The Chicken and Rice Bowl that Saved Dinner

There are 3 million chicken recipes on the internet. We're here to show you the good ones. Win, win.

Today: A Mexican-inspired dinner that hits on every weeknight dinner requirement.

Around mid-week, I start filtering potential dinner recipes through a set of requirements:

1. Must be simple to eat (we're talking fork, bowl, and done).
2. Must require a short trip to the grocery store (bonus points if it uses up errant ingredients from my refrigerator).
3. Must be as satisfying as it is easy to prepare.
4. Must pair well with my after-work beer.

This chile-roasted chicken and rice bowl had me at point one; then after a quick overview of its ingredient list, hooked me at point 2 (not only did I have all of the ingredients, but finally—a recipe to use up the head of cilantro in my crisper!); and locked me in as I read the instructions (beer and spice are the best of friends). This is the stuff of weeknight dinner dreams:

Chile-Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Rice

Serves 4

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)
1/2 medium red onion, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 cups loosely-packed cilantro
3 scallions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes), divided
1 jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped and seeded if less heat is desired
1 cup uncooked white rice
One 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth (or homemade broth)
1/2 cup sour cream

Save (and print) the full recipe here.

Photo by Mark Weinberg

Is there an undiscovered Food52 chicken recipe you love? Send us a paragraph or two at [email protected] about why you love it, and it could be next week's Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.