I love to cook – it’s almost a kind of creative release when I step into the kitchen. I rarely plan too far beyond a core ingredient (generally protein) and never really know what’s going to happen until I check out what veggies and flavour boosters are in the fridge.
This is basically how I bring recipes together to share with you. I put together a combination of flavours in a first run and if I think it is up to a ‘Well Nourished’ standard, I scribble it on a piece of paper and come back to it another day for a formal trial run (and hope I can find that piece of paper – I really need a better system).
My aim with every recipe is obviously to make it as delicious and nourishing as possible (and also simple to make). In my household, it doesn’t matter how ‘healthy’ a meal is, if it doesn’t taste good, then no one’s happy (kids because they don’t like it, hubby and I because they are complaining, food’s going to waste and we don’t want it for the lunch the next day because we aren’t really enjoying it also)!!
But I digress – back to this recipe for Creamy Mexican Chicken which simply ticks all the boxes. Delicious, nutritious, tasty as anything and SO quick and easy to make. There are no complaints when this is on the menu!
PS – check out the nut-free and vegetarian versions below too.
Ingredients
500g chicken thighs, roughly diced (or drumsticks)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
400g can tomatoes
1-2 chipotle in adobe sauce*
70g (½ cup) almonds
3 sticks celery, roughly chopped
120ml (½ cup) chicken stock or broth
Good pinch or two of sea salt
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup cooked black beans)
Bunch coriander, finely chopped
Quick guacamole
2 avocados, peeled and flesh removed
Juice of one small lime
Good pinch or sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Place the garlic, tomatoes, chipotle, almonds, celery, stock and sea salt in a food processor or high speed blender and process until smooth. TMX 1 minute, speed 7.
- Put your chicken thighs into a large pot with the black beans and sauce, cover and simmer over a low to moderate heat for approx. 30 minutes. TMX add the chicken and black beans to the sauce and cook 30 minutes, temp 90, reverse lowest speed.
- To make the guacamole, mash the avocado and mix with the lime juice and seasoning.
- Once the chicken is cooked, mix through the coriander and serve with the guacamole (and any of the suggestions below).
* Chipotle in Adobe sauce are available in most big supermarkets or gourmet deli’s. They are the flavour hero of this dish and give it a little heat and a beautiful smokey flavour (obviously the more you add the spicier it becomes – 1 is still mild, 2 a tiny amount of heat). Once you’ve opened the can, store leftovers in an airtight glass jar in the fridge. They last forever this way and trust me, you will make this meal again!
Serve
- With a slaw or simple salad (here I’ve served it with shredded cabbage, mint, shallots and grated carrot tossed in the juice of one lime)
- With rice or quinoa
- As a sauce for nachos
- In tacos or tortilla wraps
- If you’re not dairy-free, my family love a dollop of sour cream too
Variations
Vegan
Replace the chicken with slices of tempeh.
Nut-free
Replace the almonds with toasted sunflower seeds.
