Breaking out of a rut requires one major step.. You have to want to! I page through my cookbooks occasionally, just looking for inspiration when my imagination isn't up to it! Haven't had Tex-Mex in a while, and the flavor of chili, tomato, and spices was sounding good... I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts- and then it hit me! Why not try to make a casserole with the flavor print of Arroz con Pollo ( chicken and rice)? I used V-8 juice as the liquid, infused with taco sauce to cook the white rice in. Cubed, seasoned cooked chicken simmered right along in it.. spices were; garlic, onion, taco seasoning, ground Jalapenos, and Mexican oregano. Into a casserole dish, cooking the rice normally would take 20 min.- plan for about an hour this way! 400F is a good temp... After rice has absorbed all the liquid, top with 8oz. of shredded co-jack cheese, and bake for another 10 minutes, until melted.
This was really good! I believe even making a well known dish- in a new way, is worth a gamble! This is simpler, and just as tasty as the traditional way this is made- go with your instincts once in a while, you may be creating a new award winning recipe!
Oh yeah, the side with this was homemade cole slaw- a wonderful foil to the spice and richness of the dish..
