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I think one of the things that I'm most excited about is the fact that Mandi and I are going to be home for 4 consecutive nights! Why am I so excited? Because it means we can get back into our cooking groove. We love to explore new recipes and try our hand at stuff that seems unique. This was our attempt at Blackened Chicken with Avocado Salsa with a review to follow. If you'd like to see the original recipe, click here.
Ingredients: Chicken, Papaya, Salt, Red Bell Peppers, Cilantro, Avocado, Rice Vinegar, Olive Oil, Salt, Cumin, Blackened Seasoning
Lightly seasoned chicken thrown into hot pan with oil
Sliced and diced avocado
Never purchased a papaya before
Rice Vinegar, Oil, Avocado, Bell Pepper and Papaya
Baked chicken
Serve and enjoy!
Prep Time: About 15 minutes (with two people)
Cook Time: About 15 minutes (not including searing chicken)
Total Time: About 25 minutes
What we liked:
I LOVED the salsa. I was a little worried I wouldn't because I'm on the fence about avocado (I keep trying it because it's pretty good, but it's not a home run for me every time). I also didn't know how I felt about papaya. So I was a little nervous if I'd like something that was avocado and papaya together - with a whole bunch of other stuff that I didn't know how the flavors would be. But it was a slam dunk. The flavors were so yummy together. I ate more salsa than I did chicken.
Which brings me to the chicken. The flavor was great. And usually I'm not a fan of chicken breast (but that's all we get because it's all Ronnie will eat - I prefer dark meat), but the way it was cooked (thanks to chef Ronnie) it was moist and not dry (my biggest beef with white meat) and because it was paired with the salsa it was even less dry.
I loved this as a spring/summer meal. It would be just perfect on a hot summer night sitting outside on the patio. It was light and refreshing.
This meal seemed very light, fresh and clean. The three things I love finding in a meal.
The salsa, if broken down into individual ingredients, I probably wouldn't be fond of, but when they were thrown all together it really worked.
For all that it had going on, it was really easy to prepare and put together.
I loved that I was able to go back for seconds and still not feel stuffed.
What we'd change:
I'm actually having a tough time coming up with what I'd change, but:
I'd have a different side. We had it with canned green beans, but I think a corn on the cob or something else summery could be yummy.
I'd consider adding something to the salsa with a bit of a spicy kick. As I said, the salsa was amazing, but I think it could also be good with a little spice to it.
I wish I had more, but this was just too yummy!!
I would probably add another component to the salsa to try and make it even better.
Our avocado wasn't quite as ripe as it could have been and it would have been nice to try with proper avocado.
I would season the chicken just a pinch more than I did.
I had green beans for a side, but would like one that complimented the meal more.
Here's our overall rating (with 1 being the worst meal we've ever had and 10 being the best):
Mandi's Rating:
9.5 - Best meal we've made at home in a long time!! I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today!!!
Ronnie's Rating: 8.0
Again, if you guys have any suggestions on how this is laid out or what you guys would like to see answered/done differently, please let us know :)
