This, along with many other nummy recipes, will be included in The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book, coming in April!
(But before we get to that, have you read about the opportunity you have to get YOUR favorite recipe into the forthcoming
Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book? If not,
go read about it!)
I go to Denny’s. Quite a bit. That may be a bad thing for a
post-op to admit but what the heck. If nothing else, you know I keep it real!
But every now and again they get something new. Such is the
case on the day that I tasted the dish that became this knock-off.
They have these sizzling skillet deals. Now if you ever go
to Denny’s let me give you some advice on the sizzling skillets, if you ever
want to try them.
Firstly, don’t feel limited to the ones marked healthy. With
a few simple modifications you can make nearly any skillet work for you. This
dish is a knock-off of the Chicken Chorizo Skillet. The first time I got it I
simple asked for them to omit the red skinned potatoes. That taught me how the
dish is generally, which is wonderfully yummy…but full of oil!
So the next time, and every time thereafter, I’ve asked for
my food to be cooked with non-stick cooking spray, not oil (I don’t say it
explicitly but I hint at a food allergy), nix the red skinned potatoes, use
half the usual amount of cheese and sub in scrambled egg whites instead of the
potatoes. This usually yields two lighter, but still deliciously yummy meals.
But this weekend I didn’t want to go out and I didn’t want
to spend money on breakfast! It occurred to me I have all the ingredients
needed to make this, so why not?
Thus…
Nik’s Chicken Chorizo
Skillet
(Family size OR good for several day’s lunches. This reheats
pretty well!)
Ingredients:
- 3 links of chorizo sausage, casings removed, chopped into
small pieces (NOTE: Chorizo comes in lower-fat chicken and turkey varieties if
you don’t want to use pork)
- 4-6 oz. chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 small onion, cut into strips
- 2-3 different colored bell peppers, cut into strips
- 4 eggs, beaten (or egg whites, or liquid egg substitute)
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- ¼ tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ tsp. ground coriander
- ¼ tsp. chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- 1 – 1 ½ c. Mexican blend shredded cheese
Optional: (Used here because my kids are potato fanatics) 3
red-skinned potatoes, diced and dry roasted.
You’ll need a large, oven-safe skillet for this.
Directions:
Set your oven to the broil setting.
Spray a large, oven-safe skillet with non-stick cooking
spray, set it over a medium flame and allow it to get hot.
Add chorizo and cook, stirring about 2 minutes before adding
chicken (the chorizo needs time to omit some oil). Stir chicken and sausage
until both are cooked through.
Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and spices and sauté until
softened. If you are using roasted potatoes, add those here as well.
Clear a well (hole) in the middle of your skillet, re-spray
if needed, and pour in your eggs. Use a wooden spoon to scramble them
completely before mixing into the meat/veggie mixture.
Top with cheese and place under the broiler for about 1-2
minutes to allow the cheese to melt and brown as much as you like.
This was Sunday brunch. For the kids/significant other, I
also fixed a batch of my killer homemade buttermilk biscuits (no I’m not
putting that recipe on BF…my blog software might blow up!). I usually eat a
tester sized biscuit and call it a day. Nummy!
Play with your food!