Chipotle Glazed Roast Chicken Tacos with Pumpkin Rice

I was shopping for groceries this week and enjoyed one of those magical days when everything I was looking for was on special - including roaster chickens. And since I'd been dreaming all week of a crispy roast chicken inspired by Mexican flavours like chipotle, honey, and citrus, I snapped that special up!

 I also took a quick trip to the Farmer's Market to pick up a small pumpkin for a coordinating dish I wanted to make for "Pumpkin Rice."

Put those together in a soft fresh burrito shell with some fresh avocado, cilantro, and chipotle sauce, and you have a feast for the eyes and taste buds!

To learn how to put this beautiful "Fiesta Dinner" together, please enjoy this week's featured video:



The printable recipes can be found here:

• Chipotle Glazed Roast Chicken 
• Pumpkin Rice

Chipotle Glazed Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 3 pound chicken
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice\
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 garlic clove
• 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions

1. Rub the chicken all over, in the cavity, and under the skin with the kosher salt. Cover, and set aside in the fridge for two hours. 
2. Make the chipotle sauce by blending the orange juice, lime juice, honey, garlic, chipotle peppers and 6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a food processor until smooth.
3. After two hours, remove the chicken from the fridge and massage all over with 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil. Massage in the cumin and chili poder and roast at 375 for app 1 hour or until the chicken is almost cooked through and the skin is crispy.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 425 and brush the entire chicken with 1/4 cup of the chipotle sauce. Roast for about 15 minutes longer until a thermometer inserted between the thigh and the breast registers 165 degrees. If the skin begins to brown too much, cover with tin foil for the last part of the roasting. 
5. Let rest 5 minutes, carve, and serve with the chipotle sauce on the side. 
6. If making soft tacos, fill a soft flour burrito shell with pumpkin rice, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, the chicken, and the chipotle sauce. Fold into a burrito style wrap and enjoy.

Pumpkin Rice 

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced white onion
• 1 cup cubed pumpkin or other winter squash
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup cilantro
• juice of 1/4 lime
• 1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/ 2 tsp salt and pepper

Directions

1. Saute the onion and pumpkin over medium high heat in the extra virgin olive oil until the onion is beginning to caramelize.
2. Add the rice, cumin, and chili powder and continue to saute one minute until the rice begins to toast.
3. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes until rice is cooked through.
4. Toss in the pumpkin seeds, cilantro, salt, pepper, and lime juice

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Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.