Chicken Thighs with Mango Jalapeño Salsa

Chicken Thighs with Mango Jalapeño Salsa

Chicken thighs get a little kick from jalapeños in a sweet-hot mango salsa. Temper the jalapeños by roasting them first, if desired, but either way, the salsa is the perfect accompaniment to the ginger, garlic and lime marinated chicken.

This was the very first time I've ever had mango salsa and I fell head-over-heels in love with it! I now make it often to have with different dishes like pork or grilled flank steak. It's delicious no matter how you serve it. The kids like it with traditional corn tortillas.

Not all of my children are fans of chicken thighs (and the man doesn't like chicken at all!) so substituting with another cut is just fine. Make sure to cook the chicken according to the cut and all will be well.

Chicken Thighs with Mango Jalapeño Salsa

Printable Recipe 
Hands-On Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 9 hours and 15 minutes including marinating time
Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

Thighs and marinade:

3 pounds chicken thighs - about 12 small, 8 medium or 6 large
one inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 large cloves garlic - minced
Zest and juice of one lime
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Salsa:

1 large *ripe mango - diced, about 2 cups
2 large or 4 small **roasted jalapeños - chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 lime - juiced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Trim excess fat from thighs and set aside.
2. Combine garlic, ginger, lime juice, zest and salt and stir into a paste.
3. Rub thighs with paste, making sure to rub some under the skin.
4. Put into a plastic zippered bag and seal well, removing air. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
6. Arrange thighs on a rack over a baking pan and bake for 60 minutes.
7. While thighs are cooking, make the salsa.
8. Toss all salsa ingredients together and refrigerate until thighs are cooked.
9. Remove thighs from oven (check with a thermometer that they are at 170 degrees internally) and serve with salsa.

*Use a Tablespoon of honey in the salsa if your mangoes are not very ripe or sweet.

**Roasting jalapeños : Roast jalapeños  under the broiler until blackened. Turn several times during cooking so each side is done well. Remove from broiler and wrap immediately in plastic. Let stand 15 minutes and the skin will easily slip off the peppers. Remove seeds and chop.

505 Southwestern Salsas, Sauces and Chiles

Mexican Pizza with 505 Southwestern Salsa - 10- inch flour tortilla topped with salsa, ground beef, Mexican blend cheese, baked for 10 minutes then topped with black olives and sour cream. So easy!

Take a look at the salsa section of your local grocer and you'll see that salsas seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Some of them aren't even worth a dime a dozen, though. I do have my own favorite, or so I thought.

I was sent a box filled with salsas, sauces and green chiles to try from 505 Southwestern and I've found a brand new favorite salsa*. Honestly. I've already gone out and purchased more to have on hand and I'm not the only one in the house that fell in love. Last night several of my children finished off a jar in one sitting. I may be hiding salsa along with my chocolate soon.

What's this salsa? 505 Southwestern's All American Salsa, Medium heat. Wow. Even though the kids thought it was a bit spicy, they couldn't stop eating it and neither could I. My boyfriend is a heat lover and even though this is only medium heat, he loves it as well.

Not only is this salsa delicious it also benefits the Wounded Warrior Project:  Flagship Food Group will contribute 1% of the purchase price of every bottle of 505 Southwestern All American Salsa, with a minimum donation of $100,000 to WWP from May 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014. Awesome.

Each of 505 Southwestern's products are 

Extra Fresh — our chiles are picked, flame-roasted & flash-frozen during harvest
All Natural — we use only natural ingredients to preserve the just-picked flavor
Gluten Free — we use rice flour as a binder where necessary, not wheat
Zero Trans Fat — only natural vegetables, spices, herbs and fruits are used
New Mexico — all our chiles come from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico!

You just can't go wrong with these salsas and sauces. If you're stuck for ideas, let me help you out. First, you can go to www.505chile.com and search for recipes, or you can use one of the recipes I've provided below. Both turned out wonderfully using 505 products and my family has already asked me when I'm making them again!

Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas go creamy and spicy in this rich and flavorful version of chicken enchiladas. Diced Hatch chiles and sharp cotija cheese add to the flavor. Evaporated milk is a smart choice here instead of milk or cream, providing creaminess without all the calories or fat.

Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 60 minutes
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds cooked white meat chicken - chopped
2 large cloves garlic - minced
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro - finely chopped
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 Tablespoon Kosher salt OR 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
2 cups 505 Southwestern All Natural Diced Flame Roasted Green Chile
12 six-inch corn tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican Blend cheese - divided
1/2 cup Mexican Crema or sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled Cotija cheese or Feta cheese


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 11 baking pan and set aside.
2. Toss chopped chicken with garlic, cilantro, cumin and salt.
3. Blend together evaporated milk and salsa in a large bowl.
4. Wrap tortillas in paper toweling and lightly mist toweling with water. Place in microwave and heat for 1 -2 minutes (check after 1 minute) until warmed and pliable.
5. Set aside 1/2 cup of Mexican blend cheese for end of assembly. Use remaining 1 1/2 cups for inside enchiladas.
6. Working quickly with one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla into salsa mixture, top with chicken and shredded cheese. Roll and set seam-side down into baking pan. Repeat until all tortillas, chicken and cheese are used.
7. Whisk crema or sour cream into remaining salsa mixture until well blended. Pour over top of enchiladas.
8. Top enchiladas with Cotija (or Feta) cheese and reserved Mexican Blend cheese.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.
10. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Beef Enchiladas

Easy Beef Enchiladas

Hands-On Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 50 Minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 jar (16 ounces) 505 Southwestern Enchilada and Tamale Sauce
16  - 6-inch  flour tortillas
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  and grease a 9x13 baking pan.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground beef and onion until beef is evenly browned and onion is tender.
3. Pour 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the pan and spread across evenly.
4. Divide beef and 1 1/2 cups cheese between the tortillas rolling each up and setting, seam side down, into the pan.
5. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is bubbly - about 5 to 10 minutes.


*Product provided by 505 Southwestern. All opinions are my own. This was not a paid endorsement. 

It's Not Even Spring Yet!

I couldn't help it. I tried to restrain myself, really, but this stretch of warmer weather had me champing at the bit to grill something. Anything. So, after spending the morning zesting citrus for various things (Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake was one) I felt the need for fresh flavors on my dinner plate.

I had already thawed chicken breasts and was planning on fried chicken with a tomato based sauce, but I caught sight of the grill outside and made a last minute executive decision: the chicken must be grilled.

I had also been cooking beans to have on-hand. The beans were cooking with dried arbol chiles, bay leaves and garlic, and after tossing the lime shells (limes sans zest and juice) into the beans I felt like they needed to come to play in our dinner somehow. I scratched the tomato sauce idea and instead made a quick salsa with beans, avocado and tomato. It was the perfect complement to the grilled chicken. It was so good, in fact, that I had to keep from finishing it off myself. There are no herbs added and it doesn't need any at all - the combination of crunchy onion, tender avocado and tangy lime juice is terrific as-is.

Our dinner was a thrown-together delight. The chicken was topped with the salsa and I made a simple side of linguine tossed with olive oil, dried lemon zest and basil. It was divinely delicious and even the kids liked it. Not quite summer, but so close I could almost taste it.

Simple Tomato, Bean and Avocado Salsa
Makes 3 cups
Printable Link

1 1/2 cups seeded and diced tomato
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained beans (I used kidney and pinto)
1 small Hass avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Combine all in a small bowl and toss well. Let stand for several minutes to blend flavors before serving.

Veggie Wednesday: Corn Fritters with Black Bean Salsa

Corn Fritters with Black Bean Salsa

Corn Fritters with Black Bean Salsa

I used this basic recipe for the fritters-replace the corn and cheese with just about any other veggie and cheese.

Corn Fritters
Makes 12 small fritters
Printable Recipe

1c. flour
1 egg
1t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. Worcestershire
dash hot sauce
milk as needed (usually 1/4 to 1/2 c.)

Mix all ingredients well until you have a thick batter.

Fold in 1 1/2 c. corn kernels-cooked and drained
3/4 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Drop by the tablespoon onto a hot, lightly greased (I like olive oil spray) griddle and fry until puffed and browned. Keep warm on paper towels while you fry the remainder. Top with salsa, sour cream and green onion.

Black Bean Salsa
Printable Recipe

1 can (15 oz) black beans-rinsed and drained
1 cup corn kernels
1 1/2 c prepared salsa (I like fresh-below)
extra minced garlic

Mix and chill for an hour or so to blend flavors.


Fresh Salsa
Printable Recipe

3 large ripe tomatoes skinned, seeded, and chopped
1 small white onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
jalapeno or Serrano chiles (as many as you like) stemmed,
seeded, and chopped (or 1 small can of chopped mild green chiles)
1/4c. chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
1 lime-juiced
1t. kosher salt
1t. sugar if the tomatoes are acidic

Combine all and mix well.
Allow flavors to blend for at least 1 hr.
Taste for seasoning and serve at room temperature.
Refrigerate unused portion.

Veggie Wednesday

This is my contribution to everyone's health; something I would like to do each Wednesday. Nothing overly special; just a recipe each Wednesday that is either all veggie or very close. These may be completely vegan, ovo-lacto, or a recipe that simply includes a lot of veggies.

With the temperature outside a whopping 12 degrees F with the wind chill, soup seemed like the right choice for today.

Salsa Bean Soup
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe

4 cups cooked beans
8 cups vegetable stock
3 T olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup salsa, mild or hot, your choice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
OR
In place of these 3 seasonings, add a packet of your favorite taco seasoning.

Cook onion and bell pepper in olive oil until transparent. Add beans stock and salsa;bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add seasonings and continue simmering for an additional 20 minutes.

Garnish ideas: chopped green chiles, shredded Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, sour cream. I love tiny pasta like ditalini or acini in this to make it a bit heartier-about 1/2 cup uncooked does it.