Cooking in the Empty Nest | Suzy’s Mexican Chicken Recipe for Two

How was your weekend? We had a great time seeing our daughter perform in her last student production, and we could hardly believe that the next time we’d be back, she’d be graduating! We did the there-and-back drive the same day, which means that Bob and I spent six hours together in the car. When we go on road trips like that, we both make lists of things we want to discuss. It’s such a great time for good, focused conversation! This time, we talked about big stuff like how we could be praying for each of our adult kids, and also little stuff, like what restaurants we wanted to go to the next time we go to our condo in Sanibel Island! We had a few really funny discussions, and I recreated one on my Instastory that was absolutely hilarious! I saved it to my highlights on the marriage tab, so if you missed it, you can head to my Instagram profile page to check it out (do that by touching the little circle that says “Marriage”). If you’re not following me on Instagram, please do that while you’re there; and if you’re not on Instagram, or you have no idea how it works, you can check out this post where I explained it thoroughly. 🙂

I hope your weekend was good! Do you cook on the weekends? I never do, but I do try to cook Mondays through Thursdays every week. I haven’t posted a recipe for y’all in such a long time and I decided that we were due! I don’t know about you, but I always love having a new, simple recipe to try. This one’s a favorite for sure!

One of my favorite things about the empty nest has been not having to worry about matching my menu selections to the preferences of a family of five. (I love you, kids, but it was hard to cook for all of you at once!) With just the two of us now, we can eat what WE want. As I’ve said before, this has saved, time, money, and turned cooking into a real pleasure. Today I’m sharing a favorite chicken recipe for two, along with the yummy side that I always serve with it. Both are easy, quick, healthy. and serve four people. What? Did you think I was sharing a chicken recipe for two? Well…you could save half and eat the leftovers tomorrow. Or, you could consider inviting some empty nester pals over and making a night of it. Open a bag of chips, whip up some guac, and you’re good to go!

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The best thing about this chicken recipe is that it is seasoned with cumin and topped with cilantro. If you read the latest health news, as I do, I’m sure you’re aware of the benefits of cumin. It contains a heart-healthy antioxidant called curcumin, is high in iron, and aids in digestion. It adds flavor to food and contains only 10 milligrams of sodium. Cilantro (aka coriander) is one of those herbs that people seem to either love or hate. I happen to love it! It’s a source of fiber, is full of antioxidants, and is beneficial to digestion. If it’s not your favorite, don’t worry. It’s just a topping on this dish; you can leave it off if you prefer.

Suzy’s Mexican Chicken

Cooking spray
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¾ tsp. ground cumin, divided use
¼ tsp. salt
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
¾ c. shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese
2 tbs. chopped cilantro
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Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with ½ tsp. cumin and salt; cook 6 minutes over medium-high heat or until done. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Add ¼ tsp. cumin and tomatoes to pan and cook 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and spoon tomato mixture over. Top with cheese, remove from heat and cover for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with cilantro if desired.

Some time ago, a friend introduced me to cooking un-shucked corn on the cob in the microwave. It gives it a yummy flavor and retains more of the vitamins than boiling it on the stovetop. Once done, the husks remove easily. (Use oven mitts for removal so you don’t burn your hands!) All you do place the corn in the microwave and cook for about 5 minutes, flipping the ear over about halfway through. Once cooked, add this chili-lime butter on top, and you have the perfect side for the Cumin Mexican chicken.

Tex-Mex Corn on the Cob

4 ears cooked corn
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. grated lime rind
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Cook corn on the cob and remove husks. Melt butter in the microwave in a small bowl for about 15 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients and brush over cooked corn.

Got a favorite chicken recipe for two (or any other cooking for two recipes) you’d like to share with me? Leave me a comment below and I may contact you so I can feature it in a future post!

Blessings,

My Cooking For Two Must-Haves

For your convenience, I’ve added all of these to the Empty Nest Blessed Amazon Page.