Ok, ok... I guess I do ;)
Sometimes a girl {or guy} has to pat themselves on the back. Cooking isn't easy! It's intimidating! And it's really easy to screw things up. There aren't many things I'm good at {besides b.s.'ing, starting projects I don't finish, bonging beers, and Tetris}. But cooking is something I've grown in to over the last few years.... I love that once you get the "basics down", you can really let your imagination run wild.
This particular recipe is a hybrid of two things I found on Pinterest mixed with a little bit of "what the hell, I'll throw that in there, too". If you're in the holiday-comfort-food-mood and want to cook a nice pot'o'goodness that {a} you/your family will love {b} will draw a crowd around your cubicle because it smells so good when you reheat it for lunch {c} is inexpensive to make, and {d} allows you to easily add/remove ingredients to make it your own-- look no further. It's also relatively healthy. Bonus!
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| Easy ingredients from the canned food aisle |
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| Boil 1.5 lb. chicken thighs in water, reserve 2 cups of the water and season to make broth. *this was one of my "make up as you go"- I realized I didn't have chicken broth in a can! Crap!* |
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| While the chicken is cooling, saute onions, bell peppers, garlic, and carrots in olive oil. Make sure to season! |
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| Once veggies are softened, pour in chicken broth, raise heat and boil. |
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| While veggeis are simmering in broth, use a fork to pull the chicken off the bone and shred. {It looks like my Champagne bottle is peeing on the chicken, sorry for the awkward pic} |
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| Mix in chicken and all of the canned ingredients. Cover, simmer, and voila! Serve topped with shredded Colby Jack cheese. Deeeeelish! |
Ingredients:
1.5 lb. chicken thighs, boiled and shredded {skin removed}
1 large diced sweet onion
1 diced green bell peppers
3 cloves finely sliced garlic
2 peeled and and diced carrots
1 can crushed tomatoes {I use Furmamo's}
1 can whole kernel sweet corn
1 can mexicorn
1 can kidney beans
1 can low sodium black beans
1/2 jar of salsa {I use Pace Picante-Mild}
Salt, Pepper, and Cumin to taste {I use a lot!!}
Olive oil
2 cups chicken broth*
Colby jack cheese
*If you don't have chicken broth, season 2 c of the water you boiled the chicken in. I used 2 tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 2 tbsp olive oil*
Instructions:
- In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat 4qt. water to a boil. Add chicken thighs, cover, and boil until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Follow instructions above to make broth.
- While chicken is cooling, return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown and peppers/carrots start to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add minced garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
- Stir in reserved chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes.
- While broth/veggies are cooking, use 2 forks to remove chicken from the bone and shred.
- To the saucepan, add chicken, tomatoes, salsa, beans, and corn. Do not drain. Stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve it up, stir in cheese, and enjoy!
If you try it, let me know!
