One Pot South West Chicken

I think it pays dividends to have one recipe in your armoury that you can put together using some store cupboard and freezer ingredients. Perfect for the time when you haven’t had time to shop that day; funds are running low and the refrigerator is almost bare; and when a short-cut meal (that still enables to you stay on track) beckons.

This is what I still call ‘real food’ rather than processed and what we also refer to here at bariatriccookery.com as ‘nude food’ – the sort that still resembles something made from scratch and cooked using ingredients that haven’t been put through the mill!

I use my freezer a great deal and almost always have some fresh meat, poultry, fish and the like to pull out for general as well as emergency cooking, but I also have a stock of frozen vegetables, pulses and herbs to give them flavour, nutrition and, in the case of this recipe, a taste of sunshine.

This one pot chicken dish (that I made last night for supper) uses frozen diced onion, frozen sliced mixed peppers/capsicums and frozen coriander in it’s ingredients list. With a can of kidney beans and sweetcorn and some slightly care-worn courgettes/zucchini in the refrigerator it has made a colourful and most tasty mid-week dish.

You can of course use fresh onion, peppers/zucchini and maybe some mushrooms, fresh corn and freshly-snipped herbs – my recipe is just a guideline.

Likewise you can use a different seasoning to the Texan BBQ one I have used – but it is very good and makes a great short-cut for a boost of flavour.

I find the recipe for a WLS patient doesn’t require any additional side dish (it’s hearty enough) but for those who are non-WLS then some cooked brown rice and soured cream or yogurt is most welcome.

This most versatile mixture could also be made to make fajitas or burritos of course …

ONE POT SOUTH WEST CHICKEN

Ingredients

METRIC/US

low-fat cooking spray or mist

500 g/1 lb skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tbsp Texan BBQ seasoning (I used Tesco brand)

125 g/1 cup frozen chopped onions or 1 fresh, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

250 g/2 cups frozen sliced mixed peppers/capsicums or 2-3 medium, cored and chopped

3 courgettes/zucchini, trimmed and finely sliced

400 g/14 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

200 g/7 oz can sweetcorn kernels, drained and rinsed or same weight fresh or frozen

juice of 1 lime

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp frozen or fresh coriander/cilantro

Method

Generously spritz the chicken with low-fat cooking spray or mist. Add the seasoning and toss well to coat.
Heat a large, heavy-based non-stick pan until hot, add the chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes until golden and cooked through (you may have to do this in two batches). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Re-spritz the pan, add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes until soft.
Add the garlic, peppers/capsicums and courgettes/zucchini and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
Return the chicken to the pan, add the kidney beans and sweetcorn, mixing well. Increase the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes until the mixture is hot.
Stir in the lime juice, coriander/cilantro and salt and pepper to taste (if required) to serve.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½

CALORIES PER PORTION: 305

PROTEIN: 40.2 g

CARBOHYDRATE: 28.5 g

FAT: 3.7 g

Image courtesy of http://www.tesco.com