Tex-Mex Chicken Thighs with Zucchini

Judy and I will soon be leaving our winter quarters in Palm Desert and heading back to our home in Tulsa for the spring.  On the way our drive will take us through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.  As preparation for the trip, and to honor the areas we will be visiting along the way, Judy prepared this wonderful dish for our dinner last night. 

The traditional Tex-Mex flavor just Pops! 

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Tex-Mex Chicken with Zucchini

1 ½ tsp dried Oregano

1 tsp ground Cumin

¾ tsp Salt, or to taste

½ tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

12 oz uncooked Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 ½ tsp Olive Oil, divided

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 large uncooked Zucchini, halved lengthwise, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 cup frozen Corn kernels

1 Tbsp Garlic, minced

14 ½ oz canned Tomatoes, diced, in sauce

1/3 cup Cilantro, fresh, chopped

¼ tsp dried Red Pepper flakes

Instructions

In a small cup, combine Oregano, Cumin, Red Pepper flakes, Salt, and Pepper.

Place Chicken thighs in a bowl and toss with half of the spice mixture, reserve remaining spice mix.

Heat 1 tsp Olive Oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add Chicken and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes, remove to a plate.

Heat remaining ½ tsp Olive Oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat, add Onions and sauté until slightly translucent and lightly browned, but still crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add Zucchini and Corn to skillet, sauté until the Zucchini is slightly browned, about 4 minutes.

Add Garlic and the reserved spice mix.  Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in Tomatoes and their sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Add Chicken and ¼ cup Water (to keep Chicken from sticking to the pan). Cover, cook on medium-low heat until Chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in Cilantro. Serve with ½ cup cooked Brown Rice.

Yields 4 servings, about 1 ½ cups per serving. PointsPlus value per serving is 5; add 3 more for the Rice.  Prep time is about 15 minutes. Cooking time is about 25 minutes. Level of difficulty is Easy.

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh