. Tiny looked pretty wild. It smelled preet-ty good, too.
Tiny was baked at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. By the time it was done, we were <gulp> ravenous!
Tiny’s ready! It is just what we needed to enjoy a quiet TV dinner. With the zesty cilantro-jalapéno-lime pesto on the side, I went for the crispy wings: Mr. Chi-Town grabbed the drumsticks. The rest of Tiny is history. The hungry Wulf got some white meat minus the pesto and spice dust.
Simple and peasanty. A chicken dinner made right here at home on the Great Plains. So what if there ain’t no fancy trimmings? I’ll take it anytime.
You bet I’m going for seconds. Will catch you later! 🙂
Much love,
Tee
