Broiled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Mexican Style Brown Rice, Fresh Avocado Salsa and Baked Plantain Chips

This is a meal I put together for dinner this week. The chicken is full of flavor, but it's not spicy. So, it's a meal that kids should love! Growing up with a Cuban dad, I've learned to love plantains. They are usually fried, but this method makes them much lighter by baking them. They make great chips to serve with the rest of the salsa.

Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped

Salsa:
2 ripe avocados, diced
1 ripe tomato (1 cup)
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup diced red or green onion
1/8 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
sprinkle of black pepper

Rice:
1 cup brown rice
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 of one cube Caldo de Pollo mexican chicken boullion cube (found in the mexican section of the grocery store)
water to make 2 cups when combined with the tomatoes

Baked Plantain chips:
1 green plantain, sliced into thin slices lengthwise into strips or into rings
1 tbsp canola oil
kosher salt



For the chicken, combine all of the ingredients. Place in a Ziploc bag and marinate for one hour or overnight.

For the salsa, combine all of the salsa ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the rice, heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and sautee about 4 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the rice. Cook 4 more minutes, stirring every minute. Add the garlic clove. Sautee one minute. Combine the tomatoes and boullion cube in a measuring cup. Add water to make 2 cups. Pour over the rice. Stir once. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 50 minutes.

For the plantain chips, drizzle with one tbsp canola oil. Toss to coat. Place in an even layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Flip over the pieces and bake about 5 minutes more, until golden on the second side. Place in a serving bowl or on a serving tray.

When the rice has 20 minutes left, cook the chicken. Preheat the broiler in the oven. Spray a baking sheet or broiler pan with cooking spray. Broil the chicken for 6 minutes, then flip over and broil for 6 minutes on the other side, or until completely cooked through. Serve chicken topped with a spoonful of the avocado salsa, a handful of plantain chips and a side of rice. Serves 4.