We are heading into our first “real” winter. The Godfather and I have never actually lived somewhere with “seasons” in the traditional sense. We knew rainy season and not so rainy, blistering hot, and the beach at Christmas – not snow. I really don’t want to think about that right now. I want to cling to the last few rays of warm sunshine, revel in the amazing fall colors and crisp apple-picking weather to come, and not think about what’s coming after. It’s still swimsuit season here and we shall eat accordingly.
Kidding. Kind of. But it never hurts to have an easy and healthy tropical-inspired dish to provide a pick-me-up in any weather (even if it is actually still really nice outside right now).
One thing I love about Cuban food is that so many of the recipes rely on using fresh herbs and vegetables for flavor, making it a very easy cuisine to incorporate when eating clean.
This chicken recipe is inspired by the standard grilled chicken you’d get at most Cuban restaurants – lots of citrus, lots of garlic, a little parsley, and onions. I used limes in the recipe because they’re easier to find, BUT, if you can find fresh naranja agria (sour orange), please please PLEASE use this in the same quantities. The flavor is amazing and it’s even more authentic.
Clean Eating Cuban-Style: Slow Cooker Cuban Chicken
Clean eating with Caribbean flair - a Cuban-inspired crockpot chicken
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lb organic chicken, gizzards removed
- 8 cloves garlic
- juice of 2 limes
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 c fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Slice the onion into strips, then toss with the olive oil. Put the onions in your crock pot and set aside.
- Smash the 8 cloves of garlic and then using a mortar and pestle, or a food processor, combine the garlic, lime juice, lime zest, parsley, and salt to form a very chunky paste. If you use the food processor, just pulse 2-3 times for about a second.
- Rub the garlic mixture all over the chicken, then place the chicken in the crock pot. Pour over any remaining marinade.
- Cook the chicken on low 7-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours until cooked through.
- Enjoy!