Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville

Finally we fill the tortillas with Margarita Chicken. Yes, this can be done in a crock pot, I don't cook much in the crock pot, but I figure you are looking at 3 hours at a medium to low heat. If you like to venture into adding alcohol to your cooking please feel free to add 1/2 cup tequila to your marinade. If you are really in a pinch for time, you don't need to marinade and you can just cook the chicken,onion, and chili's- chop it up and then add the other ingredients and cook uncovered on the stove top for 20 minutes. You will not get the as intense of a flavor, but it still works out great. And let me tell you that the leftovers are great the next day on a salad...mmmmm yummy!

MARGARITA CHICKEN
1/2 cup margarita mix
¼ cup lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
¼ cup cilantro
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup chili peppers diced (mild)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Combine ingredients 9except for cilantro-I like to add it at the very end) in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Place chicken in baking dish-be sure to spray it with cooking spray. Pour marinade over. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
In a baking dish, bake the chicken (in the marinade), covered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove chicken from the marinade and let rest for a few minutes. Chop the chicken into little pieces (or you can shred it) and return to the remaining marinade. Cook uncovered for another fifteen minutes, until chicken has absorbed the marinade. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Above I mentioned salad...here is a Southwestern Cobb recipe and two absolutely fantastic dressing recipes as well. Happy eating and have a great weekend!
HONEY LIME DRESSING
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tsp chopped jalapeño pepper
Combine all ingredients except oils and blend together. Emulsify the oil into the other ingredients slowly.

CUCUMBER RANCH
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, pureed
3 green onions, chopped
5 Tablespoons minced parsley
2 teaspoons celery seed
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
pinch of cayenne
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

SOUTHWESTERN COBB

1/2 head iceberg lettuce shredded
½ head of romaine lettuce shredded
6 slices of bacon, chopped
3 tomatoes chopped fine
3 green onions chopped fine
½ jalapeno, chopped very fine
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped fine
3 ripe avocados
½ cup shredded jicima
½ cup pepper jack cheese shredded
1 fresh lime
3 Tablespoons fresh chives
In a large salad bowl toss together well the romaine and iceberg lettuce. In a skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp and transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Halve, pit, and peel the avocados and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeño together making a pico de gallo. Arrange the chicken, the bacon, jicima, pico de gallo, and the avocado decoratively over the greens and garnish the salad with the grated cheese and chives. Serve with cucumber ranch dressing.