One Pot Hen Creole – Drizzle Me Skinny!

In terms of soulful, wealthy, and hearty dishes, ZeroPoint Hen Creole is a high contender. This New Orleans-style dish packs a punch of daring flavors from a fusion of French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and Native American spices. 

The hallmark of Creole cooking is the “holy trinity”: onions, inexperienced bell peppers, and celery—simmered in a tomato sauce with easy spices for depth of taste. Don’t neglect to flick thru our number of different Weight Watchers dinner recipes! 

Why You Ought to Attempt Hen Creole

1. Hen Creole is a one-pot dish, which suggests fewer dishes to wash up later. In the identical pot, you brown the hen, sauté the onions, peppers, and chili (I exploit it to carry a Cajun twist), and cook dinner all the things down in a tomato base. As soon as the hen has simmered within the sauce, it absorbs all these flavors and turns tender. 
2. Hen Creole has Zero WW factors! It’s made with largely ZeroPoint meals. This implies you may take pleasure in it guilt-free, possibly even with a small piece of bread to mop up that scrumptious sauce.
3. It’s so versatile. You may serve it over rice, with a easy inexperienced salad, and even alongside some roasted veggies. It’s additionally nice for meal prepping as a result of you may make a giant batch and revel in it with completely different sides all through the week. And if you would like, it really works splendidly as a sandwich filling too!
4. This dish is all about huge, daring flavors with out the calorie overload. You’ve obtained recent veggies, lean hen, and a tomato-based sauce that’s bursting with tangy goodness. It’s spicy however not overwhelming, making it excellent for many who take pleasure in somewhat warmth with out an excessive amount of kick and pure sweetness from the veggies.

Preparation Time: quarter-hour

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Serving Measurement: 1 hen breast with sauce

ZERO WW Factors Per Serving. You may view the recipe on the WW App right here. (WW login required.)

Components In Hen Creole:

• 4 hen breasts (about 680 g)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon floor cumin (5 g)
• 1 teaspoon salt (5 g)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (5 g) (optionally available)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (5 mL)
• 1 medium purple onion, chopped (about 1 cup, 150 g)
• 1 inexperienced bell pepper, chopped (1 cup, 150 g)
• 2 small inexperienced chilis, finely chopped (optionally available)
• 2 celery stalks, chopped (1/2 cup, 50 g)
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz, 425 g)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (2 g)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (5 g) dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water (30 mL)
• ½ cup water or hen broth (120 mL)

How To Make Hen Creole:

1. Marinate the Hen: Begin by marinating the hen breasts. In a big bowl, mix the crushed garlic, floor cumin, salt, and black pepper. Rub this combination everywhere in the hen breasts. Put aside to marinate for at the least 10 minutes whilst you put together the remainder of the substances.
2. Sear the Hen: In a big skillet or pot, warmth 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium warmth. As soon as sizzling, add the hen breasts and sear them on all sides for about 3-4 minutes till they develop a pleasant golden-brown crust. Don’t fear in the event that they’re not absolutely cooked by way of at this level—they’ll end cooking within the sauce. Take away the hen from the skillet and put aside.
3. Put together the Sofrito: In the identical skillet, utilizing the leftover oil and bits from the hen, add the chopped purple onion, inexperienced bell pepper, inexperienced chilis (if utilizing), and celery. Sauté the greens over medium warmth, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes till they soften and the onion turns into translucent. This mixture of greens is called the “Holy Trinity” of Creole cooking.
4. Make the Sauce: As soon as the greens are softened, pour within the tomato sauce, dried oregano, bay leaves, and 1/2 cup of water or hen broth. Stir all the things collectively, scraping the underside of the skillet to raise any bits caught from the hen (this provides additional taste to the sauce). Deliver the combination to a simmer, then decrease the warmth and cook dinner for 10 minutes, permitting the flavors to meld collectively.
5. Thicken the Sauce: After the sauce has simmered, add the cornstarch combination (1 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water) to the skillet. Stir properly to mix and let it simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes. If the sauce turns into too thick, you may add a bit extra water or broth to succeed in your required consistency.
6. Prepare dinner the Hen within the Sauce: Return the seared hen breasts to the skillet, nestling them into the sauce. Cowl the skillet and let the hen cook dinner within the sauce for about 20 minutes over low warmth, or till the hen is cooked by way of and tender. The hen ought to attain an inside temperature of 165°F (74°C) when accomplished.
7. Serve: As soon as the hen is absolutely cooked, take away the bay leaves and discard them.

Variations and Substitutions

You may make Hen Creole as spicy, candy, or savory as you want. Listed here are a number of traditional variations to contemplate:

1. If you happen to love seafood: You may simply swap out the hen for shrimp or crab. Each seafood choices work fantastically in the identical tomato-based sauce, they usually carry out the Creole taste much more. If you wish to go all out, take into account including sausage too—shrimp and sausage collectively are a match made in heaven on this dish.
2. Use okra as a substitute of cornstarch: Okra is conventional in a whole lot of Creole dishes as a result of it naturally thickens the sauce with out including pointless starch or energy. Plus, it provides a pleasant texture that makes the dish much more satisfying.
3. Spice it up: Add a splash of Tabasco sauce or a sprinkle of Jamaican pepper. This stew virtually begs for spice! Simply you’ll want to style as you go, so that you don’t overpower the opposite flavors.

Suggestions and Tips for Making Hen Creole

1. Don’t rush the searing course of. You need your hen to get a pleasant golden crust. And don’t fear if some bits follow the underside of the pot. When you add the tomatoes, they’ll assist deglaze the pan and raise all that taste into the sauce.
2. Use an Immediate Pot to down the cooking time whereas locking in all of the flavors. Simply comply with the identical steps, however use the sauté perform to brown the hen and cook dinner the veggies earlier than sealing the lid and strain cooking.
3. Hen Creole pairs properly with a wide range of sides. It’s historically served over rice, however you would combine it up with mashed potatoes, cauliflower rice, and even quinoa if you happen to’re feeling fancy. 
4. Make massive batches: Have it prepared for fast meals all through the week. Use it as a filling for sandwiches. It’s additionally a kind of dishes that tastes even higher the subsequent day because the flavors have extra time to meld collectively.

Attempt it, and I promise it’ll change into one among your go-to recipes!