The Meatwave

I'm so over boneless skinless chicken breasts. There was a time where I could not survive without them, but unless I'm frying them to make schnitzel, they no longer have any place in my diet. They represent a lifeless lazy food to me and their convenience does not out weigh the often dry, tasteless meals they produce. That being said, last week I played the role of total hypocrite by reverting to my old ways in the name of saving time for weeknight grilling, but the end results were pleasant enough that I feel confident in passing them along to you.

I ended up in this time bind because I focused my dinner around what I wanted for a side, grilled sweet potatoes. With my attention diverted, I wanted a main course that was simple to grill and didn't require much thought, but also would play well with the potatoes. Chipotles were the first thing to come to mind, I find their smoky spiciness to be an excellent compliment to the sweetness of the potatoes.

I started my search with that one idea, but chipotle recipe after chipotle recipe required long marinades that just didn't fly with my hurried schedule. So I started thinking of other ingredients that could deliver on flavor without any drawn out wait. Lime was a logical next step, since the sweet potatoes would be dressed with a lime vinaigrette. "Chipotle Lime Chicken" went into Google, and out popped a recipe that was everything I was looking for, but featured the dreaded boneless skinless chicken breast.

Yes, I could have chosen to do this recipe with something other than boneless skinless breasts. I could have gone with bone-in breasts, which cook up much tastier since they have their skin in place, which equals more fat, which equals more deliciousness, but those take longer to cook. I could have gone with chicken thighs, but while dark meat is where I go first for chicken, the fiancee does not find them to be as agreeable as I do. Options low, time almost non-existent, it seemed as if I was headed down a path sure to end in disappointment.

I don't know if low expectations played an influence, but I was pleasantly surprised with outcome. The chicken breast itself still was rather tasteless, but the flavor of the marinade over powered my disdain and made me a happy eater. As I had hoped, the sweet/smoky/spiciness of the chicken went great with the sweet potatoes, and alternating bites between side and main created a very satisfying meal.

I still haven't given up my contempt for the boneless skinless chicken breast, and I would advise you to try this recipe with other cuts of poultry, but if you're in a pinch (or just lazy) as I was, I don't think you can really go too wrong here.

Published on Sun May 18, 2008 by Joshua Bousel

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