Last night I had to work until midnight at the Civic Center for a UCSF hospital benefit concert. It was a really long day, but I met a lot of new people and we had fun. Even though I slept in today, I still felt sleepy most of the day. I decided to turn to my spicy chicken recipe for lunch today, one of my go-to recipes when I am not really in the mood for cooking a difficult meal. I love this spicy chicken recipe because it is really easy to make, but incredibly flavorful at the same time – just a pinch of cayenne pepper really makes the whole dish. Its always nice to have a meal on the table in no time, especially on days when you get home late or are really busy with other things. I used free-range organic chicken breasts, and I always use fresh ones when I make this recipe because for some reason I never have luck with frozen chicken breasts. I just don’t. They always turn out dry, no matter what I do. One last tip: if you don’t like too spicy, use a little less cayenne pepper at first. This dish definitely has a kick to it 🙂
I have absolutely no plans this weekend, and I love it! No school, no studying…just freedom! It feels great. What is everyone up to this weekend? Have a good one!
Oh yeah, and here is a picture from day 5 of our trip…
Day #5: Arches National Park {my nerdy jumping picture at the beautiful Landscape Arch}
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika to a shallow bowl and mix together with a whisk or fork.
- Slice chicken breasts in half so you have four pieces and roll each one in the seasoning mixture, rubbing it evenly all around the chicken. (note: in the photo I decided not to cut my chicken breasts into smaller pieces and kept them whole)
- Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat (do not let it get to the smoking point) and add chicken breasts once hot.
- Fry each side for about 7 minutes, checking with a small incision from a knife in the center to ensure it is no longer pink. Juices should run clear when done.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa, 2008.
See this post on weekend potluck!
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Wow! We put cayenne pepper to most of our dishes and this recipe looks very tasty. We’re bookmarking this now. The nerdy jump looked fantastic btw. Now we’re thinking how come we don’t have a picture as fun as that!
Great effort by the expert, and a simple recipe for quick preparation of chicken. the spicy chicken can also be used as an appetizer, or a snack with tea in evening.
Awesome photo at the Arches – I totally love that!! 🙂