Recipe Background
Cowboy Chicken combines Southwestern flair with a broiled cheese finish for adventurous flavor.
Back when my best friend and I decided to take a road trip across the southwestern United States, we didn't expect to come back with a recipe like Cowboy Chicken. We were in college, yearning for a taste of freedom and adventure during a long summer break. Somewhere in the dusty outskirts of Santa Fe, we stumbled upon a tiny diner. With nothing but our trusty car and limited cooking equipment, we knew this was the perfect opportunity to create something new.
The kitchen in our rented cabin barely fit two people, but we made do. Using a broiler for the first time was one part excitement and two parts sheer panic, yet its intense heat brought out the robust flavors of the paprika and cumin in our dish. Not wanting to waste any food after the trip, we turned pantry staples into essential ingredients. A can of fire-roasted tomatoes gave depth to the sauce, while the black beans, thoroughly rinsed to prevent unwanted sogginess, added heft.
As we nestled the seasoned chicken into the skillet brimming with corn and chiles, optimism bubbled like the simmering sauce. A rewarding tip we picked up was to let the chicken rest before broiling, which helped it stay juicy and perfectly tender. Our final touch was a blanket of crumbly cotija cheese that melted under the broiler's glow. We sat down with mismatched chairs around a rickety table, and as we took the first bite, we knew this recipe came home with us to stay.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless and skinless, pounded 1/2-inch-thick
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/2 large onion sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 large red bell pepper sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese crumbled, plus more, to taste, for serving
Directions
- In a small bowl, add the paprika, the chili powder, the cumin, and the cayenne and stir to combine.
- Evenly sprinkle 1/2 of the spice mixture over both sides of the chicken breasts, then let them sit, about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to the broiler setting.
- In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil.
- Add the seasoned chicken breasts to the hot oil and sauté until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and are lightly browned, about 4-6 minutes per side.
- Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a clean plate.
- In the same cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining oil.
- Add the onions and the red bell peppers to the heated oil and sauté until they are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the veggie mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir the black beans, the tomatoes and their juices, the corn, the green chiles and their juices, and the remaining spice mixture to the veggie mixture and bring it to a boil.
- Stir the veggie mixture, then transfer the skillet from the heat.
- Nestle the cooked chicken breasts into the veggie mixture, then evenly sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cotija cheese.
- Broil the chicken mixture about 1-2 inches from the heat source until the cheese is melted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve sprinkled with the extra cotija cheese.
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