Skillet Southwestern Mac and Cheese

The other night for dinner I had planned to try this awesome new recipe but the closer it came to dinner time the less I felt like tackling a new recipe. So of course the next logical step would be to invent a recipe from nothing right? Well that's what I decided to do and it turned out to be quite delicious! My apologies in advance for the poor photography; I had no idea what I was doing till it was done so it was rather scattered.

First trim the chicken and place it in a pot, and cover with water. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. I only had two chicken thighs on hand so that's what I used but you can use whatever cut of chicken you like and add more for a heartier dish. This is a good time to get the pot of water on the stove to cook the pasta in.

While the chicken is cooking, chop half of an onion, half of a green pepper, a jalapeno and a handful of fresh cilantro. When chicken is done cooking, remove chicken from broth and set aside, reserving any accumulated liquid. Don't forget to get your pasta cooking! (I did and had to scramble at the end ;)

Next heat the olive oil on medium-high heat till it is shimmering. Add onion and green pepper and cook till it is tender and beginning to brown. Stir in garlic. Now stir in a heaping tablespoon of flour.

When the vegetables are completely coated with flour add reserved cooking liquid and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add black beans, corn, cheese, pasta and shredded chicken and cook till heated through and cheese is melted. Season with salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro.

FYI when I made this I add my beans way early so quite a few of them broke and made the dish have that gray tint.....and much more of a bean flavor.

½ yellow onion, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

handful of chopped cilantro

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 chicken thighs (or breasts or whatever suits your fancy), cooked and shredded, reserving the broth

7 oz black beans

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups sharp cheddar

1 tbsp flour, heaping

½ cup canned tomatoes

½ lb pasta, cooked and drained (I had farfalle but lots of other pastas would be good too)
salt and pepper
dash cumin

Chop onion, green pepper, jalapeno and cilantro. In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and peppers and cook until tender and beginning to brown. Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated. Add reserved broth and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Add beans, corn, cheese and shredded chicken and continue cooking until heated through. Season with salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!