Cowboy Hen
Collect around the chuck wagon, it’s time for hearty, tacky, and flavorful Cowboy Hen!
Why You’ll Love This Simple Cowboy Hen Recipe
- Large, Daring Tex-Mex Flavors. Cowboy hen is seasoned, seared hen breasts smothered in a tasty combination of black beans, Mexican-style corn, diced tomatoes, and cheese, all baked collectively till the cheese is melty, the hen is juicy, and your kitchen smells superb. It’s DELISH.
- So Many Methods to Serve It. Serve cowboy hen with Instantaneous Pot Brown Rice for an all-in-one meal, cube it up for hen tacos, or take inspiration from Taco Salad and blend it with greens for lunch. We have now limitless choices!
- An Simple Weeknight Dinner. Typically known as Santa Fe hen (maybe to distinguish it from the Cowboy Hen restaurant chain), this Tex-Mex recipe is the form of easy, family-friendly meal that finally ends up on frequent repeat. It makes use of principally canned components, holding it fast and handy and all the pieces cooks in the identical pan, making for simple cleanup.
5 Star Overview
“Wow! This was wonderful and simple. We’re making it once more tomorrow.”
— Kimberly —
Make Cowboy Hen
The Components
- Hen. Hen breasts are a go-to, no-complaints protein. After being coated within the spices and cooked within the Tex-Mex sauce, the chicken hen is flavorful and juicy.
- Spices. Cowboy hen recipe seasoning is smoky and heat. I used a mixture of smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. (For extra Tex-Mex taste, take a look at my King Ranch Hen.)
- Hearth Roasted Diced Tomatoes. These canned tomatoes are a simple method to elevate this dish.
- Black Beans. Black beans add a satisfying, creamy texture to the dish and assist make it extra filling.
- Mexican Model Corn. A pleasant, candy mix of corn and bell peppers.
- Inexperienced Chiles. These little guys pack a taste punch! They do have a slight kick, however the dish isn’t overly spicy.
- Pepper Jack Cheese. For the melty, gooey, tacky prime that pulls all the pieces collectively. (I want the kick of pepper jack, however you can even use Monterey jack or cheddar cheese.)
- Cilantro + Lime. My favourite ending touches! The combo provides brightness and freshness.
The Instructions
- Put together. Pound and dry the hen.
- Season. Rub half of the spice combination onto the hen.
- Cook dinner. Brown the hen, then take away it to a plate.
- Simmer. Add the tomatoes to the big skillet and simmer. Stir within the beans, corn, inexperienced chiles, and remaining spice combination.
- Bake. Return the hen to the pan, overlaying it within the pan sauce. Bake cowboy hen breast at 375 levels F for 7 to 10 minutes.
- End. Sprinkle the cheese excessive and broil for 1 to 2 minutes. End the dish with lime juice and cilantro. ENJOY!
Leftover Concepts
Flip leftovers right into a cowboy hen dip by serving them with tortilla chips. Leftovers would even be tasty served over tortilla chips with extra cheese for a spin on nachos.
What to Serve with Cowboy Hen
- Vegetable Sides. Serve your cowboy hen with a aspect of Roasted Zucchini or Grilled Corn.
- Cornbread. Jalapeno Cornbread, Mexican Cornbread, and Skillet Cornbread would all be improbable.
- Grains. Make meal bowls by serving Santa Fe hen with cooked quinoa, white rice, or brown rice.
Recipe Suggestions and Tips
- Make It Into Tacos or Burritos. If you happen to’d wish to pile your cowboy hen right into a tortilla and serve it as a taco, quesadilla, or burrito, go for it! That is one other good way to make use of leftovers too.
- Marinate the Hen. To spice up the hen’s taste much more, marinate the hen in your favourite Tex-Mex marinade earlier than beginning the recipe. Or, attempt my all-purpose Hen Marinade.
- Add Bacon. For next-level cowboy hen, you can prime the dish with crumbled cooked bacon. Oven Baked Bacon is my advice!
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Cowboy Hen
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Components
- 3 medium boneless, skinless hen breasts (about 1 ½ kilos)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon floor cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon floor black pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fireplace roasted diced tomatoes of their juices
- 1 (15-ounce) can decreased sodium black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (11-ounce) can Mexican model corn comparable to Fiesta Corn or Mexicorn, drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can inexperienced chiles drained
- 4 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese about 4 ounces; use Monterey Jack for a milder dish
- ¼ cup chopped recent cilantro
- ½ medium lime
Directions
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Place racks within the heart and higher third of your oven and preheat to 375 levels F. Place the hen on a chopping board. Cowl with a sheet of plastic wrap to maintain issues tidy. Evenly pound into a fair thickness (this can assist guarantee it cooks evenly with out the sides drying out). Pat very dry.
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In a small bowl, stir collectively the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle half of the spice combination all around the hen, rubbing to coat.
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In a forged iron skillet or comparable thick, sturdy oven-safe skillet, warmth the oil over medium excessive. As soon as the oil is scorching, add the hen smooth-side down, decreasing it into the pan away from you to guard your self from splatters. Don’t crowd the hen (the breasts shouldn’t overlap—cook dinner in batches if wanted). Let cook dinner, undisturbed for 3 minutes, till the hen appears to be like good and brown beneath and releases simply from the pan. Flip and cook dinner for 30 seconds on the opposite aspect. Take away to a plate.
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Add the tomatoes to the skillet. Stir, scraping alongside the underside of the pan to loosen stuck-on bits. Let simmer 1 minute, scraping periodically. Add the black beans, Mexican-style corn, inexperienced chiles, and remaining half of the spice combination.
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Stir to mix, then nestle the hen into the pan browned-side up and pour any juices which have collected within the pan excessive. Spoon a few of the sauce excessive of the hen so it’s coated.
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Switch the skillet to the middle oven rack and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, till the hen registers 160 levels F on an instantaneous learn thermometer inserted within the thickest half. If some items end ahead of others, switch them to a plate and canopy to maintain heat whereas the others end cooking.
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Return any hen that completed early to the pan and sprinkle the cheese all around the prime. Broil on the higher rack till the cheese is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze the lime excessive and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve scorching, with a lot of yummy corn black bean sauce served alongside.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an hermetic storage container for as much as 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm hen in a baking dish within the oven at 350 levels F or within the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an hermetic freezer-safe storage container for as much as 3 months. Let thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.