Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in my house and I am always looking for new recipes to use because sometimes chicken can be boring.  I found a recipe today, it sounded delicious, I figured why not try it.  I made some changes to it from the original recipe.  I doubled the dry rub, used the chipotle chile powder, used fresh garlic, and used chicken stock for added flavor.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken - Servings 4

Dry Rub:
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (crushed red pepper)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (this would be 1 clove of real garlic, 1 clove minced = 1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder (this will add a lot of spice.  It is a smoky spicy and delicious!)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, pounded.  You can use breasts instead of thighs, I like to use boneless skinless thighs and trim away any of the extra fat.  Thighs are juicy and more flavorful than breasts.

2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 small cloves garlic minced
3 limes juiced
1/3 c. chicken stock

1. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl or a bag, I prefer bag because its easier to coat the chicken.  Evenly coat chicken with dry rub.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Saute chicken until golden brown, do no flip chicken  repeatedly cook for about 5-6 (this can differ depending on thickness) minutes on one side and then flip to do the other side.  This will prevent the chicken from drying out.  Add the minced garlic, lime juice and chicken stock.  Cook on a low heat, covered for about 5-10 minutes.  If you can't cover the skillet spoon the sauce over the chicken continuously.  This will allow the chicken to absorb the flavor of the lime and stay moist.

I served this with steamed broccoli and real mashed potatoes.

This dish was delicious!!!!  A little on the spicy side but the creaminess of the mashed potatoes helped tone down the spiciness of the chicken.  I was afraid that it would be al little to garlicy with 4 cloves and the garlic powder but it wasn't at all!  Very tender, cut it with a fork.  It took about 30 minutes, maybe a little less.  Nic wasn't home yet so I put the skillet in the oven at  170° fahrenheit for about 15 minutes to keep it warm, it was incredibly moist and flavorful.  This is definitely going in the recipe box.