South of the Border Chicken

Oh Cooking Light, whatever would I do with you? For when I have overindulged on macaroni and cheese and jalapeno cheddar cornbread, you allow me to eat something light without forcing something tasteless down my throat. This didn't knock my socks off, but a) it's quick b) involves ingredients I have in my pantry and c) is healthy. Therefore, this will probably stay in the meal rotation.

I ate this with the big leafy greens you see in the picture and a balsamic vinaigrette.

I played with the portions a little bit, because I don't really like having leftover chicken. Leftover whole chicken breasts are always a bit icky to me, so I only pan-seared two pieces of chicken, but I made all of the beans and rice. Joe went back for seconds on the beans and rice, so now I have a little portion of beans and rice left. I think that I might switch out kidney beans for pinto beans and throw a little cayenne powder in there. The green chiles in the tomatoes might be hot enough for some, but I would've preferred a bit more of a kick.

South of the Border Chicken

from Cooking Light November 2003

1 cup water

1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice (I used instant brown rice and cooked it according to the package.)

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1 (16 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained

4 6 oz chicken breast halves

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

Cooking spray

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan, and stir in rice and red pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans and tomatoes; keep warm

2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, black pepper, and cumin. Heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Serve chicken with rice mixture.

Yield 4 servings

Calories: 347; Fat 2.8 g; Protein 44.4 g; Carb 35.7 g; Fiber 4.6 g; Chol 99 mg; Iron 3.2 mg; Sodium 740 mg; Calc 64 mg