It’s been a while since I posted a recipe. Feels good to be back! Things get busy. That’s life. I’m trying not to be too hard on myself about it. The beginning of this school year has been intense. Three boys. One started middle school, one third grade, another started kindergarten. It’s a big year! The little guy had half days for a couple of weeks and then they’ve all had some days off for holidays in-between.
I think I told you my plan was to focus more on the kids these days and I have. It is so nice to just be in the moment with them. Interestingly enough, I’ve been focusing on myself more too. Exercise has become a priority and I’ve become a little obsessed with spinning lately. It’s a wonderful balance and I am grateful for the opportunity to find it in my life right now.
I am also working with a great website, FeedFeed, as an editor. In addition to curating their Gluten-Free Dinners and Sides Feed, I have begun writing some articles for them, including a weekly meal plan. Here is the first one. I hope it provides some seasonal recipe inspiration for you!
While I’m always cooking (or writing about cooking), lately I seem to fall back on some of the same recipes. I guess you can say I’ve been in a bit of a culinary rut, from a creativity standpoint. I find myself cooking the same dishes every week; beef bourguignon, shrimp with roasted tomatoes and feta, roasted pork loin, Asian-marinated salmon and some version of chicken are usually on rotation. With all that has been going on with the kids, I found it easier to open up my site and follow some of my own tried and true standbys. Therefore, I haven’t had many new recipes to share with you here until today.
I love boneless chicken thighs for weeknight dinners. Much more flavorful than chicken breasts, in my opinion, and still pretty quick to prepare. I often just marinate and grill them up for dinner to serve along with our favorite rice dish. This time, I braised them with some poblanos I found at the farmers market. I was inspired by a recipe I tested for Bon Appétit last year. Poblanos are my favorite peppers. Smokey, but not too spicy. Heat my kids can tolerate and so much great flavor. You can sub in green peppers if you can’t find them but I recommend you try poblano peppers if you can score some.
I will definitely start mixing things up a bit and sharing more new recipes. I am actually going to freelance in the Epicurious test kitchen in a couple of weeks so I’m sure to be inspired! I will also continue to share weekly meal plans on FeedFeed. Subscribe to their website to receive them in your inbox regularly or follow me on Facebook and I’ll let you know when they go up.
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp avocado or olive oil, divided
- 1 large or 2 small poblano peppers, diced
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup coarsely chopped kale leaves
- Season chicken with salt, pepper and cider vinegar and set aside while you prepare remaining ingredients.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp oil. Brown chicken, in batches, about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove browned chicken and set aside on a plate. Add onion and poblano pepper to skillet and toss occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and continue to toss, until fragrant but not burnt, about 2 minutes more.
- Add chicken back to pan along with white beans, chicken broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmering and cover. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and flavors are absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Remove cover, add kale and toss until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
What a great braised chicken recipe! Looks absolutely delicious 🙂 Pinned!
Loved this recipe! I just made it tonight. It was quick, packed with protein and healthy. I did find that the amount of chicken broth was too much.