Once a Month Cooking:Cilantro Chicken
First of all, I have to tell you that the reason there is no picture of this dish is because I forgot to take it before I called everyone to the table and …uh..there was none left once they go there. It was like an invasion of locusts on a young green bean crop. At least you have a lovely picture of the cilantro from my garden, right? Oh wait…here is another ingredient….
I had organic chicken breasts in the freezer but there were not enough to go around if they were just grilled. We are at the end of our grocery cycle so there was not that much to be imaginative with…but the garden is full of warm, fragrant cilantro and so I sent Matt out to cut some. Well, I told him to cut alot.
He came back in with two cups of cilantro. Yep. Two.
Now, if you have never had fresh cilantro you are missing one of the best things about food, in my opinion. It has a flavor that is hard to describe, but tastes just like a warm, summer day. I have heard it described as a parsley/citrus taste but I disagree. It is aromatic, not spicy…but just…oh, just go buy some.
It is great with cheese dishes, beef, chicken, fish, vegetables…you name it.
Cilantro Chicken:
8 chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Muir Glen Fire Roasted diced tomatoes, one big can (or fresh, chopped tomatoes)
Green pepper or a couple of jalapenos
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 large onions chopped
2 cups of cilantro, chopped and bruised slightly.
Drizzle the casserole with olive oil, lay in the chicken breasts and cover with remaining ingredients. Bake at 375 until done, about 1 hour if chicken is frozen, 30 minutes if not.
Remove from oven and pull meat apart with a couple of forks or cut it in random pieces with a knife. Serve over brown Basmati rice.
Serves 12
This recipe will do great in a crockpot (about 8 hours on low). You can do it on top of the stove for a soupier dish. And, best of all, it freezes magnificently for your Once a Month Cooking schedule.
Images: Marye Audet
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POSTED IN: Casseroles, Freezer Cooking, Inspiration, Main Course, Make ahead, Once A Month Cooking, Quick and Easy
5 opinions for Once a Month Cooking:Cilantro Chicken
Julie F
Jun 23, 2008 at 10:46 am
I’ve heard it described as a slightly bitter orange/parsley taste. We Americans are so conditioned to like sweet and salty that we’ve forgotten how to enjoy pleasantly bitter.
I want to try some cilantro, do you think it would grow well in a window garden? I have to have plenty on hand for this recipe, it sounds delicious!
By the way, you really need to try garlic mustard on your chicken or in your salad! It’s a wild green, invasive, and the state/county loves it when you pick as much as you can carry!
Here are some good pictures, I bet you have some growing close by.
http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/food/edibleplants/garlicmustard/index.html
Marye
Jun 23, 2008 at 11:37 am
I have never seen anything like that butI wll look!
Cilantro does great in windows. I don;t find it bitter at all…The freshly picked is so much more intense than the store bought, even fresh.. and dried? Bleh..don;t bother.
jen of a2eatwrite
Jun 24, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Oh, this sounds… absolutely fabulous! Slower cooker and freezable and chicken and cilantro? I’m all over this!
Marye
Jun 24, 2008 at 3:11 pm
let me know what you think..it was so easy!
Food Blogger Round-up
Jun 30, 2008 at 11:04 am
[…] cilantro, especially this time of the year, fresh from the garden. Marye at Baking Delights has Cilantro chicken and Caprese Salad with Cilantro-Pecan Pesto, both sound […]
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