Al Pastor Pico Chicken
with Zesty Lime Rice & Smoky Red Pepper Crema
- Milk
We can never get enough of sweet and savory combos for dinner, which is why we’re head-over-heels for al pastor. Traditionally, the dish features pineapple-marinated pork shoulder that’s spit-roasted until caramelized and meltingly tender. For this riff on the classic, we swap in pork chops, which we rub with Southwest spices, then sear until juicy. The pineapple actually makes not one, but two appearances: The juice is simmered with rich spices and lime to form a tantalizing pan sauce, while the fruit is chopped and stirred into a fresh salsa. It’s all served with zesty rice and smoky red pepper crema.
Ingredients
2 tablespoon
Smoky Red Pepper Crema
(Contains: Milk)
12 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1 unit
Lime
2 unit
Scallions
¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 unit
Tex-Mex Paste
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
¼ ounce
Cilantro
4 ounce
Pineapple
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • In a small pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While rice cooks, drain pineapple over a small bowl, reserving juice; roughly chop. Zest and quarter lime. Roughly chop cilantro. Trim and thinly slice scallions. • To bowl with pineapple juice, stir in Tex-Mex paste, 2 TBSP water (3 TBSP for 4 servings), and juice from half the lime.
• In a medium bowl, combine cilantro, scallions, chopped pineapple, and a squeeze of lime juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pat pork* dry with paper towels and season all over with half the Southwest Spice (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes per side. TIP: If seasoning begins to burn before pork is cooked through, reduce heat to medium. • Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board. Wipe out pan.
Swap in chicken for pork; cook 3-5 minutes per side.
• Return pan used for pork to mediumhigh heat. Add pineapple juice mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly reduced, 2-3 minutes. • Remove from heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until melted.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in lime zest and season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice pork crosswise. • Divide rice between bowls and top with pork. Drizzle pork with pan sauce, then garnish with pineapple salsa and smoky red pepper crema. Serve with any remaining lime wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the rich, flavorful sauces and how well the tastes blended together. Some found the Tex-Mex seasoning overpowering.
- Ease of prep: Several mentioned it was easy to modify for picky eaters or dietary needs.
- Suggestions: Consider adding jalapeños to the salsa for extra kick. Try swapping tomato for pineapple if you prefer.
- Portions: Some felt it needed more vegetables to be a balanced meal. Adding broccoli as a side worked well.
Reviews from our home cooks
Favorite meal in this week's box. We really liked how the flavors blended so well together. Super good!
My favorite yet! I am allergic to pineapple so I swapped in tomato instead which was fabulous. The sauces were so rich and flavorful.
This is the bomb!!!! OMG! The chicken with the topping was delicious!!! Big hit with the family!
Loved it! Would have liked some jalapeno in the salsa, and we made some broccoli to go with it. But the chicken, sauce and rice were delicious!
Good and tasty. We always toss the white rice and use a medley of brown and grains. Would be great if you offered an option for this.
Very tasty, but needs more vegetables to be a balanced meal.
