Spicy hot hot hot!

This recipe and its creator Chrissy Teigen, Sports Illustrated model and inspiration behind John Legend's romantic song, "All of Me," are as evidenced by the photo and title: Spicy hot Hot HOT!  Not just John Legend's personal eye candy, Chrissy is sassy, quick-witted, and LOVES food.  Uh, hello, clearly she's also my spirit sister. Check out Chrissy's blog, for delicious eats, unfiltered hilarity, and an inside look at the fabulous life as a model and wifey to John Legend.

Not only is this recipe crazy spicy but crazy delicious and easy to make.  The smoky flavors of spicy chipotle, sweet brown sugar, tangy lime and garlic always impresses a crowd, and you'll be floored at how easy it is to make. 

Dinner for one, quick and easy enough after a long day at work.

Or even feed a crowd!

 Literally throw all of your ingredients in a food processor or blender, and a few pulses later you've got an amazing full flavored marinade.  The vodka in this recipe helps to keep this marinade at a slushy like consistency, so it keeps in the freezer ready to use at a moments notice.  Make sure to make a big batch to have on hand at all times.  It's simple enough for a quick Monday night dinner after a long day at work, and perfect to just throw in the oven while entertaining your friends for a big family style dinner.  Don't forget that everything in this recipe is to taste, so feel free to add a lil' bit of this and a lil' bit of that until it suits your palate.  Too spicy?  Add more brown sugar and ketchup.  Love garlic or cilantro?  Go for it!  You'll easily find the chipotle chiles in a can in the "Ethnic Aisle/Corner" (cue eye roll) at your local market.

Chipotle Chicken & Mashed Potato Bar: Green Onions, Roasted Garlic Cloves,
Mexican Chorizo, Sour Cream, Cheddar Cheese

I love serving this alongside Chorizo Mashed Potatoes and a spring mix salad.  Chorizo Mashed Potatoes?!  You read correctly, friends.  Swap your tired bacon bits for chorizo, and you'll never look back!  If you've never had Chorizo before, it's a mexican ground sausage with deep complex flavors of ancho chili pepper, cumin, and coriander.  It's often paired with eggs and breakfast burritos, and from now on, you'll be pairing it with these creamy mashed potatoes.  Trust me.  To cook the chorizo, simply remove the casing and pan fry for 6-8 minutes until browned.  If I'm hosting dinner for a crowd, I love to serve a Mashed Potato Bar.  Simply boil and mash the potatoes with a generous slab of butter and few splashes of milk for creaminess.  Serve in a large bowl with separate smaller bowls for the accompaniments of sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, roasted garlic, and chorizo (See pic above).  Your guests can cater to their own tastes by mixing in their favorite toppings.  But if you ask me... load it on up with everything.  The roasted garlic lends a mellow sweetness, chorizo gives a yummy smokiness, the sour cream will cool down all the heat from the chicken, and the bright green onion flavor rounds out all the flavors.  Easily one of my favorite recipes and a crowd favorite with my friends, try this recipe for yourselves and let me know what you think!

Chipotle Chicken 
8 chipotle chiles in adobo

3/4 cup of vodka
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup adobo sauce, from chipotle can
4 clove garlic, chopped
3 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

8 Pieces of Chicken Thigh or Drumstick (preferably skin on)

Put all of your ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree.  The texture should be slightly thick almost fluffy.  You'll want it be thick enough to cling to the drumsticks and thighs.  Simply pull your frozen marinade straight out of the freezer, generously coat all sides of the chicken with the marinade, leaving 5-6 tablespoons of marinade at the bottom for dipping into later.  No need to pre-marinade the chicken, just put it straight in the oven.  You should have a cup or two of extra marinade left over, just put it in a ziploc and save it for next time.  Bake at 400 for 45 minutes, flipping the chicken once you've gotten a deep brown on one side and coat with marinade once more.  Bake until dark and carmelized on all sides, and the juices run clear when you slice into the deepest part of the leg/thigh.  Use your extra marinade on shrimp or pork chops. Saute your shrimp or pork chops with a few heaping tablespoons and serve over a mixed green salad for a quick 5 minute dinner.

xoxo, 
   Sweets & Sass