My friend Elaine, who lives in Toronto, was making this chicken the other day for their dinner and it sounded so delicious that I decided to try it for ourselves! She said to Google it and so I did.
At first I just Googled Million Dollar Chicken, which brought me all sorts of other recipes but none were the right one.
Most of them were identical to the recipe my friend Leona gave me for Lazy Chicken, which . . . although being very delicious . . . . is not Million Dollar Chicken, or at least the one that Elaine was describing to me.
She said it had salsa and stuff in it, so I Googled Million Dollar Chicken with salsa and found this recipe on Pillsbury. It looked like the right one.
I also found it on Just a Pinch but am linking to the original one on Pillsbury since it was a winner of the bake-off in 1997, apparently. In any case its a winner/winner chicken dinner!
I have adapted it to feed just two people and I have also adapted it to cooking it in the oven. Elaine cooks hers in the Slow Cooker, and Pillsbury cooks their on top of the stove. I have it on pretty good authority that it is delicious in the slow cooker . . .
And I can tell you first hand that its pretty darned delicious done in the oven, and we have Pillsbury's word that it is delicious done on top of the stove! So lets just say it is full-on delicious!
I love dishes like this. Quick, easy and delicious . . . thrown together using ingredients that you find in your store cupboard or larder . . . meals that you can adapt to whatever kind of day you are having.
Busy with a lot on? Throw it in the slow cooker. Want it quicker than that? Just cook it in a skillet on the stove or in a casserole dish the oven.
It has a very Middle Eastern Flavours . . . with the cumin and the cinnamon, not to mention the dried fruit. Tagines often have those three things in them. The salsa is the surprise and it gives this simple and very tasty dish a bit of a zip (depending on the heat of your salsa) and plenty of flavour! You can't lose!!
Million Dollar Salsa Chicken
Yield: 2
This was a Pillsbury Bake Off winner in 1997 I have switched it out to serve just two people. You can cook in oven, slow cooker or on top of stove.
ingredients:
- 1/2 TBS flavourless vegetable oil
- 4 free range chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed and discarded
- 80g tomato salsa (1/2 cup)
- 2 TBS water
- 1 TBS dried currants or raisins
- 1/2 TBS liquid honey
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 TBS chopped toasted almonds or toasted pine nuts
- Cooked rice or couscous to serve
instructions:
How to cook Million Dollar Salsa Chicken
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken all over with garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Add to the hot oil and brown slowly on both sides, turning once. This will take about 5 minutes.
- While the chicken is browning mix together the salsa, water, currants/raisins, honey, ground cumin and cinnamon.
- Oven - Preheat to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Add the browned chicken to a casserole dish. Pour the salsa mixture over. Cover tightly and cook for 35 to 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Stir in the toasted nuts. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve the chicken pieces plus any sauce, spooned over hot rice or couscous.
- Stove top - Add the salsa mixture to the chicken in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium low, cover tightly, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Stir in the toasted nuts. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve the chicken pieces plus any sauce, spooned over hot rice or couscous.
- Slow-cooker - Put the browned chicken into the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the salsa mixture over top. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. The chicken should be thoroughly cooked, tender and the juices run clear. Stir in the toasted nuts. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve spooned over hot rice or couscous.
I served this with brown rice and it went down a real treat. Thanks so much for the recommendation Elaine! This is the perfect meal for these busy days we are all going to have over these next few weeks!
