FRONT BURNER: Chicken and Corn Skillet is an easy, flavorful one-pan meal

Chicken and Corn Skillet
Photo by Kelly Brant
Chicken and Corn Skillet Photo by Kelly Brant

I stumbled across this recipe one day when I had no clue what to make for supper and very little time to figure it out.

In the fridge I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, an avocado and a couple of chile peppers. I scrounged around in the freezer and found a bag of corn.

I turned to the Internet for inspiration, entering "chicken corn jalapenos skillet" into Google.

A recipe called Tex-Mex Chicken With Chiles and Cheese from Fine Cooking popped up in the search results.

I was in luck, having most of the essential ingredients on hand.

I made some minor adjustments and the following version is what made it into my keeper file.

Chicken and Corn Skillet

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced ¼-inch thick

1 ½ teaspoons chile powder

½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and ground black pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter, divided use

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 poblano pepper, seeded and sliced, optional

1 to 2 jalapeno or Fresno peppers, seeded if desired and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 lime, cut into wedges

½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, optional

1 cup grated sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Sliced avocado, for serving

Hot sauce or salsa, optional garnish

Sour cream, optional garnish

Warm tortillas or hot cooked rice, for serving

Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler to high.

Toss the chicken with the chile powder, cumin, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off any excess.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining butter, the corn, peppers, garlic and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring, until the corn begins to brown lightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken, the juice from 1 or 2 lime wedges and the oregano, if using. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and transfer the skillet to the broiler. Broil until the cheese melts and browns on top, about 3 minutes. Serve with remaining lime wedges, avocado, salsa and sour cream in warm corn tortillas or over rice.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Food on 06/12/2019

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