CHICKEN and RICE with BEANS & ZUCCHINI
Frontera Grill Restaurant Recipe
1 1/2 pounds chicken parts of choice, bone in and skin on
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons ancho powder, divided
salt and pepper to taste, as called for below
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 small medium zucchini, diced
1 cup rice, rinsed and drained dry
5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can beans of choice, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
sweet tomato relish for garnish
Mexican hot sauce of choice
queso fresco
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pull the skin partially off of the chicken and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the ancho powder under the skin, along with salt and pepper. Place the skin back over the chicken. Sear the chicken in the pan, skin side down, for 5 to 7 minutes. Flip over, sear for 2 minutes, and then place the skillet into the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through. When it is done, remove from oven and let cool until you can shred the meat off of the bones. Set the meat aside–save the bones for stock. In the meantime, drain the fat from the pan through a sieve into a prep bowl.
Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add as much of the flavored chicken fat/oil as you want, at least 1 1/2 tablespoons. Add the onion and stir for 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir for another 4 minutes, until the rice starts to look dry and opaque. Add the garlic, zucchini, cumin and remaining chile powder and stir for another minute. Add the broth and up to a teaspoon of salt and stir well. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.
Uncover the pot, and add the chicken and beans. Re-cover the pot and cook for an additional 12 minutes. Taste a bit of rice and make sure it is only barely not done–if it is less done than that, cover and cook another 5 minutes. When barely not done, uncover, stir in the green onions and cilantro, then remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve with garnishes.