Skillet Chicken with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

Note to self:

Hey boy Hey! So I can’t believe the time has finally come! I officially started up my very own website and for those of you who have been following me since the Facebook days the “Note To self” blog posts are coming back! So I made this because I had a leftover chicken breast from a previous recipe and a packet of Knorr taco rice in the cupboard that needed to be used up. (I love having these sides on hand as a quick addition to a meal or even incorporating it into actual recipes. My favorite is the taco rice and the way I love to use it is adding the rice inside enchiladas or burritos to give it an extra boost of flavor and add texture to the dish).

The combination of this recipe and the delicious southwestern sauce over the taco rice was heavenly and bursting with flavor. Creamy, buttery and a kick of zesty lime. A definite Holy Grail status recipe and the best part is, is that it was super fast and easy! Great for those moments where you need a quick but amazing home-cooked meal. I adjusted the recipe just a little in that instead of using 4 whole chicken breasts I used 1 and cut it in half to yield 2 chicken tender sized raw chicken breasts. I’ve had a hard time adjusting cooking for a family of two when I used to cook for a family of 7 before. #MarriedLife #Alhumdulillah So now when I cook I usually have to divide the recipe in half or even quarters at times. In this case I used less chicken but decided to leave the sauce measurements the same. For most skillet sauce recipes I’ve learned that there’s not enough sauce for the entire dish. I love dunking anything into sauces and I pour a boatload all over my meal. It’s probably the Pakistani in me (we pour raita and chutney over everything). But I would rather have more than run out and not have enough, and lo and behold the amount of sauce was perfect for the reduced amount of chicken. If you guys want to make the full amount I would definitely double or even triple up on the sauce ingredients. Especially if you’re making it with a side of rice or pasta because the sides will soak up all the yummy goodness!

I adapted this recipe from sallysbakingaddiction.com and adjusted it a little bit so it’s a smaller serving. Also, we usually portion our meals and are trying to eat healthy so the chicken portion might be small if you’re used to a normal sized meal. So adjust as necessary 🙂

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast cut in half to make 2 chicken tender size pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken broth (Use 1/2 halal maggi bouillon cube and add it to 1 cup of water)
1 1/2 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
optional: lime wedges and more cilantro for garnish, steamed asparagus for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
If the chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound them down so they’re all even. This way all the breasts will cook through simultaneously. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan add half a Maggi bouillon cube and 1 cup of water to make one cup of chicken broth
Add 1 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 cup of diced onion, 1 tbsp cilantro, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to the broth and let it simmer until the bouillon cube dissolves then turn off heat.
In a large ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning once. You want the chicken nice and browned on the outside. (It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through yet.) Set chicken on a plate and cover tightly with foil. Note: If you’re using a whole chicken breast cook for 6-7 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and add broth mixture.
Return to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to around 1/4 cup. (During this time you can make the Knorr taco rice which only takes 7 minutes)
Reduce heat to medium-low, then add 3 tbsp of heavy cream and 2 tbsp butter. Stir until butter has melted.
Add chicken to the sauce and place the skillet in the preheated oven. Bake uncovered until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 4-8 minutes. (5-10 if it’s the whole chicken breast.
Serve chicken with sauce spooned on top and any of the listed optional garnishes. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.