Southern Chicken Skillet

This recipe, which has now become a favorite in our house, happened on accident. On the night I first made this dish I was scheduled to make fried chicken sandwiches. However, when I went to start on them I realized I was missing a key ingredient in the frying process: oil.

So I decided to improvise. I took stock of some random ingredients around the kitchen and threw together something simple but awesome. If you'd like to make this yourself it is easy and requires little preparation. You will need:

1 pound chicken breast
1 medium yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic
4 or 5 medium Russet or baking potatoes
1 cup Cheddarjack cheese
Salt
Pepper
Lemon Pepper
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

Start with the potatoes since they need to be cooked separately and longer than the rest of the ingredients. Preheat your oven to 450º. Wash the potatoes and dice them into bite-size pieces with skin on. Grease a baking pan with butter and transfer the diced potatoes into it. Season with salt, pepper and Tony Chachere's, mixing them as you do to try to get as even a coat as you can manage. I throw another small teaspoon or so of butter on top before putting the pan in the oven, but this is optional. Cook the potatoes for 40 minutes, stirring every 10-20 minutes to keep the bottom layer from burning.

Next, prep by slicing the chicken breast into around 1 inch strips, chop the onions and bell pepper into large pieces or strips and mince the cloves of garlic. Lightly grease a large pan (I use a fairly big 12 inch pan) with butter or vegetable oil. Once the potatoes are around halfway done, throw the onion, bell pepper and garlic into the pan at medium-high heat. Saute the vegetables until they become soft, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning. Add the chicken breast strips and season with a teaspoon each of salt, pepper, lemon pepper and a tablespoon of Tony Chachere's. Continue to stir regularly until the chicken is completely cooked.

Once the potatoes are finished transfer them into the pan with the vegetables and chicken, mixing them together thoroughly. Stir in the cheddarjack cheese and remove the pan from the burner. Let it cool for a minute or two and serve!




Enjoy!