I've had tons of requests for my chicken recipe so I decided to write it all out. I usually make this chicken on Sunday and use it in my rice bowls, salads or anything else I am trying to quickly put together throughout the week. Having protein in the fridge makes it much easier to eat at home and avoid eating out. They key is having it prepped and accessible.
I had to wait to write this recipe till after I made the chicken again just to measure my seasoning amounts because I honestly never use a measuring spoon. I just throw everything into a skillet and call it a day. I am defininlt not a "follow the recipe" gal but I think if you follow my blog you know I am your typical girl rebel in that sense.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Clean up time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
5 pounds chicken breast, or chicken thighs if you want them juicy. This comes out to about 3 trays of chicken from Trader Joe's.
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you prefer)
salt & pepper to taste
Directions: wash and soak chicken in white vinegar for 15 minutes*. Cut chicken in 1 inch pieces and remove any excess fat. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet (I love using my cast iron pan) on medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir until golden brown. Drain all excess fluids then return chicken to skillet on medium-low heat. This is when I season the chicken (otherwise the fluids just waste all the seasoning). Add all seasonings and stir until chicken is fully cooked and crispy. Let cool then put in a Tupperware for storage. This chicken will be fresh and edible at least 5 days in the fridge. Just make sure you don't heat the entire Tupperware every time you want to use the chicken. Keep it in the fridge and only heat what you want to eat.
*I always wash my chicken in vinegar and soak it afterwards. Is this scientific or just cultural? To tell you the truth I think it's more cultural than anything BUT bacteria is susceptible to acids and vinegar can help kill bacteria lingering on your chicken. Can heat do the same thing? Yes. So is this repetitive? Probably but it makes me feel better and it certainly does reduce the chicken-aroma which I am not a fan of. Sure, you could just rinse your chicken with plain water before cooking with it, but the FDA's current stance is to eschew rinsing meat or poultry to avoid splattering bacteria-laden liquid across your sink and countertops. Well, when you soak the chicken in vinegar and wash it it's much easier to avoid contaminating your sink and countertops SO there is an advantage to this mad method.
