Simple Southwestern Chicken

Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This spice blend is super easy to mix up and adds a nice bit of zip to your chicken.

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast halves (skinless)
• olive oil spray
• chili powder (you can use smoked or regular)
• garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• ground cumin
• grated sea salt and pepper
• 2 Tbl of minced cilantro

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Assembly:

Place your chicken breast halves upright on a platter. Spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle on a whisper (or to taste) of the chili powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, ground cumin and the salt and pepper. I just put on enough that you can see them all but don’t pour them on thickly.

For the deepest flavor let them set in your refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes for the spices to penetrate or if you’re in a hurry just go to the next stage.

Lightly spray olive oil in an ovenproof pan (if you have one). Otherwise just use a saute pan. Put the chicken breasts in the pan seasoned side down. Heat on medium high for 2 – 3 minutes to lightly brown them and to kick up the flavoring. The heat sort of toasts the spices and activates them.

Then turn over and transfer to the oven to roast. If you do not have a pan that can go from stove to oven you’ll have to transfer them to another pan that can handle the heat (like a Pyrex casserole dish)

Roast 20 – 30 minutes or until no pink remains in the meat. Most breast pieces will be still be juicy but cooked.

Plate the chicken and sprinkle on the minced cilantro.

Serve.

(These chicken pieces were served with roasted pepper strips and onions. There are several side dish ideas you can use too like my roasted plum tomatoes and Chinese eggplant or my Zola-fied Berghoff spinach. To make the roasted pepper strips and onions, just cut up your pepper strips and the onions. Put in an oven proof pan and roast alongside the chicken. Season with grated sea salt and pepper.)

Cheers,