Tag Archives: peppers

Austin Chicken

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Took a month away from posting and during that time, went to Austin, Texas for the MotoGP at Circuit Of The Americas. Of course, it wouldn’t really be much of an adventure if we didn’t ride the ” Adventure” the whole way there and back!

We ate lots of good food while we were there and a few places in between, but this dish was inspired by one I had at the Iron Cactus in Austin. It’s a little time consuming in that it has many components, but each one is easy to make. Seasoned and grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts, covered with peppers, onions, and a creamy, spicy cheese sauce, topped with fresh chorizo and guacamole.  We just ate it with chips and salsa, but Mexican rice and refried beans would go great with this dish!

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For the chicken breast marinade:

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cilantro
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili garlic hot sauce

Place chicken breasts in a zip top bag. Combine remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl and pour over chicken breasts. Toss to coat and refrigerate for at least two hours.

For the guacamole:

  • 3 ripe Hass avocados
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp minced onions
  • 1 tsp cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • dash red pepper
  • juice of one lime
  • 1/4 tsp cumin (optional)

Remove skin and seeds from avocados. Place in a mixing bowl and mash with a fork until desired consistency is reached ( some like it chunkier than others!). Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Place guacamole in an airtight container. Press a piece of parchment or wax paper down on the top of the guacamole and seal tightly to keep it from turning to a brown yucky color. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cream cheese sauce:

  • 4 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno, or 3 tbsp canned, diced jalapenos
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup half and half

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To finish:

  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1/2 pound fresh chorizo (not the dried, Spanish kind!)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Marinaded chicken breasts
  • Prepared guacamole
  • Prepared cream cheese sauce
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend

Preheat a grill over medium heat and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Grill chicken breast for about 8 to 10 minutes per side, until slightly under done, about 150 to 155 degrees. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble chorizo. When cooked through, remove from heat. Wipe skillet and add olive oil. When hot, add peppers and onions to skillet and cook and stir until soft; season with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a baking dish and top evenly with peppers and onions, cheese sauce, and shredded cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until chicken is done and cheese has melted and slightly browned. Top with chorizo and guacamole to serve. Savor the flavor!

Fried Fajitas

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It’s the New Year and everyone is making the resolution to eat healthy and lose weight, and I’m posting a recipe that is chicken, onions, and peppers, wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep-fried, then smothered in cheese sauce and topped with more cheese! (Sorry if you’re dieting!) 🙂 I’ve made a baked version of this too, and it’s just as tasty,but not as crispy!

For the fajitas:

  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  •  2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 green pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 lg onion, sliced
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Fajita seasoning
  • 12 flour tortillas
  • 1 qt vegetable oil
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
For the cheese sauce:
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 1/4 cup half and half
  • 2 cloves garlic

Prepare the cheese sauce first. In a food processor, chop jalapeno and garlic. Add cream cheese, sour cream, and half and half. Pulse until smooth and well blended. Place in the refrigerator while preparing fajitas.

To make strips with the chicken breasts, place the chicken breast on a cutting board. Place your palm flat on the chicken breast, and starting at the thick end, cut breast into two pieces by running a knife horizontally the whole length of the chicken breasts. You should have 2 cutlets.

Cut the cutlets into strips as shown. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

( This is a great way to make your own chicken breasts cutlets for other recipes, and it’s cheaper than buying them already cut! You pay more per pound for the extra processing!)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook and stir about 10 minutes. Add fajita seasoning and cook about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat while preparing fajitas.

To assemble, spoon about 3 heaping tablespoons of fajita meat and veggies on to a flour tortilla and roll up as shown. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Fry rolled up tortillas, 2 at a time, until tortillas are golden, and remove to a paper towel lined plate. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once cool enough to handle, remove toothpicks from the fajitas, and line up in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

Spoon cheese sauce evenly over the fajitas, then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered about 15 minutes, until cheese melts and starts to brown. Serve with black beans, and fresh pico de gallo.  Enjoy!

Santa Fe Swine Chili

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Chili has to be one of my favorite dishes, period. I could eat it once a week, even in the hottest months of summer, so I just had to come up with another chili recipe to add to my repertoire, and why not make it with pork tenderloin? I like to top my chili with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and Fritos, though my hubby prefers tortilla chips. Load it up, or eat it straight out of the pot, it’s delicious!

  • 2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
  • 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 15 oz can beef broth
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans
  • 1 15 oz can black beans
  • 1  4 oz can chopped green chiles
  • 3 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 3 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for at least 8 hours. Serve with your favorite chili toppings!

*Note, this is a great workday meal! Just chop veggies and tenderloin the night before and place in baggies in the fridge. It will save time on your way to work and you’ll come home to an easy, no fuss dinner! 🙂