Mexican Chicken Stew Recipe

Alright, pop quiz time! What dish can be served as a main course, a side, in a burrito or taco, over rice, or mixed into a chopped salad, and only takes 5 minutes to prep? If you guessed "Mexican chicken stew," well ... your powers of deduction are spot on. This dish, courtesy of chef and recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating, is about as versatile as they come. It can be one component of a multi-course meal or the main event at dinner. It can be as mild or spicy as you fancy. It can be dressed up with all sorts of toppings or eaten as-is with nothing more than a bowl and a spoon.

And in all these situations, it will taste great. "I love Mexican flavors," Brookes says, "and I am always looking for ways to pack them into tasty, nutritious dinners." She has done that more than successfully here. Are your tastebuds piqued to try it yourself? Well, start prepping now, and in about 35 minutes, you'll have a pot of stew ready to enjoy.

If you want to make an excellent Mexican chicken stew, you'll need olive oil, diced red onion, diced red bell pepper, crushed garlic cloves, chili powder mix, paprika, cumin, oregano, ground coriander, diced chicken breasts, a can of diced tomatoes, chicken stock, corn (frozen or from a can), and salt and pepper, to taste.

Now, if you want to add other flourishes, go for it. Brookes says: "Other additions could be sour cream, guacamole, salsa, corn chips, and more."

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium setting, then fry the red onion and red pepper until they've softened, which will take about 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic and cook the veggies for another minute, stirring constantly.

Now add the spices and stir them in. Let everything cook for about 2 minutes more.

Next, add the diced chicken, stirring occasionally. Cook the meat until it's no longer pink on the outside; this takes about 3 minutes.

Then, pour in the canned tomatoes and chicken stock, give everything a good stir, and bring the pan to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, and leave it to cook for 15 minutes.

When the 15 minutes are up, add the corn and some salt and pepper, to taste, then simmer the dish for another 5 minutes.

"You want to do the final cook on a nice gentle simmer, otherwise you may overcook the chicken and make it tough," Brookes says, so as you wrap this recipe up, keep the heat down. 

Once the time is up, cut the heat and take the pan off the burner. You can serve the Mexican chicken stew over rice, in tortillas, over a bed of greens, with lime wedges and fresh chopped cilantro, or however you want.

Made too much? No worries, the leftovers are excellent. "They should keep for up to two days in the fridge and you can reheat [them] in the microwave," Brookes says.