Salsa Macha Chicken & Rice Bowls
with Fajita Veggies & Crema
Level up your cooking skills and make savory, versatile salsa macha from scratch. Hailing from Veracruz, Mexico, salsa macha is a spicy oil infused with fried garlic, nuts, and seeds. Here, you’ll spoon it over seared Mexican-spiced chicken cutlets and fajita veggies over a bed of fluffy rice, but you can use it to spice up almost anything—fried eggs, tacos, taters, you name it! Drizzle your rice bowls with tangy crema and a shower of chopped cilantro, and boom! You’ve mastered a new, crowd-pleasing condiment.
2 clove
Garlic
½ ounce
Peanuts
()
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
1 unit
Red Onion
¼ ounce
Cilantro
¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 tablespoon
Fajita Spice Blend
5 teaspoon
White Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon
Sesame Seeds
()
1 teaspoon
Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon
Mexican Spice Blend
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
()
Salt
4 tablespoon
Cooking Oil
½ teaspoon
Sugar
• Wash and dry produce. • Peel and thinly slice garlic. Roughly chop peanuts. Halve, core, and thinly slice green pepper into strips. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Roughly chop cilantro.
• In a small pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a big 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, heat 2 TBSP oil (4 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-low heat. Stir in garlic and 2 tsp Fajita Spice Blend (4 tsp for 4). (Be sure to measure the Fajita Spice Blend—we sent more!) Cook, stirring, until garlic begins to crisp and turn lightly golden and spices are fragrant, 1-2 minutes. • Turn off heat; carefully transfer to a medium bowl and stir in ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4). (You’ll add more to the bowl in the next step.) Wipe out pan.
• Heat 1 TBSP oil (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in same pan over medium-low heat. Add peanuts; cook, stirring frequently, until toasted and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. • Carefully add 1 TBSP vinegar (2 TBSP for 4) to pan. Cook, stirring, until vinegar has mostly evaporated, 30 seconds more. Transfer to bowl with garlic oil. • Add sesame seeds and as much hot sauce as you like; season with salt to taste. Stir to combine.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and onion and lightly season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies begin to soften, 2-3 minutes. • Stir in half the Mexican Spice Blend (you’ll use the rest in the next step); cook, stirring, until veggies are lightly browned, 1-2 minutes more. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Wipe out pan.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels and season all over with remaining Mexican Spice Blend and salt. • Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for veggies over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. (TIP: If chicken is browning too quickly, reduce heat to medium.) Transfer to a cutting board.
• Meanwhile, place sour cream in a small bowl. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt. • Fluff rice with a fork. • Thinly slice chicken crosswise. • Divide rice between bowls. Top with chicken and fajita veggies in separate sections; drizzle everything with crema and as much salsa macha as you like. (TIP: Refrigerate any extra salsa macha in an airtight container for up to 3 days.) Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
- Flavor: Many loved the unique salsa macha, finding it delicious and versatile. Some found the dish bland or lacking cohesion.
- Ease of prep: Several noted it was time-consuming and complex to make, with many steps and dishes to clean.
- Suggestions: Consider adding beans, corn, or extra peppers for more flavor and texture. Try slicing chicken before cooking for better seasoning.
- Portions: Some wanted more veggies, especially peppers, to balance the onions and rice.
- Sauce: The salsa macha was polarizing; fans loved it, while others found it gritty or oily. Consider adjusting oil amount.
