Monterrey Chicken

I'm never good about getting enough vegetables in my diet.  To cook several veggies along with a meat and starch is a lot of pans for ONE person!!  So any meal that INCLUDES the veggies means I'm at least getting some of my nutrients from a direct source.  This dish is pretty with all the different colors and the flavor is really fresh.  It's a great way to use some of that zucchini that takes over your life, if you garden.  It's also a nice recipe to brighten up a dreary winter day if you can get your hands on a zuke from your grocer in the off-season.  (And it reheats well for lunches the next couple of days if you are "one" and have four servings to contend with...)

Monterrey Chicken

serves 4

5 T olive oil

4 half chicken breasts (I use boneless thighs)

S/P

1 cup onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 c chicken broth

1/2 c orange juice

1/2 can crushed tomatoes

1 T rosemary

1 red pepper, julienned

1/2 lg. zucchini, sliced diagonally

1/3 c flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 orange, zested

Procedure:

Heat half the oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken, sprinkled with S/P for five minutes. 

Turn the pieces, season again and cook another 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Add the onions, garlic, and carrots and cook, covered, on medium low heat until tender - about 10-15 minutes. 

Add the stock, juice, tomatoes and rosemary and some S/P and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer 20-25 minutes until the chicken is done and the sauce has reduced somewhat.

(Up to this point can be done ahead if your time to prepared dinner is limited.  

Just reheat this mixture and do the peppers and zucchini below right before serving,)

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In another pan, heat the remaining oil and saute the red pepper strips for 5 minutes.  Add the squash, some S/P and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender (but still firm - zucchini is better this way then all mushed out!!)

Transfer the veggies to the big skillet and simmer the whole thing another 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with the parsley and orange zest.

Good with rice pilaf (which can also be made ahead and reheated.)

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If your sauce is too soupy, you can thicken it by stirring in a slurry of water and flour or water and cornstarch and letting it simmer for a few minutes more.

This week's Recipe Detective is TinaS_SoCal !!