Dinner

Tex Mex Chicken, veg and multigrain pot-casserole (June 2010) is for Dinner.

Tex Mex Chicken, veg and multigrain pot-casserole (June 2010) takes 20 minutes to prepare.

Tex Mex Chicken, veg and multigrain pot-casserole (June 2010) takes 55 minutes to cook.

Tex Mex Chicken, veg and multigrain pot-casserole (June 2010) makes 12 servings.

The ingredients for Tex Mex Chicken, veg and multigrain pot-casserole (June 2010) are:

For the grain mixture--
1 cup dry brown basmati (or long grain) rice
1 cup pearled barley
5 cups water
2 tsp low sodium chicken soup base
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp turmeric
1-2 bay leaves, whole
1/2 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
2 tablespoons plain canned tomato sauce (like Goya or spanish style) or crushed tomatoes (not spaghetti sauce)
---
For the chicken:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb (about 3) boneless skinless chicken breasts -
1/2 to 1 tsp each- enough to generously dust the chicken on both sides:
paprika
chipotle powder
turmeric
cumin
garlic powder
onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
----
For the veggies mix:
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup (I medium) onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, with most of ribs & seeds removed, sliced thin (leave more seeds if you like it fiery hot)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup frozen okra
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green beans
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup mild or medium chunky style salsa

Here is how you make Tex Mex Chicken, veg and multigrain pot-casserole (June 2010):

Makes about 12 generous cups of the rice, barley and veggies mixture -- and enough chicken to shred in about half of those servings if you want to be generous with the chicken, or add it to all of it for a dish less meat focused. 1. Bring the water, chicken broth, turmeric, chipotle, paprika, cumin, bay leaf, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce and the 1/2 tbsp butter to a boil. Add the grains and bring to a rolling boil over high heat (preferably using a heat stone under the pot to evenly distribute the heat). Reduce the heat, simmer for 35 minutes. While the grains are cooking you can complete the rest of the dish in a large deep, 3qt skillet. 2. Leave the boneless chicken breasts whole to stay moist, and season generously with salt and pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle pepper, and cumin. In the 3 qt skillet bring 1 tablespoon olive oil to sizzling over a medium high flame and add the chicken breasts, allowing to sear about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the breasts to a plate and add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add your sliced onion to the oil and stir to mix in all the remaining spices on the bottom of the pan into the onions. Saute the onions for about 3 minutes, then add the finely sliced jalapenos, stir and cover and cook another 2 minutes. When the onions are wilting but not yet brown, add the garlic, the ginger paste and adjust any seasonings you'd like to be more dominant flavors-- such as cumin. black pepper or paprika. Stir well over high heat for one minute-- the mixture will be quite dry, this is to make the spices more robust flavors and give a bit of smokiness which will infuse flavor throughout the dish without needing as much fat.-- but stir constantly and don't allow to burn. Bringing it all together:3. Add the cup of tomato sauce, stir well to blend and bring to a bubbling simmer. At this point, your rice and barley mix should be just about to the 35 minutes cooked you set on the timer, when you check it it should have mostly absorbed the water but still be too al dente to eat. Add the grain mixture with it's remaining broth to the veggie mix, mix well, add the chicken and make sure it submerged into the mixture and bring this all over medium high heat until it's starting to bubble around the edges. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover and set your timer for 20 minutes. You may need to stir this once or twice to prevent it from sticking on the bottom. Cook for 20 minutes, check and if the rice is done, turn off the heat. If for some reason the rice is still too al dente, keep a cup of boiling water at hand, and a little as needed, stir and cover and continue to cook until done, checking every 5-10 minutes. This is excellent as a tortilla filling or even better, slice a really ripe tomato onto your plate, put this on top and add a dash of plain non-fat yogurt or light sour cream. Number of Servings: 12Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CCKELLY3.

The nutritional information for Tex Mex Chicken, veg and multigrain pot-casserole (June 2010) is:

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 239.6

• Total Fat: 3.8 g
• Cholesterol: 23.2 mg
• Sodium: 263.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 37.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6.7 g
• Protein: 14.9 g