Recipe: Saucy-Sweet Mexican Chicken & Black Beans

Check out this super easy, super cheap recipe I came up with for dinner this week. For my house, it is a keeper! 

Ingredients:

• 4 or more boneless, skinless chicken breasts (However many you need to feed your crew. I wish I had made more for leftovers!)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 small can of chopped green chilies
• Shredded Mexican cheeses of your choice (I used Cacique part-skim mozzarella which, to me, has a tangy, strong flavor and a regular,store brand of shredded mozzarella cheese)
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 cans of black beans 
• cilantro

Directions for Chicken:
Pour some of the diced tomatoes and juice in a baking dish, making little beds where you will place your chicken breasts. Add your raw/thawed chicken breasts to the baking dish. Salt & pepper the chicken. Spoon some diced tomatoes onto each breast along with some fresh cilantro. Then, spoon a good layer of the green chilies onto each one. Throw into your preheated 350 degree oven. Flip the chicken, if you want, at 20 minutes and be sure to spoon some chilies and tomatoes back on. (You can easily skip this step!) At this time, put your black beans in the oven (see below.) When your chicken breasts are fully cooked at about 40-45 minutes cover them in cheese and let the cheese melt and get bubbly. 

Directions for Black Beans:
To make the beans, simply drain and wash your canned black beans in a strainer. Measure out 1/2 cup portions (this = 10 carbs a portion) into individual ramekins and place them all on a cookie sheet. Mix in sea salt and ground pepper and top them with some fresh cilantro and your Cacique mozzarella cheese or other Mexican cheeses. Put these into the oven when you flip the chicken at 20 minutes and then bake them for about 25 minutes. You could also just microwave these but I really liked the flavor that came out while they baked in the oven. 

This totally simple recipe was one we really enjoyed. The tomatoes and chilies made a sweet sauce that was reminiscent of a Cajun dish, chicken sauce piquant, that my mother makes. Maybe that's why these flavor combination resonated with me so!  I also enjoyed getting to use some herbs from my fence garden. 

I hope you enjoy my cheap, yummy, "throw it in the oven when you get home from a long day" recipe!