Salsa Chicken and Chipotle Rice - Mmmm!

I think every mom in America will agree that it's easy to get into kitchen rut (e.g., cooking the same things over and over again...because it's easy and safe). I've been getting really tired of the rut lately and searching for new recipes by all means ~ especially on Pinterest. My most recent find was Salsa Chicken. This dish is cheap, easy, and takes all of three minutes to put together (provided you don't have to stop and wash your face like I did because raw chicken juice sprayed you when you opened the package...ahem). I made the recipe, as posted on allrecipes.com, (minus the sour cream because, well, I just forgot) and it turned out great.

I bought two large boneless/skinless chicken breasts and cut them into six smaller pieces for our family of two adult eaters and three little eaters that eat well, sometimes. I think they cook better that way and they were tender (not dried out as boneless/skinless chicken breasts can be) after about 25min. Even though I probably already gave myself food poisoning with the raw chicken juice, I sliced open each piece of chicken after 25min to ensure that they were fully cooked. They were. I also most likely went over the 1c. of cheese suggestion (I always add extra cheese), and put the dish back in for another 5-7 minutes.

I also noticed that the chicken was bubbling long after I took it out of the oven. "What a thorough cook job," I thought. Um, no. What a ditz. I left the stove on after I took the rice off and laid the chicken dish on the hot burner. Kitchen fail. Oh well. No harm done.

Here's a link to the original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/salsa-chicken/

And the Chipotle rice knock-off (PS. If you don't have a Chipotle restaurant nearby, I feel sorry for you). Here's some info about the rice... I made a very close version of this recipe. However, I modified it in the following ways...I used good old white rice (that I did not soak because it takes too stinkin' long). I also used lime juice from one of those sweet little lime shaped juice bottles - because I NEVER remember to buy limes when I need them. I didn't skillet cook the rice, here's a run-down of what I did do:

• Cook white rice according to package directions (but add in lime juice, butter and sugar when you add in the rice - more or less to taste).
• Add additional butter (about 1T) when rice is finished cooking.
• Remove rice from sauce pan and transfer into a bowl (to prevent sticking), gently fold in chopped cilantro.

The rice was a hit. I'll definitely make both of these things again.

For an added starch (or something kids eat well) add tortilla chips on the side.