Southwestern Chicken

Several years ago, right before The Hubs & I got married, I was living at home with my parents and working for my dad. I'm not really sure how my parents felt about having a child move back in with them after they just got the 4th and final one out of the house. But I am pretty sure that mom appreciated having someone else cook on occasion. My Southwestern Chicken recipe was one thing I made that my dad really enjoyed. (In fact, he had me write down the recipe for him so he could use it with his Boy Scouts on their camp outs because it's so easy).


Ingredients:

* 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 can Mexican corn, drained
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 handful cilantro, finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 cup picante sauce
* 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* Salt & Pepper
* Monterey-Jack cheese, shredded (optional)



Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl.



3. Spread a small amount of this mixture in the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish.



4. Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Place chicken breasts in the dish and season with salt & pepper.



5. Pour the remained of the mixture over the chicken & spread evenly.



6. Lightly cover with foil and bake at 400 until chicken is cooked through (30-45 minutes).

7. Remove foil, sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

My Tid-Bits:

* You'll notice I don't have pictures of the last few steps or final product. That's because The Hubs was standing in front of the oven, staring through the little window & repeatedly saying "I'm SOOO hungry!" Granted, he had a reason to be SOOO hungry...it was almost 8:00. I confess that I didn't get the chicken out to defrost early enough, so I was running a bit behind (and I REFUSE to defrost chicken in the microwave. That's just gross).

* Typically when I make this for just The Hubs & I, I use 2 chicken breasts & cut them in half (as seen above). This makes enough for dinner & for one person's lunch the next day.

* Y'all know how I feel about leftovers, but this is one of the few things I will eat the next day.

* That mixture you made from the first 7 ingredients? It makes a great dip, too! And if you don't like the crunch of raw bell pepper, just saute them before you mix them in for your dip.

* Part of the reason I love this dish so much is because its so colorful!

* And the best part is, this is a relatively healthy dish. Say you use 1 lb. of chicken & call it 4 servings: with cheese = 360 calories 8g fat; without cheese 300 calories 4g fat. (Of course this doesn't include the chips, which you may or may not use).