Sixth Runner Up - Zucchini & Chicken MexItaliano

Belli amici! Cooks and chefs! Food lovers! 

Love is in the air!  And this month’s honorable mention recipe combines flavors from what I consider to be the two most romantic cultures on planet earth. This dish comes with a hot and spicy kick. It’ll make you sweat. Do we understand each other?!  And, food lovers, February is National Heart Healthy Month! 

We eat heart healthy here at Bella Sun Luci every month, showcasing the Mediterranean Diet. But every February we TALK about it more. One of the things we said about this dish is that it’s a no-grain, vegetable heavy nourish bowl. We LOVE nourish bowls.

So thank you Chef Ellen Heairld! We hereby honorably mention you for your Zucchini and Chicken Mexitaliano! You are the 6th runner up in our annual recipe contest and you will receive a deluxe gift box of Bella Sun Luci products to start creating more recipes for this year’s competition. 

This delicious recipe could have been a winner in our contest, but our taste panel felt that sun dried tomatoes weren’t the star of the dish - which ultimately made it a runner up. Either way, it’s a great meal for this Valentine’s month and I hope that all of you home chefs make it. Wink.

And if you do, add more sun dried tomatoes! When I went to make this dish, that’s what I did. The Bella Sun Luci sun dried tomatoes add luscious flavor, color and a heart healthy lycopene boost.

Now, everybody, get cooking, buon appetite and arrivederci...until we meet again…

Chef Richie

Zucchini & Chicken MexItaliano

Cooking time: 45 min.

Number of servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast
• 3 medium zucchini, peeled and spiralized (or cut thinly)
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thinly
• 1 carrot, spiralized or julienned
• ½ bell pepper, red, orange or yellow, sliced into thin strips
• ½ cup Bella Sun Luci sun-dried tomatoes (in olive oil)
• ¼ cup diced green chilies
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1 T olive oil or coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon oregano

optional: 1 finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce or ½ tsp. chipotle powder salt & pepper to taste (if not using chipotle)

Directions:

1. Cook and cube chicken breast; set aside.
2. Put cooking oil in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Saute' bell pepper, carrot and onion; cook until the onion is translucent.
4. Then add the remaining vegetables, minced garlic and oregano.
5. Add chipotle if using. Stir until well mixed and flavors are blended, and cook until zucchini is almost completely cooked.
6. Then add chicken and stir well until heated through.
7. Serve and enjoy!