Alex and I barely saw my parents at all last week, so we spent a good deal of time there this weekend. Saturday night I made my parents vegetable quesadillas with sweet potato, Portabello mushrooms, spinach, zucchini squash and black beans. They were absolutely delicious, and it was a lot of fun to get to share one of my healthy recipes with my family!
Today there were leftover black beans, and I couldn’t resist throwing together a completely new meal with some of yesterday’s leftovers! Mom had Some large Tyson boneless, skinless chicken breast thawed, and we came up with the idea to do a stuffed southwestern chicken breast. Mom pounded out the chicken breasts and cut them in half, getting two servings out of each breast. The recipe below would serve 4 people, and calorie information has been based on these proportions.
Needless to say after a little creativity, we created a juicy, flavorful main course that tonight paired well with baked potatoes (with salsa and a dollop of sour cream on top) but would also be delicious with quinoa with diced tomatoes and spices, or a simple mix of sauteed veggies as well.
Southwestern stuffed chicken breast, serves 4
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 8oz each)
1/4 cup whole kernel corn (we used generic canned corn)
1/4 cup Bush’s Best Low Sodium Baked Beans
1/4 cup shredded italian cheese blend (ours was Kroger brand and included mozzarella, provolone, romano and Parmesan)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup queso fresco
1 cup cooked spinach
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently pound each chicken breast and cut along the equator, creating 4 individual chicken pieces.
Carefully slice each chicken breast creating a pocket between the breast pieces. Season generously with Weber’s Kickin’ Chicken season, or a combination of cumin, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and onion powder, and set aside.
In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO and add fresh spinach (about 3 cups typically yields 1 cup cooked, or use 1 cup frozen spinach.) Sautee until cooked through and add corn and black beans. Gently stir and heat until just cooked with garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Carefully pull apart chicken pieces, and stuff 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture inside. Top with mixed cheeses and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, and cheese is melted.
Serve alongside your favorite southwestern-inspired sides for a fun, economical meal using yesterday’s leftovers!
Serves 4, 283 calories per serving including 6g carbs, 15g fat, 34g protein, 656mg sodium and 2g fiber per serving.
firstdayoftherestofdays 