Southwestern Chicken with Beans and Rice and Tequila Pan Sauce

Southwestern Chicken with Beans and Rice

For the beans:

2 Cups dried pintos, washed and sorted for rocks, etc.

Cover the beans with water by at least a couple inches.  Bring to boil, covered, let simmer rapidly for five minutes.  Without uncovering the pot, turn off the heat and let sit for one hour.  Drain, rinse, thoroughly and return to the pot (This step eliminates the overnight soaking, reduces future digestive bloating and gassiness, and shortens the cooking time).

Add to the beans, 1 tablespoon of bacon fat or olive oil, 1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion, diced; 1 jalapeño or 1/2 serrano, seeded if preferred, minced; 3 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 large bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano; a few grinds of black pepper.  DO NOT ADD SALT! Wait until the last half hour of cooking to add any salt because the beans will be tougher.

Cover the hydrated beans and aromatics with water or chicken stock by at least an inch. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour (but could vary 15-20 minutes depending on a variety of factors).

When the beans are soft, remove the bay leaves and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, to taste.  Remove a cup or two of the beans, especially the liquor, to a blender and whiz at high speed until thoroughly mashed and creamy.  Alternatively, mash in the pot with a big spoon or potato masher.  The blender method produces a thicker result, more consistent with the beans you get in Mexican restaurants.  Return the mashed beans to the pot, stir to incorporate, and simmer on low until needed. Squeeze a quarter of a fresh lime into the beans just before serving.

For the rice:

1 1/2 Cups dried white rice
3 Cups water

Put together in a small pot, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft and a bit sticky, about 12 minutes.  For exceedingly white and fluffy rice, rinse the dry rice in cold water until the water runs clear.  This will shorten the cooking time.

For the chicken:

Rince and pat dry, 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon dried chipotles, salt and fresh ground pepper. 

Melt enough bacon fat in a hot cast iron skillet to create a heavy glisten but not so much that the chicken will fry.  When sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces, top side down.  Add 1 tablespoon salsa of choice to the top of each piece.  When the chicken has seared and moves easily from the pain, turn pieces over, allowing the salsa to fall into the pan.  Add another 1 tablespoon of salsa to the cooked side of the chicken, cover with a lid and braise for about five minutes until chicken is just cooked through (a hint of pink in the center, still soft throughout).  Remove the chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside in a warm place.  It will continue to cook in the center as it sits. When ready to plate, slice the chicken against the grain.

For serving, finely slice a quarter head of green cabbage.  Toss with the juice from half a lime.

For the pan sauce:

Deglaze the hot pan from the chicken with 1 shot tequila and 1 shot water or stock, scraping up all the crunchy bits of chicken and caramelized salsa.  Add 2 tablespoons more salsa.  Stir and reduce the sauce by half or until it begins to thicken, whichever comes first. Add in the collected juices from the warming plate.  Stir.

To plate:

Divide the plate into thirds, one-third rice, one-third beans, and one-third shredded cabbage.  Lay the sliced chicken on the cabbage.  Spoon the tequila pan sauce over the chicken and the beans and rice.  Squeeze a final lime wedge over the whole plate.

Amazingly, this recipe served 6 last night.  I expected to get four servings with some leftover beans, but we had unexpected teens around at dinner.  Everyone seemed satisfied.