Spicy Chicken and Lentil Succotash

Dan    Mains, Recipes     chicken, delicious, jalapeños, lentils, quick and easy, recipes, spicy, succotash

What you’ll need…

1 TBSP butter

1 yellow onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 small jalapeño (seeds removed, chopped)

1 orange (zest and juice)

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TSP sugar

1 TSP cayenne pepper

1 large turnip (1/2″ chopped, approximately 2 cups)

2 cups cooked chicken (loosely chopped)

2 cups green lentils (cooked)

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 TSP white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

parsley (for garnish, optional)

If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard the term ‘Sufferin’ Succotash!‘ a few times in your life, but have never actually tasted it…Without going to much into a history lesson (boring), succotash was a popular dish in during the great depression, using corn, beans and any other miscellaneous ingredients that were onhand. Think: Cheap, cheap, cheap! Cheap food for tough times, you know? Now, fast forward a few years, to my version of succotash utilizing lentils instead of corn and some other items that I happened to have in my kitchen on ‘clean out the fridge’ day.

On a secondary note, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve cooked with lentils. I’ve missed them and decided that it’s time to give lentils the makeover they deserve. Just like Rachael Leigh Cook in She’s All That, I’m going to take off the glasses, let down that ponytail, and discover the beauty of lentils! I apologize for the dated pop culture reference…

Start off by melting the butter in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and let cook until the onion begins to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Once the onions start to turn golden, stir in the next 5 ingredients. Reduce to medium heat and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. (Use just half of the jalapeño and cut out the cayenne if you don’t like your food too spicy!)

Once the 5 minutes are up, place the turnip, chicken, lentils and broth into the pan. Let the mixture cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces by half, about 8 minutes or so. Have a taste, add some salt and pepper to the dish and you’re ready to eat! See, cheap good ol’ succotash also means it’s nice and simple to throw together.

After portioning out onto some plates, add some fresh parsley as a nice garnish and serve with some stale bread. If you’re anything like me, you probably have in your kitchen!

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…25 min

If you enjoyed this article please consider sharing it!