I love to cook, and I love being in the kitchen. But I don't often have the time for that. So, each Friday, I'm looking to share with you my fast, go-to recipes that don't involve a drive-thru, aren't deep fried, and you can feel good about eating (and feeding to your families)
These first few are all made from ingredients that can be found at Trader Joe's. I have recently found some amazing time savers there that help me achieve fast, fresh, flavorful meals.
My favorite find from Trader Joe's, possibly of all time, is their seasoned, fully cooked chicken breast. I HATE cooking chicken (it's never perfect and moist), HATE shredding rotisserie chicken, HATE handling raw chicken, and this chicken makes me actually LOVE including chicken in my dishes again. GAME CHANGER!
Ingredients to Include on your Grocery List (all available at Trader Joe's):
- Fully cooked, seasoned chicken breast (I use the Rosemary & Balsamic for this dish)
- Onion
- Zucchini and Yellow Squash (or your veggies of choice)
- Tomatoes
- Shishito Peppers
- Bag of Mixed Hot Peppers (I used the red fresno peppers for this dish)
- Cilantro
Ingredients I Typically have on hand already:
- Olive Oil or Coconut Oil (I always have a large jar of both on hand)
- Garlic (I buy the big tubs of pre-minced garlic because who has time for that!)
- Balsamic Vinegar (Another thing I always have a large jar of)
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes if you like it hot
Directions to Yum:
- Heat your pan over medium to medium-high heat and add your olive oil.
- Add onions to the hot pan and sauté.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Add zucchini and squash.
- Add a little drizzle of balsamic over all the veggies and stir to coat. Don't overdo the balsamic, you don't want it swimming in a pool of balsamic vinegar.
- Add both the shishito and fresno peppers, but cut into rings.
- Add chopped tomatoes - these don't need to cook long at all.
- Add thinly sliced chicken to allow it to warm quickly.
- Make sure you coat the chicken with the balsamic, and add a little more vinegar if needed, but again, don't overdo it.
- Top with fresh cilantro just before serving.
This dish is seriously ready in about 15-20 minutes, including all the chopping. It's the perfect weeknight, in a rush, after a long day, I'm already starving kind of meal. Because the chicken is already fully cooked, the prep is a breeze, and the cook time is next to nothing. It's packed full of protein and veggies and leaves me totally satisfied. But, if you're like my husband and require a non-vegetable carb with each meal, serve it over some brown rice.
Enjoy!