Honey-Lime Chicken with Coconut-Black Bean Rice

I am going to tell you, the first time I made this and told Murray what we were having for dinner, his response was, "Really?"  (In Murray's defense, he usually never doubts what I cook and is always looks forward to what is for dinner.)

After he took the first bite, he changed his tune.  So, if you look at the ingredients in the dish and think, "tortilla chips, chicken, really?" just trust me and try this dish!  It is a great, summer time, fresh dish.  

So, here is what you need:

1 can coconut milk

salt and pepper

1 cup jasmine rice

3 to 4 chicken breasts, split

crushed tortilla chips

1/4 cup honey

zest of one lime

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

olive oil

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 chopped red bell pepper

chopped fresh cilantro

1.  The secret ingredient that makes the rice so tasty and just melt with the honey-lime chicken is the coconut milk.  Use the amount of coconut milk that your rice calls for water.  Bring coconut milk and salt to boil; stir in rice.  Reduce heat to simmer until the rice is tender.  Make sure to taste to see if more salt is needed.

2.  Whisk together 1/4 cup honey, zest of one lime, and 1/3 cup fresh lime juice.  Set aside half of honey mixture.

For the record, the zester is one of the most used tools in our kitchen!

3.  Place tortilla crumbs in shallow dish.
From experience, the best way to crush the tortilla chip is to put them in the food processor.  I tried to crush them by hand to keep from dirtying more dishes, but it is not worth it!  Pull out the food pro!  It is worth the extra awkward dish to wash.

4.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dip chicken in honey mixture, then dredge in crushed tortilla chips

5.  Cook chicken in large nonstick skillet over medium-high until cooked all way.  You will have to cook in two batches.

6.  Stir black beans and red pepper into rice.

7.  Top the rice with cilantro and chicken.

8.  Then most importantly, drizzle honey mixture over chicken.

Mmmm, this is soooo good!  Just typing this makes me want to go cook it again right now.  Enjoy!