Friday, June 12, 2009

Easy Santa Fe Chicken

I've been working like crazy over here and tomorrow is the first day of summer school. Bleh. Not only bleh, but 6 straight hours of it with no real break between my two classes. So far the only things I can think to bring or snack type foods for bathroom breaks. We'll see how that goes.

However, when I get home from all that I want a real meal. But what to make? I have some leftover chicken broth and tomato paste, as well as a few yellow squash. I searched for some kind of chicken dish, but not impressed and mostly thought I could do better. So I did.

This is a typical recipe for me. 3 steps, 1 pan, easy no matter how hard you try to make it. This serves 2-3 people. Add or subtract whatever you want.

Easy Santa Fe Chicken

2 lb chicken parts (I used thighs and less than 2 lb)
a couple yellow squash
1 little can of corn, drained
1/2 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion, chopped
roughly 1 cup of chopped tomatoes or 3-4 T tomato paste
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth, or other simmering liquid
cooking oil
salt and pepper



Sear chicken over med-high in a little oil, 2-4 minutes a side depending on thickness. You're not cooking it through. Set aside and drain most of the oil from pan.



Saute yellow squash and onions over medium until soft, about 5 minutes with a lid on. Add garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Think ahead about this though. If you plan to let it simmer for a while, I would suggest not adding the squash until the next step so it still has some shape later.



Simmer all ingredients on low in the same pan, lid on but askew, for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, add chili powder if you like. You can finish by removing chicken and turning up the heat on the vegetables to cook off extra liquid. I just left it a little saucy. Serve with cheese or over rice if desired.

1 comment:

Mariana said...

I'm glad you're eating and cooking again. How was this?