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I’m pretty sure everyone winds up in a cooking slump every now and then. Like…you’re making the same meals over and over again and you kind of dread dinnertime. And, chances are if you have kids that you’re already (consciously or subconsciously) gearing your meal-planning at least somewhat around them. And they still complain about dinner 5 out of 7 nights a week. And if you’re trying to eat healthy, that knocks out a whole category of fun cooking.
I have a little secret for you, and I hope you won’t love me less (or hate me more) if I tell you: sometimes I burn out in the kitchen, too. Sometimes all I want are peanut butter sandwiches and cold cereal and yogurt and apples and sugar snap peas and hummus (uh, hummus from the grocery store, because a burnt-out food blogger does not make her own hummus.) It doesn’t mean I don’t love you guys or this crazycoolfunweird experience, but, like any other thing that consumes a good portion of time and energy and resources, sometimes I need a break.
So in August, I busted my butt and made a Hello Kitty chore chart for myself and knocked out 6 weeks worth of posts. And then…I made peanut butter sandwiches and ordered pizza and we basically ate like hobos. I helped out at my kids’ school and binge-watched a certain TV show that rhymes with “shaking Vlad” and got caught up on my laundry. And it was wonderful. After about a month, I was itching to get back in the kitchen, to get behind my camera, to start developing recipes and get excited about others’ recipes.
This idea had been percolating in my brain for awhile and after my break, it was ready. I took our fauxtisserie chicken method and gave it a little Southwestern twist.
You’re going to need a whole 3-4 pound chicken (by the way, did you see this news about washing chicken? I’m feeling a little lost, I’m not gonna lie. Old habits die hard. Also remembering that time that I didn’t rinse it and was super sorry I didn’t.), 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of minced cilantro, 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies, 1/2 heaping teaspoon of kosher salt, and the zest of a lime.
Loosen chicken skin by sliding your hand between the skin and the breast and wiggling it around (yeah, I know…) Combine butter, garlic, cilantro, adobo (see the sauce in there? Just stick your measuring spoon in and get what you need),
salt, and lime zest
and rub it under the skin of the chicken. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the chicken rub except for the lime juice.
Massage it all over the chicken. Stuff inside of chicken with whole cloves of garlic, the spent limes, and a handful of cilantro.
If desired, sprinkle the whole chicken with very coarse salt and black pepper.
Place 3 pieces of balled up aluminum foil in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the chicken on it, breast side up.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serves 4-6.
If you want to know what to do with the leftovers, sit tight–that one’s coming soon!
Garlic Lime Chipotle Roasted Chicken
Recipe by Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
1 3-4-lb. whole chicken
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely minced
1 tablespoon adobo from chipotle chilies
1/2 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
zest of 1 lime
Sweet and Spicy Wet Rub
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
Enough freshly squeezed lime juice to make a slightly runny paste
Instructions
Loosen chicken skin by sliding your hand between the skin and the breast and wiggling it around. Combine butter, garlic, cilantro, adobo, salt, and lime zest and rub it under the skin of the chicken. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the chicken rub. Massage it all over the chicken. Stuff inside of chicken with whole cloves of garlic, the spent limes, and a handful of cilantro. If desired, sprinkle the whole chicken with very coarse salt and black pepper.
Place 3 pieces of balled up aluminum foil in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the chicken on it, breast side up. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serves 4-6.
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This recipe looks DIVINE, and I must try it! But I have a weird question: are the cloves stuffed in the chicken unpeeled? Does that actually work? Or am I just seeing the picture wrong???
I didn’t know I was a famous food blogger, but I know for sure that *I* wrote the first paragraph of this post, so you’re welcome! I don’t mind the actual cooking-it’s the coming up with ideas, spending all the time preparing it, and THEN being ridiculed by my children because they hate it so much!
“Shaking Vlad” hahahahaha! Now I love you MORE! Isn’t it the best show ever? Were you dying over the series finale?! Oh, and the chicken looks yummy too 😉
Sounds delightful. So why don’t they just make a bottle of Adobo sauce? We all buy it in cans, take the tablespoon we need then waste the rest right? Or is that just me?
I would love to see your Hello Kitty chore chart. Maybe that’s what I need to get my butt in gear!
Could you bottle it up and refrigerate it after it’s opened? Or freeze into very small portions, say an ice cube size?
I purée the whole can and liquid and then freeze it in ice cube dishes. It stains so only use the trays for foods.
I just throw the leftovers in a ziplock bag and freeze.
Is there an issue with the “save this recipe” function? Every recipe I try to save changes into Southwestern Brown Rice Salad somehow. And while that DOES sound delish, I really wanted to save this chicken recipe! LOL! Just letting you know there may be an issue.
Guess I should have read Catherine’s comment first! Sorry! But it is happening to me as well.
I totally understand the kitchen burn out and like the rest of us, you are entitled to burn out occasionally. Just because this is what you do for a living doesn’t mean you are super human. We all get burned out with the work we do from time to time. That being said, this chicken looks awesome! Thank you!
I suspect you mean a 3-4 lb. chicken, not 3-4 chickens. Otherwise the recipe looks very interesting. Company worthy!
Ah, I see it in the recipe; it’s the text above which says 3-4 chickens. Should have read farther. Sorry.
Sounds delicious! There seems to be a problem with the Ziplist Recipe Box, every time I try to save something from your site, it saves your brown rice recipe.
I am happy to hear your secret, Kate! It makes this busy mommy in particular feel better about having, on occasion, offered up a bowl of cereal for dinner like it is a treat and felt relief that my kiddos were happy about it 🙂
I really like your fauxtisserie chicken, and am happy to have another version to try ~ I use both of your books often, and can’t wait until you put out another 🙂 A big Thank You to you and Sara for all of the effort you put into helping the millions of other busy mommies out there!!