IS THIS THE EASIEST WEEKNIGHT DINNER PLAN?
A Sweet 'n' Spicy Mid-Week Meal Recipe that's Perfect for Meal Preppers!
Hi friends! Here at W4D, we are very much in the IT’S NOT FALL YET camp. Farmers markets are still popping with amazing produce—there are still incredible tomatoes, sweet corn, and gorgeous peppers at every turn! Not to mention the plums and stone fruits that abound. SO PUT DOWN THAT PUMPKIN SPICE there will be plenty of time for that later…
This week’s recipe is a super easy, super tasty weeknight wonder—LITERALLY NO CHOPPING INVOLVED!
HONEY-CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACOS/BOWLS
AU: Quick. Easy. Sweet. Spicy. These words don’t just describe yours truly (ah thank you), they also describe the go-to weeknight meal I’ve been making lately. The original concept came from Sarah DiGregorio’s taco recipe in NYT Cooking. She likes to serve them with sliced avocado and pickled onions (which is very good), but I like to pack more veggies in the mix and serve the sticky-smoky chicken and black bean combo over rice that’s been spiked with lime juice and flecked with cilantro.
If you’ve got an electric pressure cooker or slow cooker on your kitchen counter, you’ve already done the hard part (slow cooker method is in the recipe PDF!).
AU: You literally just pile chicken thighs, honey, chipotles in adobo, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and cumin into the pressure cooker. Give it a stir, seal the machine, and cook on high pressure for 13 minutes. If you’re an experienced pressure cooker, you’re probably used to adding at least a half cup of liquid to every recipe before cooking. Not here! The juicy chicken thighs mix with the chipotles and honey to create a sweet-spicy sauce (that’s not too spicy!). The chicken will look like this when it’s finished…
AU: Fish out the chicken thighs with tongs (they’re so tender, you may even need an assist from a spoon to keep them from falling apart on the way to your cutting board). Let them cool a bit, and then shred them into chunks with two forks.
While the chicken thighs are cooling, set your pressure cooker to the sauté setting, add your rinsed black beans, and let the sauce reduce for five minutes. This will also cook the black beans a bit, so you’re not eating “raw” beans from a can (I know they’re technically cooked, but they could be cooked more, ya know?).
After five-ish minutes, switch the cooker to “keep warm” and return the shredded chicken thighs to the pot of the pressure cooker. Stir everything to combine. Completely optional, but I like to add a cup and a half of corn to the mix. It can either be from a fresh ear of peak season corn, or frozen corn kernels that I always have on hand for this very reason. Dinner’s done! Load the chicken, black bean, corn mixture into warmed tortillas and top with avocado and pickled onions. But if you’d like the gild the lily…
AU: This is completely optional, but something I like to do… I make Chipotle-style Burrito Bowls at home. I make Cilantro-Lime rice in my rice maker by making plain rice and adding the juice of 1 lime and some chopped cilantro to it just before serving it up.
Then, taking another page from the Chipotle assembly line, I slice up a bell pepper and an onion and throw them into a cast-iron skillet to make “Fajita Veggies.” The assembled bowls are a hearty and healthy dinner (and hello meal prep! Great lunches all week!).
EK: I love gilding the lily! Especially when you are doing it with more veggies. This bowl is so colorful and appetizing that it looks very special and feels like a special occasion. It’s the perfect thing to make and serve after a long work day—plus it’s good for you!
AU: Now, you can certainly buy pickled red onions in the store, if you’re short on time. But making them at home is so much cheaper and so easy, especially with Elizabeth’s tried-and-true recipe below…
EK: Not only are homemade pickled onions tastier and fresher than store bought, I’ve got a quick tip if you don’t want to make them the old school way… I was making them one day when a friend from Brazil let me know how they streamline the pickled onions process.
The ingredient list stays the same, but the method is quicker. Instead of cooking the onions in salted water before pickling them, pack the raw sliced onions in the mason jar in which you’re going to store them. Next, boil the vinegar, lime juice, salt and seasonings with a little water and pour the hot liquid over the raw onions and stir to submerge them. Once the liquid cools, they are quick pickled! So try that with the ingredients below, or follow the same method I have written in the original recipe—either way, they’re a great addition to your dinner!
ELIZABETH’S PICKLED RED ONIONS
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings (about ⅛” thick)
Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
Method:
Place the onion rings in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover with salted water and bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and drain the onion rings. Return the onion rings to the saucepan.
Coarsely grind the cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle, or in a spice grinder. Add them to the saucepan along with the garlic, vinegar, lime juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pour in just enough water to cover the onions, bring to a boil over medium heat, and let boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a small nonreactive bowl. Let stand for 3 hours to let the flavors meld. Drain the liquid and use the onions immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 weeks.
AU: These sweet-tart pickled treats are like adding rubies to any dish you make! They’re bursting with acidity and “bring the party” to every dish—especially the Honey-Chipotle Chicken tacos!
EK: I love rubies! You are right They glisten with the prettiest pink color and add a pop of flavor to everything you add them to.
“IT’S STILL GRILLING SEASON” GIVEAWAY:
WIN SPICE BLENDS, A PREP ‘N’ SERVE SET, AND ELIZABETH’S COOKBOOK
It’s STILL grilling season!
Even if Labor Day has come and gone, that’s no reason to pack up your grill with your white shoes (and still wear those white shoes, if you want!).
Elizabeth has teamed up with Bamboozle and The Seasoned Pantry to spice up your favorite foods! The three best-quality spice rubs are a Fleur de sel and Kampot Pepper blend, which is perfect for making the Shake-Shack Style Burger at home as well as a great grilled steak such as the Grilled Steak from Frozen. She loves using the Greek to Me spice blend in her Greek Farmer’s Salad with a Grilled Chicken Paillard. And make her new favorite Mexican-spiced nibble (Tumbled Tomatoes Maria) using the spicy Gulf of Mexico salt blend!
Prep your meal indoors and carry it out to the grill using the Bamboozle + Elizabeth Karmel Prep ‘n' Serve system. It does double duty—prep using the trays and bowls while you cook, and then use them as serving pieces for your dinner spread!
Bamboozle and The Seasoned Pantry are offering a special Prep ‘n’ Serve Starter Bundle with a mini version of the Prep ‘n’ Serve and 3 spices on the Bamboozle website. You can also buy the Grilling Spice Bundle alone here.
One lucky winner will get the spices, the special edition of the Prep ‘n’ Serve—4 bowls and 2 handy quarter-sheet-pan-size trays with notches for tools—and a signed copy of my first cookbook, Taming the Flame.
As always, paying subscribers will be automatically entered in the giveaway! Purchase a paid subscription by Tuesday September 26, 2023 at 11:59pm PST to be eligible. Continental U.S. only.