Tonight I made Chicken Machaca — a stir-fry with southwestern flavors — and Mexican Red Rice. Both of these recipes come from The Border Cookbook, which focuses on home cooked meals from the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. This is another one of those books where we’ve yet to find a dud.

Chris says:

I love the consistency of this rice. It’s really moist without being goopy. Much better than those “just add water” pre-mix ones you can buy.

Lisa says:

Yum, I really like it. What was all that grinding going on in here?

Chris says:

I used the coffee grinder for the cumin in the chicken and to grind New Mexico chiles for the rice.

Lisa says:

I’m glad we’re getting some use out of that thing, we don’t make coffee at home!

Chris says:

Yeah it works perfectly! And the freshly ground spices seem to be more intense than those jars that have been sitting in the cabinet for months.

Lisa says:

I [heart] fajitas, and this chicken is almost like fajitas.

Chris says:

Yeah it’s really close… but what it’s stir-fried with has a much different flavor than you usually find with fajitas. There’s soy sauce in there.

Lisa says:

Well I [heart] them just the same!

Chicken Machaca
—————
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
cilantro, for garnish

Pound the chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut in long 1/2-inch wide strips. In a large skillet over high heat, warm the oil. Swirl the oil around the pan to coat completely, and add the chicken. Cook the chicken, stirring often, until just done. Remove with a slotted spoon to another plate and set aside. Add the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and cumin. Cook another 2 minutes, then add the chicken back to the pan and heat through.
Garnish with cilantro.

4-6 Servings

Mexican Red Rice
—————-
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp ground New Mexico chile
3/4 tbsp salt

In a medium saucepan, warm the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add the rice and tomatoes, stirring for a couple of minutes so that the rice is coated with the oil. Add the stock, chile, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-18 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let steam, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

4-6 Servings