Chicken Picante and Rice

Yesterday, my friend and I had lunch at an Applebee’s restaurant near my house. The food was good, and it gave me the idea to create this meal today. It is simple. Use a store-bought picante sauce, any brand-name picante that fits your taste is okay. The quinoa-cranberry rice that was served with the meal yesterday at Applebee’s impressed me more than the lime chicken. Therefore, I just make picante chicken with my cooked quiona rice instead of the lime chicken. I think the chicken picante will be tastier than the lime chicken by far and goes very well with quiona-cranberry rice. After baking the chicken, feel free to top it with cheddar cheese or any kind that suits you. I personally like to keep my recipe on the healthier side by keeping it a very lean dish without cheese topping. Here it is!!

Ingredients:
Two chicken breasts
1 ½ cups picante sauce

1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped white onions
Salt and pepper to taste
Quinoa-cranberry rice ingredients:
1 cup combination of quinoa, red rice, and brown rice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp coconut oil(optional)
Other ingredients:
Chopped cilantro and green onions
Lime wedges

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Pound the chicken evenly or use the knife to butterfly-cut the chicken breasts.

Place chicken onto a baking pan. Mix picante sauce with garlic, onions, salt, black pepper, and olive oil (taste the sauce before adding salt to the sauce). Pour sauce to cover chicken. Bake in the

preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
While the chicken is happily baking in the sauce, rinse the quiona rice and place into the rice cooker.

Add chicken broth and dried cranberries and then season with some salt and honey.

 Close the lid and turn the cooker on. The rice will be done in 1 hour or less, but it depends on the rice cooker manufacturer that you use.
Place some of the quiona- cranberry rice on a plate with chicken picante. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onions. Use lime wedges for decoration or squeeze their juices over the rice.