Easy Chicken Thighs Recipe
In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I hate doing dishes... loathe, detest, despise, etc. I will pointedly ignore the pile of pans in my sink that can't be put in the dishwasher (why can't I throw it all in???) until it's all but overflowing, and then I'll beg my dear hubby to save me from myself. I'm happy to dry! Just don't ask me to wash...
So, as you can imagine, I love, love, LOVE one pot meals. My Le Creuset Dutch Oven is the workhorse of my kitchen — everything about it makes me happy, right down to the sunny, bright yellow enamel. Moving easily from stovetop to oven, it's perfect for just about every meal, AND it's dishwasher safe!
One of my favorite meals to make in it is this amazing cilantro lime chicken with corn and black beans. A main dish protein and side dish all wrapped up in one — yes, please!
I started with this slow cooker recipe that my neighbor passed on, which is pretty good as is, but I prefer the fresh, vibrant flavor of uncooked cilantro, so I've tweaked it a bit. Plus when you prepare this in a heavy cast iron pot, the corn starts to caramelize a bit, which makes it oh, so flavorful.
In case you missed the news, Walmart has a new line of budget-friendly all-natural and organic products on shelves now. This is pretty exciting news for me, because the availability of organic products at Walmart, up until now, has been very little to none in my area.
I decided to try some of these new Wild Oats products out in this cilantro lime chicken recipe, and I'm totally sold. The quality is fantastic, and I'm told that many more items are going to be introduced in this line over the next few months, including affordable organic spices!
Just an FYI: you won't find a special organic section in your Walmart store — just look for these products on the same shelves mixed in with their conventional alternatives.
I'm on a bit of a chicken thighs kick lately (see also these Grilled Cilantro Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Thighs). They're so much more flavorful than chicken breasts. I say they're totally worth the slight added fat!
Whether you decide to go for the chicken breasts or thighs, this meal can be served several different ways. Shred up the chicken and serve the shredded chicken, corn and black beans as soft tacos, serve both over Cilantro Lime Rice, or just serve the whole breast or thigh with the corn and black beans on the side.
Either way, if you like things a little spicy, drizzle some of the Wild Oats Chipotle Hot Sauce over the top. Love this stuff! A little extra squeeze of lime never hurts, either.
Printable Recipe ↓
One Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts - or 8 chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion - diced
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans - drained and rinsed
- 2 limes - zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro - chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven. Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the minced garlic and give it a good stir. Add the frozen corn, and continue to sauté until the corn starts to brown a bit.
- Pour in the chicken stock, and add the black beans, lime zest and juice, cumin, chipotle powder, and salt. Stir well.
- Season the chicken breasts or thighs with a little additional salt, pepper, and chipotle powder. Press them down into the corn and beans mixture until nearly covered.
- Cover the Dutch oven and cook over medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
- Turn off the heat and remove the chicken to a platte. Stir the chopped cilantro into the corn and black beans mixture.
- Serve warm with soft tortillas, over cilantro lime rice, or as is.
Recipe Notes
If you're lucky enough to have a little bit of the corn and black beans mixture left over, it's fabulous over scrambled eggs the next morning!!! I just *might* set a little aside to make sure that I do...
Melody says
I made this for dinner tonight. I had everything and only made a couple of adjustments. I had to take the heat down some because my husband cannot handle the heat. Otherwise, I would have left the seasoning alone or amp it a bit for myself. I added a can of rotel tomatoes with green chile. This was fantastic. My husband asked me to you make this again. Winner for him and I think I will make it at work for lunch and add the extra heat for myself. Very yummy.
Tracy Michelle Wells says
About how many pounds of chicken? I have 2 boneless breasts weighing about 2lbs. total. Should I make full recipe or cut recipe in half?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Tracy! Good question — I think I'd look at it more from the perspective of how many meals are you trying to get out of it. Your chicken breasts sound quite large, so if you'd normally divide them in half to get 2 portions, I'd go with the full recipe. If you're looking to just get 2 portions, I'd probably halve the rest of the recipe. Either way, if you have too much of the corn and bean mixture, it's a delicious leftover side dish!