Ham Fried Rice

During the last month, Matt and I have secretly agonized over a possible job offer which would relocate us to Dallas, Texas. I know…big hair, big boobs, Confederate flags and ugly accents come to mind. Sorry “ya’ll,” but I’m no fan of southern drawl. (Yes, we all have preferences and prejudices. Even me.)

Meanwhile, I concocted this recipe to represent the flavors I may miss out on. And it’s Body For Life approved for the health and diet conscientious. As always, the measurements are approximate, because I never really measure when I cook.

***Not Moving to Texas Chicken***

• 6 chicken tenders (if using breasts, pound thin)
• 3 tsp salsa (I used Pace medium)
• 1 tomatillo, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T chopped cilantro
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over chicken. Sprinkle with minced garlic and salt and pepper. Spread about 1/2 tsp of salsa on each tender. Sprinkle chopped tomatillo and cilantro on top. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve over rice or alongside black beans and corn.

You could probably throw everything in a crock pot and cook on low for a few hours and shred the meat and serve in tortillas. In terms of Scoville heat, this is relatively mild enough for my two year-old. But I suppose if you wanted to kick it up a notch, you could add minced serrano or jalapeno peppers to it. Or try it with salsa verde instead. Yeehaw!

Update: I added asterisks because the title of the recipe seemed to be overlooked. I’ve had three people ask me. Sorry to be confusing! I happily introduce “Not Moving to Texas” Chicken.