Quick Improv

Dinner tonight was fast!  I started with a recipe but several substitutions and a significant modification led to one of the fastest dinners I think we've ever made, short of picking up the phone for pizza....

Chopping peppers, opening cans and putting ingredients in the pan fell to the kid-chefs and dinner was ready by the time we had the table set.  Perfect after a weekend better spent outdoors!

Here's our super-easy chicken with corn and beans:
(feeds 4-6)

2 TB olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 red bell peppers, chopped
6 boneless chicken thighs (if you can only find bone-in, see variation below)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 14 oz can of corn
1 14 oz can of black beans
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt/pepper to taste

In a large non-stick pan, saute shallot and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 4 minutes
Add red pepper and mix with shallots - lay chicken pieces over the vegetables and add broth.
Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  If you can only find bone-in thighs, cook in broth without the red peppers for about 7 minutes, add the red peppers and cook about 10 minutes more.  Add corn, beans and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Could be served over rice or couscous.