Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken with Brown Rice & Haricot Verts

As I continue on my journey of attempting to plan out dinners a month at a time, I found again, that being flexible is key. My Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken recipe was planned for February 5th. One thing lead to another and I had to reshuffle it to last night. Since the only fresh ingredient the recipe calls for is a lime, it was easy to push this one until a later date.

Besides planning a month at a time, I've become much stricter with regards to making my son eat something other than chicken nuggets. Last night was not the struggle I anticipated, but it came with bribes that I wish weren't needed.

After mixing the spices and heating up the pan, I sauteed the chicken to a perfect golden brown. It cooked a lot quicker than the recipe called for. But since I was watching it closely, disaster was avoided. As it was cooking, it smelled great and looked fantastic. I served it with brown rice cooked in a mix of water and chicken broth. And, because I've been known to get into the rut of serving a plate of fabulous beige food, I steamed some haricots verts.

My husband loved it! He liked the kick that the spices gave the chicken and the flavor of the lime (which wasn't as pronounced since I didn't get as much juice out of the lime as I had wanted). It wasn't too hot or overpowering, but flavorful. My son, after eating half an apple, declared he was hungry. When I showed him his plate, complete with rice and green beans, the whining started and the bribes began. Try a piece of chicken and I'll give you an animal cracker. It worked and he liked it and proceeded to eat all of the chicken on his plate. Next, the beans. I broke them and stuck them on the prongs of his fork. And, he ate them...for more animal crackers. And finally, the rice. He hasn't eaten rice or green beans in two years. But, the ever powerful bribe enticed him to complete every morsel on his plate. And, although I didn't like bribing him, the animal crackers are low in sugar and one day...in a galaxy far away...he won't be offered a bribe but a restful sleep on an empty stomach.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• ............................................................
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side (or less if your chicken is thin). Sprinkle with 1 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 2-5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.